PLE Week 6

I watched Google Earth tours by Lauryn Paul, Kellie Cash, and Kaitlin Tingey. I discovered lots of things in their tours that I didn't even think of using!

When using a Google Earth tour in the classroom, I think a teacher could run into several challenges. First, unless the teacher runs the tour while the class watches, I think students would have a really difficult time figuring out how to turn on layers, use the measurement tool, etc. Unless I was doing the tour for fifth or sixth graders, I think I would definitely run it and have the class watch. Also, it is sometimes hard to see the features on Google Earth. The landscape often looks like mush, unless you zoom out far away. I think children might easily loose interest if the teacher takes time to figure out where the best view is. This is why it's important to have every marker posted before hand. Other than that, however, I think Google Earth is a great way to take a field trip without spending money or leaving school. I find it really fascinating to watch the world spin and zoom into different places, view the panorama pictures, and look at distance relationships. I think children would find this interesting, too, especially if the teacher is doing the technical work so that they can enjoy the view. This is a great way to learn about the world.