TOP PICKS | 15 TOOLS

Middle and High School Geography Apps and Websites

Geography is concerned with people, places, and the complex relationships between us and our physical environments. As students explore more of the planet, they will begin to think critically about the issues and problems affecting their communities and begin learning how to be a good global citizen. Choose from this mix of geo-picks that'll help older students learn more about the U.S. and the world and use that knowledge to make and share their own maps.

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Explore Interactive Multimedia and Games

Google Earth

Cool geographical exploration tool has endless classroom applications

Bottom line: Google Earth offers less functionality than the PC version but still thrills.

Grades: K–12 Price: Free

National Geographic Education

Explore the fascinating, wide world with multimedia resources

Bottom line: It's a wonderful resource for anyone looking to learn more about science, geography, ecology, current events -- basically, the world we live in.

Grades: 2–10 Price: Free

Expeditions

Fire up the warp drive to bring VR field trips to your classroom

Bottom line: With stunning scenes and a flexible delivery method, your students will thank you for journeying together through space and time.

Grades: 2–12 Price: Free, Paid Educators can put together their own kits or purchase a recommended kit. Pricing ranges from $3,999 for 10 students to $9,999 for 30 students.

Oddizzi

Kids travel the world, cultivate global curiosity and responsibility

Bottom line: Kids get a sense of culture and global responsibility via kid-friendly articles and great multimedia.

Grades: 3–8 Price: Free to Try, Paid 95 GB Pounds/year classroom and 280 GB Pounds/year for 99 students or under, up to 800 GB Pounds/year for 700 + students

Google Earth VR

Explore the world with an incredible new perspective and sense of scale

Bottom line: An amazing experience that brings the world to life, despite the heavy investment in VR required.

Grades: 3–12 Price: Free Requires a virtual reality headset.

Geoguessr

"Just one more turn" gameplay jazzes up geography

Bottom line: It's not a typical educational game, but students are inspired to explore the world and encouraged to think critically about what defines culture and geography.

Grades: 4–12 Price: Free, Paid The optional $2.99/month Pro version removes ads and allows users to create their own maps for people to play.

Seterra Geography

Drill geography facts with oddly compelling, no-frills app

Bottom line: A basic but useful way to drill and memorize geography basics.

Grades: 4–12 Price: Free, Free to Try, Paid On iOS, the free version includes only two maps. It's $1.99 to unlock all the other maps. On Android, there's a free ad-supported version and a $1.99 version without ads.

Geocaching

Leave and locate hidden packages in a real-world treasure hunt

Bottom line: Kids learn problem-solving, teamwork, and mapping skills, but the site doesn’t provide instruction or explanations for most of those topics; educators will have to fill in the gaps.

Grades: 7–12 Price: Free, Paid Basic membership is free. A premium subscription costs $2.50 a month and gives users extra options, such as downloading multiple geocaches at once.

Historypin

Crowdsourcing is key to making history accessible, approachable

Bottom line: Historypin is an engaging tool to get kids interested in the history of their community and the world.

Grades: 8–12 Price: Free

Get Lost in Atlases and Maps

Maps101

Maps and more in this vast history, geography, and civics resource

Bottom line: A well-rounded selection of helpful classroom and research materials; better organization would help kids navigate the site with ease.

Grades: K–12 Price: Free to Try Annual subscriptions are $400 to $650 and provide unlimited remote access for an entire school. Teachers can purchase an annual license for $199.

StrataLogica

High-quality customizable maps help students understand their world

Bottom line: This map app takes time to learn to use but offers both teachers and students highly useful tools for creating custom maps and interactive social studies and science presentations.

Grades: 4–12 Price: Free to Try Begins with 30-day free trial. Educators can then purchase individual packs which include a teacher account, multiple student accounts, and access to additional materials, such as Common Core aligned lesson plans and student activities. In-app content packs are $1.99 each.