Journal 8-Google Earth

Google Earth is a satellite imagery tool that allows the viewer to type in a location and see it from multiple views, or "fly" over locations across the earth. It was created by Keyhole, Inc., a company that was acquired by Google, thus the name Google Earth. The clarity and accuracy of this tool are amazing, and the applications are endless. To get such accurate images, Google uses satellite images, aerial photography, and street views. To obtain the street view images, Google has vans that plan to drive around every street in the world, and get an actual view of what it's like to drive up these streets. You can do anything from soar over the peaks of Mt. Everest to get driving directions to your local CVS pharmacy! The conversations that I followed on Web 2.0 were both started by a middle school math teacher who is constantly looking for new ways to inspire his students outside of a textbook. He uses lessons incorporating longitude and latitude, as well as population projections, all features that can easily be found on GoogleEarth. Other very cool features include trip mapping, diving into the oceans, and time mapping, to see what a location may have looked like hundreds of years ago. The applications for GoogleEarth are great for inspiring students, and the graphics and images are so clear, anyone who views it would be impressed. I think a cool project idea would be to have students create video maps that follow the trails of historic expeditions, like Lewis and Clark, Columbus...Google Earth is also a great application to use in elective courses, such as drafting, as you can incorporate GoogleEarth with 3D modeling programs like 3D max and Sketch Up.