Using Google Earth
You can download Google Earth free here: http://www.google.com/earth/download/ge/agree.html
This is how the screen will look when you open up Google Earth app or plugin.
Perform searches from the search box at the top left side of the program.
You can type a place name, zipcode or postcode, a town/city name, an airport or you can even try to type in a latitude-longitude location (in decimal format). Once you press the ↵ Enter key, you'll be "flown" to that destination. You can take a virtual holiday!
You can also drag the little yellow man icon to the map and you will get to see street view. I do this before I visit a place so that I can navigate the place easily when I am there!
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Use the zoom out and zoom in options from the buttons on the right hand side of the screen.
Turn the wheel in the top right corner to spin the item to a better understood angle.
Click on Exit Street view to go back to the map.
Look for the date the picture was taken from the bottom left hand corner of the screen.
Scroll through the dates to see all the satellite images from different days of the year.
Zoom to a place on the map where the satellite image has a date, click the "View" menu from the menu bar and click the "Historical Imagery" button to enable the feature.
Drag the location of the toggle slider switch in the top left corner to a different date and see what the area was like. e.g. you can see what New Orleans was like after Hurricane Katrina, or one of the many famous historical times that date back to 1990!
I have attached some of the kmz files below which you can explore. There are also many kmz or kml files which you can use with Google Earth online.
Type in the name of the city e.g. Tokyo in the box next to search.
You can click on the video below tour guide and fly over Tokyo looking at the city aerial view.
You can also drag the yellow man button on the left to any of the blue line and you can see the street view.
This is one of the street view of Tokyo. Look at the high rise buildings and more developed infrastructure e.g. flyover, wider roads congested with cars etc.
The second file is on the Favela in Brazil (slum).
Open the file with Google Earth. You will see the Favela area marked by a yellow line.
To see the street view, drag the yellow man icon on the right to any point on the blue line.
You will able to virtually walk down the street by clicking on the road. Click on Exit Street View on top right hand corner to go back to the aerial view of the Favela zone in Brazil.
Look at the living conditions of the people in the favela by taking a virtual walk in the area using street view.
For sec 2 we actually gotten the students to annotate a picture of their neighbourhood to show why it is a unique place for them. Some were not able to be there so they made use of Google Earth and screenshot the street view.
Introduction of a game "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" using Google Earth shared by freetech4teachers Great for EL and Geog!
To play Where on Google Earth is Carmen Sandiego? simply go to g.co/carmensandiego and start "interviewing" witnesses by clicking on the magnifying glass.
When you click on an interviewee Google Earth will automatically zoom-in on the location of the interview. Just like in any other use of Google Earth, you can zoom and pan around the area of detail.
Great for learning about places around the world!
After talking to the witnesses, use the information to make your best guess as to where you should fly to next from a given list to pursue Carmen Sandiego.
I think using this concept it can be applied on virtual amazing race too. Tried that by place marking but this is more fun. Will try that with students one day!
Update:
Carmen Sandiego is back!
Another game to help Carmen Sandiego recover Tutankhamun’s Mask. Le Chevre, a master climber and her classmate of at VILE Academy, has stolen the priceless artifact.
Third and latest addition.
After you helped Carmen Sandiego recover the stolen Crown Jewels of England and Tutankhamun’s Mask. Now we need you for a third and final assignment: Recover the Keys to the Kremlin in Google Earth.