Google Earth
What is Google Earth?
Google describes its virtual globe software, Google Earth, as "a globe that sits inside your PC".
What does Google Earth do?
Google Earth combines satellite imagery, aerial photography, and maps in order to create a three-dimensional representation of the world. Google Earth is an interactive program, allowing you to view the earths surface from any angle; you can see what the Grand Canyon looks like from the air, or even zoom in close on the roof of your own house.
Google Earth incorporates geographic information from Google Maps to display an extensive network of highways, borders, traffic, airports, restaurants, hospitals, and even directions on how to get there.
Additionally, Google has recently expanded Google Earth to include satellite footage of space, so that now you can explore the galaxy, too.
How can Google Earth help me?
Aside from being both a practical and entertaining tool, Google Earth is a valuable educational resource that can be applied to many different disciplines in the humanities, for example:
- Art History: Tour in 3D art museums around the world, or check out Art Nouveau in Brussels.
- Archaeology: Walk through a recreation of the ancient city of Rome or fly to Egypt and visit Tutankhamen's tomb.
- History: See for yourself what's going on in the world with the Current Affairs showcase. Take your students on a Castles & Palaces or Cathedrals 3D tour, or trace the steps of famous explorers such as naturist Alexander von Humboldt.
- Literature: Take a trip through the world of Jane Austen, tour sites from James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, or go On the Road with Jack Kerouac.
- Languages: Travel to foreign cities and countries, exploring different sites and attractions. Don't miss presentations from The Rosetta Project, such as the Alex Lomax Global Language Audio Collection and Endangered Languages of Africa and the Americas.
Links
- Download Google Earth
- Google Earth Tutorials- Google
- Google Earth User Guide- Google
- Google Earth for Educators- Google
- 7 Things You Should Know About Google Earth-EDUCAUSE PDF
- Google Lit Trips
- Google Earth Outreach-Grants for non-profit research with Google Earth.