Monday, May 7, 2007
Google Earth, Maps, and Community
I have been interested in Google Earth since the beginning of this year when I was complaining about the lack of detailed geographic maps. I have a great digital collection of historical maps; however, in my Global 9 class I am always trying to demonstrate the effect that geography plays in the historical development of every civilization. Google has answered my call. Now when I want to show how China's geography isolated it and allowed the civilizations to develop a unique and ethnocentric culture I can pull up Google Earth and show the Gobi Desert, the Himalayas, and other landforms. It gives educators and students tool's to take command of such a large, yet vital, aspect as geography. Any Social Studies teacher must be well versed in geography and this is the best way to make it come alive for students.
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2 comments:
I love how you used google earth to find the bars which were 100 years old in the city. I hope you had a good time. I think if we had Google Earth when I was in school I might have understood a small aspect of geograpy. No matter what my teachers told me it always looked like a bunch of lines on a piece of paper. As you said Google Earth makes it come alive for students. If my teachers could have pulled up a real visual of whatever area we were learning about it might have helped me to understand. Using Google Earth definetly makes education come alive.
Great use of google earth, in the classroom and outside. I agree with Ivy that this tool can represent knowledge in ways that are meaningful and engaging.
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