GEOGRAPHY
Google Earth in geography
Geography teacher James Riley discusses ideas for using
Google Earth in the geography classroom
information systems) software packages that are available on the market, it has the distinct advantage of being free, enabling schools to get GIS affordably into their budgets and also allowing pupils the opportunity to use it at home and later in their careers (both in and out of education). Importantly, it also fulfils the criteria for GIS use in
G Layers
Many of Google Earth’s layers are by their very nature geographical. Suggestion: watch live earthquakes and volcanoes or highlight crisis areas such as Darfur.
Panoramios
Use the Panoramio (geographically located photographs) layer to enable pupils to appreciate a sense of place. Suggestion: ask pupils to find the five photographs that best give an impression of life on Bangladesh’s chars. Copy these images into a Word file and annotate how they show local people living their lives.
Historical imagery
Use older aerial shots to compare previous land use with modern uses. Suggestions: watch Happisburgh’s (in Norfolk) disappearing coastline and count the number of houses that remain on Beach Road; watch Antarctic ice shelves calve away; watch regeneration of Beijing around the Bird’s Nest Stadium at the Olympics site.
Google Street View
Another of Google Earth’s layers, Street View allows 360-degree vision from certain locations. Suggestions:
most contemporary geography syllabuses. Here are some suggestions as to how some of
Google Earth’s features could be used in the geography classroom, either through teacher-led “demonstrative” activities or hands-on pupil-led activities.
OOGLE EARTH is a dynamic, evolving and engaging piece of software that has a plethora of different uses for the geography classroom. While not being as sophisticated as many GIS (geographic
The Geographical Association
Founded in 1893, the Geographical Association is a national subject teaching association for geographers, representing about 6,000 members from all phases and areas of the teaching of geography. With more than 670 delegates from over 20 countries attending the 2010 Derby conference, the event is the largest CPD event of its kind in the UK. The 2011 annual conference is being held at the University of Surrey on April 14 to 16 with a theme of Progress in Geography. Session materials and photographs from the 2010 conference can be found online and further details for Guildford 2011 will be available in the autumn term. Visit www.
geography.org.uk/conference
use Street View as part virtual fieldwork to complete land use transects of high streets or environmental quality surveys of locations across the globe; visit Yosemite National Park. Street View can also be a useful way of talking about privacy issues and GIS.
Virtual fieldwork Use the Line and Path tool to measure distances. Suggestions: measure the width of a river at various locations downstream, measure the size of glacial features, measure the size of Happisburgh’s coastline at different times to show rates of erosion.
Google Earth graph
This handy piece of free downloadable software (see further information) allows you to plot data, in graph form, onto Google Earth. A fantastic tool for plenary sessions on fieldtrips. Suggestion: plot pebble size along the beach you have studied or quality of life scores at locations throughout a city.
Other hints
If trying these exercises, you should have a copy of the Google Earth instructions with you (see further information) and laminate some copies of a How to Use Google Earth tip sheet, which can also be found online. Also, it is worth pointing out that Google Earth
files are “.kml” or “.kmz” files and can be saved, copied and emailed just like any other document, meaning you can put them on your school network for pupils to access or get them to email theirs to you. Search for Google Earth files by Googling “deforestation .kml” or “climate change .kml”.
Conclsion
Google Earth is a very intuitive programme and teachers will only fully appreciate its potential by spending some time playing with it. Being so ICT literate, pupils seemingly grasp how to use it relatively effortlessly.
How you choose to use in it your classroom is up to you; in essence the only limit to Google Earth’s classroom use is your imagination.
Finally, while Google Earth is not accessible in all schools due to ICT restrictions, Google Maps is and has a selection of similar functions. Importantly, Street View is still possible using Google Maps and enables users to have a split screen with half the screen showing a chosen map and half showing the corresponding Street View.
SecEd
• James Riley is a geography NQT at Lawrence Sheriff School
in Rugby. He
presented a lecture entitled “Google Earth: practical ideas” at the recent Geographical Association Conference boxout).
in Derby Further information • Google Earth:
http://earth.google.co.uk/
• Google Earth Graph:
http://www.sgrillo.net/ googleearth/
gegraph.htm
• Google Earth Instructions: http://earth.google. com/userguide/v4/google_earth_user_guide.pdf • How to use Google Earth tips sheet: http://serc.
carleton.edu/files/sp/library/google_earth/ examples/google-earth-tip-sheet.v2.pdf • Google Maps:
www.google.com/maps
SecEd • July 1 2010 7 (see
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