Free but robust tool that students can use to explore the world

Google Earth is an amazing site that can be extremely beneficial within the classroom. For example, if there is a lesson on different cultures around the world, a teacher would be able to show their students what life looks like in that location. It also allows a student to understand just how diverse the world is and how big it is. Traveling is an amazing experience that not all children are able to experience, therefore Google Earth can show them just exactly what it is like to travel.

Google Earth provides a number of learning ("exploration") units that provide context and relevance to different map features. This is an amazing feature. It also allows for interdisciplinary lesson planning. For example, there is a great feature that takes students on a visual tour of medieval castles which is accompanied by an explanation of how math factors into defense planning. Finally, and perhaps of most interest to teachers, there is a project tool that allows students to mark and label the map. Teachers could find many useful applications for this to facilitate student collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking. For example, you could have students identify locations on the map where civilizations first emerged and then compare and contrast their geological features in preparation for a group presentation or classroom discussion. There is a written tutorial, which is helpful. However, to Google Earth's credit, it is also an incredibly intuitive tool as well. It would be very easy for a teacher to explain how it works and then turn their class loose on an activity. As far as relevance, this is great. Although I have a love for physical, foldout maps, they are archaic. As somebody who used maps extensively in my previous work prior to becoming a teacher, the feature of Google Earth are very similar to the features a student would likely use in the real world if geography factored into their work. All of that said, this tool isn't going to do the heavy lifting in regard to pedagogy. Geographical content and technology is here in abundance, but a teacher is going to have to generate a plan for how to integrate this into their lesson (barring the "exploration" activities mentioned above, which are more fleshed out). So, if you want this to facilitate critical thinking, you're going to have to come up with the questions (or previously taught the students how to generate relevant questions on their own).

I love that Google Earth is not only exciting, visually appealing, and expansive, but it also provides the user with an education of the areas on the planet-- and beyond! You can learn interesting facts about topics from Mars, Japan, the desert, to the ocean, simply by utilizing the software and exploring. Clearly, many professionals have worked hard to compile fun facts and vital background to these locations provided, and this allows the user to gain an extensive knowledge about places they normally would never get to experience in person.