GOOGLE EARTH 

by The Explorers

Have you ever wanted to travel the world?

Have you ever wanted to visit Paris to see the Eiffel Tower?

Have you ever just wondered what the rest of our Earth looks like? If so, this blog will be beneficial for you!

This blog will introduce you to a technology called Google Earth. It is free to download and explore. To access any links on this blog, you can easily CLICK on the link or copy and paste the link. This blog is meant to help you step-by-step to learn how to navigate through the program and also will show you some great features Google Earth enables you to do. If you have any questions/comments or you are just interested in commenting on this blog, you will need to create or have an existing gmail account to sign in. You do not have to be a member to simply view this blog. So feel free to explore!

On this blog you will learn:

• What is Google Earth? 
• How to download Google Earth. 
• How to navigate through Google Earth? 
• Features of Google Earth.
• Use the scroll bar to the right to learn how to start exploring Google Earth step by step.

What is Google Earth?

A: Google Earth is a GPS (Global Positioning System) based program that allows you to travel the world through a virtual globe and view satellite imagery, maps, terrain, and even 3D buildings.  You can type in an address or landmark and watch as you fly there to your destination.  The choices and features are endless!

 The Explorers say let's jump right on in and get started!  Follow the step by step instructions below as we take you around the globe.  It's fun to explore and you will learn as you go! 

How to download Google Earth

Step 1: Open your internet provider and go to http://www.google.com/earth/index.html

Step 2: Click Download then "agree and download" and then "save file" when the window below pops up

Step 3:  Open the setup.exe file then click on "Run" this will commence the download and you will shortly have the Google Earth program on your desktop

How to navigate Google Earth  

Step 4: Open the Google Earth program and The Explorers recommend that you go through the tips that automatically open when you start the program.  The tips come in handy and can be read quickly.

Step 5: Let's get familiar with the controls.  Notice the red arrow which points to the navigation tools.  The top cluster of buttons control the rotation, the cluster below controls the pan motion, and the bottom controls the zoom.  Give it a try!

 

Step 6: Next, let's see if you can use these tools to zoom all the way in to the Hawaiian Islands.  Hopefully you know where the Hawaiian islands are.  You should see something like below.

 Step 7: Let's learn some shortcuts!  Once you get familiar with the navigation tools you can begin using shortcuts to perform the same navigation functions.  

• zoom function you can scroll your mouse in and out
• pan feature you can left click and drag to your desired direction
• rotate you can push your scroll button (middle button) down and move to your desired angle.

Here is a video to help you familiarize with Google Earth http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rd2uXE1fTI0

 

Click the above video to see a demonstration of navigating using the tools in Google Earth. 

Features of Google Earth

Pinpointing exact landmarks:

Step 8:  Now that you've learned how to navigate, let's jump into our exercise and pinpoint an exact landmark.  Let's find Chaminade University in Google Earth!  The easiest way to do this would be to type in Chaminade University in the search bar located in the upper left corner of your screen.  

 As soon as you hit search it will zoom all the way in to the location of Chaminade University.  We want to mark this location using the placemarker tool which is the yellow pushpin icon in the tool bar above.  Simply click it once and place the pin next to the Chaminade University "red-teardrop marker."  After that you will title this placemarker "Chaminade University."

 

Step 9:  Now that we've placed a pin at Chaminade University, let's explore the world and find the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.  You'll do the same procedure as the last step and type (Eiffel Tower, Paris, France) in the Search bar and hit enter/search.  It will zoom in like below, you may use your navigation tools to get the specific sightseeing view of your preference. Play around with the navigation tools. EXPLORE like you would if you were actually there!

 Next, place a pin right next to the base of the Eiffel Tower and Title this Eiffel Tower.

 Step 10:  Now that you've got both landmarks pinned you will notice in the tool bar on your left there is a list of "Places" your placemarkers are saved there; where you can simply double-click on a landmark to revisit it.  There should be a green checkmark next to both of your placemarkers. Go ahead and double click on Chaminade University and the globe will automatically orbit around and take you back to Chaminade University.

Step 11: Next, we are going to do something Cool!  We are going to find the distance between Chaminade University and the Eiffel Tower.  To accomplish this we are going to use the ruler tool which is a blue-ruler icon that is located in the tool bar above.  Click on it and begin dragging, you will notice that the lengths and distances begin to change as well as the headings in degrees.  Reference below:

Step 12: There are two ways to stretch the ruler to the Eiffel Tower. You can continue to drag the ruler while scrolling out with your mouse which zooms out. Once you're zoomed out where you can see the entire globe again, you can rotate the globe until you see France and then proceed to zoom into Paris and then the Eiffel Tower. If you're like us, you'd probably want to be able to get there faster. By simply double clicking on the Eiffel Tower icon on the left side under "Places" it will zoom right back to the Eiffel Tower and you will see your ruler's yellow band get dragged all the way there.

See Below:

Congratulations! you did it!  Take a look at the distance in miles.  You should have gotten around 7,449 miles.  Wow that's a long distance.  All of these placemarkers and rulers will be saved under your places on the left side.  

Let's continue our journey and explore more cool tools in Google Earth.  What if you wanted to make a video documenting and narrating your journey.  There is a way to do this so let's explore this below!

Recording a tour

Maybe you would like to share all the places you've visited with someone else. On Google Earth you are able to record your tour.

Step 12: Let's say you went ahead and added placemarks for each landmark you visited (scroll up to Steps 8-10 to learn how to add placemarks). You started your tour from Chaminade University, then you visited the Eiffel Tower. Then let's say we visited: 

(Type in each landmark in the search bar, in the left corner of the screen and add placemarks to each.)

Washington DC

The Statue of Liberty 

 

Christ the Redeemer, Brazil

After you label each landmark, your placemarks will be listed to the left of your screen where you can revisit the landmarks by simply double-clicking on a landmark.

Step 13: Now that we have added placemarks to our landmarks we can easily record our tour. We can start from Chaminade University; double-click on Chaminade University in the list of "Places" on the left side of you screen.

Step 14: To record a tour, click on the icon with a picture of a video camera on the top of the screen. 

A little recording option box will show up on the lower left side of the screen (the red dot is to record and the microphone is to record a sound). We can start recording from Chaminade University, click on the red dot to record. 

Step 15: Once you click on the record button, you will record your tour visiting each landmark by using the navigation tools, (see Steps 5-7 to learn how to navigate through Google Earth) zooming in, rotating, and using the pan motion to turn. When you want to visit other landmarks, simply double-click on another landmark listed at the left of your screen under "Places." Google Earth will fly you directly to that landmark and then you can explore using your navigation tools. After you are done recording, click on the red dot to stop recording.

Step 16: Immediately when you click click the red dot to stop recording your recorded tour will automatically play. The little recording option box becomes a video option box where you can pause the video, fast forward, and rewind to view the recorded video. To save, locate the icon with the disc click on it.

Step 17: A screen will pop up called Google Earth New Tour. Name the recorded tour and click ok. 

Step 18: To save tour to your desktop, left-click on tour located in list of "Places" and go to "save place as"

 Then a screen will pop up and you may choose to save the tour to desktop or where ever you choose. Then click save.

There you have it you recorded your own personal tour using Google Earth! Now you are free to choose how to share your tour, by email, blog, facebook, etc.

View the video below and get some tips and ideas for different teaching situations:

How can educators use Google Earth for a fun-filled effective learning experience for students?
 Lessons and projects where students can become EXPLORERS using Google Earth. Google Earth is a great tool for all students (1st graders and up or anyone able to use a computer). It is a great teaching tool that promotes integration of many subjects:

• Math (measuring, spatial knowledge, etc.) 
• Language Arts (students can write able places they want to visit, and after visiting using Google Earth, written work about their experience, about similarities/differences) 
• Social Studies (geography, history of landmarks, where historical figures lived, and 3D experience of the Earth)
• Science (solar system, there is a great feature where you can experience the moon!)
• Arts (students can create their own images, designs, and sculptures they EXPLORED on Google Earth)

These are some features of Google Earth. Google Earth is a great tool for anyone who wants to EXPLORE the world!

References 

GoogleEarthVideohelp. (2008, April 11). Navigating in Google Earth 4.3+[video]. Retrieved on       Feburary 24, 2012 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?

aawad6. (2011, July 5). How to Make a Google Earth Tour [video]. Retrieved on Feburary 24, 2012 from  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL73VhcJ9t4&feature=player_embedded

www.google.com/earth/index.html

Created by: Derek Tammie Neal