Google Earth

During my student teaching placement, I was teaching about the five regions of Virginia.  The regions of Virginia are an SOL for 4th grade.  I began in the east and worked my way west.  I was student teaching in the Valley and Ridge Region of Virginia.  As I began teaching about the Coastal Plain region, a student raised his hand and said: "Ms. B, I have never seen the ocean."  I was astounded and pondered this comment for the rest of the evening.  The next day, I came prepared to give the students a full picture of being at the beach, without being able to take a field trip to the coast.  As I presented pictures and videos many students remarked: "When I get home, I am going to tell my parents to take me there!"  I then made a project out of this motivation during which students designed an "ad" for the Coastal Plain Region.  The goal of the "ad" was to convince the students' parents to take them to the Coastal Plain Region.

It was during this time in my teaching career that I discovered Google Earth.

The Google Earth feature allows students to take a trip around the world without leaving their seat.  For many students, this is all they will see of a beach, the mountains, or other natural wonders of the world.  I used this feature especially to show the flowing of rivers, as I taught that many rivers start in the Blue Ridge Mountain Region of Virginia and flow through the other regions and on to the ocean.  This interactive visual was much more useful to students than even the simple maps I placed on their desk.

Some students proceeded to go home and experiment with Google Earth a bit more.  I had many students, and parents, approach me about their adventures on Google Earth.  While the experience of Google Earth does not begin to approach real life exploration of natural wonders or cities, I believe that it is a good tool for students to gain a better understanding of the world.

While the resolution of images needs improvement, and 3D imagery is not available everywhere, Google Earth makes online resources available for particular areas of interest.  Without leaving Google Earth, you can research all about a certain location using internet links as well as view maps of interest.

I found that Google Earth was informational and motivational for the students I was teaching at the time, and I would recommend trying it out in your classroom!