Earth & Expeditions
Welcome
Google Earth is a really fantastic tool with a ton of fun uses, both inside and outside of the classroom. Originally created for the CIA, the tool was purchased by Google and then released to the public in 2005. Since that time, it has gone through numerous changes and iterations, constantly building in depth and breadth of function.
Getting Started
Google Earth comes in 3 flavors (4, if you count the professional version): A desktop app, a Chrome plug-in, and a mobile app. I really see no reason not to use the desktop app if you can.
Examples of Earth in the Classroom
Historical Maps
Google has a searchable / browsable database of all sorts of maps (not just historical). You can download these maps or buy print copies of them, but you can also view them in Google Earth.
Historic Sites
You could just do a Google Image Search for photos of famous sites you want to show. Or, you can go there with Google Earth.
Geography Objectives
When I taught World Geography, I used Google Earth to help teach a variety of objectives, such as seasons and latitude and longitude.
You can also use Google Earth to show other Geography objectives, such as urbanization, irrigation, deforestation, climate change, etc. These gifs were made with Google Earth as part of a joint project between Google, NASA, and Time Magazine:
Google Expeditions and Google Cardboard
So, this year, Google rolled out a new program that had been in closed beta for awhile: Google Expeditions.
What is it?With Google Cardboard and Google Expeditions, students can take virtual field trips. There are so many locations to choose from, everything from taking a boat down the Amazon River to walking through the Louvre Museum to backpacking down the Grand Canyon to a reenactment of the Battle of the Somme. It's amazing. You can even go to Mars. MARS!
How to Get Started
Install the Google Expeditions app to a relatively new Android phone (it works perfectly on mine, which is a 2014 model). From there, you want to get a Google Cardboard. I won mine at a conference as a door prize, but they range in price from $0.79 to $12 for the basic model on Amazon. If you're willing to buy just a handful for your class, you could have the kids pass them around, using their own phones. If you want to write a grant, Best Buy sells a kit with the visors and the devices for 30 kids in a charging station for $10,000. I recommend the cheaper option, obviously.
Do I need Google Cardboard to go on Expeditions?No, not at all. It just makes it cooler. They totally work just by moving your phone around. Whatever you decide to do, you install the app to your phone and to your class devices (if you have them) or otherwise have the students download it to their own phones. You then all connect to the school wifi (you can use data, but the files are big). Then within the app. you choose to "Be a guide" and have the students choose to "Be an explorer." If you are the only one with a device and you are just going to pass it around, then just choose guide. Then you find the expedition you want to go on and lead the students on a virtual fieldtrip.