I remember as a young kid that I never enjoyed reading very much but would find myself falling asleep with an atlas on my chest. There was always some place a map could take me that a book couldn’t so, it’s no wonder that I love Google Earth as an adult. 
I try to use Google Earth as much as I can during my Social Studies lessons because it lets me tell a story in an incredibly dramatic way that simply can’t be done with a traditional map.
I am teaching a unit called East Meets West and I am starting out with good ole Christopher Columbus. Initially, I want the students to imagine what life must have been like during those first 72 days of westward travel. I want the students to have an emotional experience, at some level, that will elicit a deeper appreciation for Christopher’s first adventure. This is no small task for any teacher BUT I am here to say that Google Earth is a tool that if used correctly, can do this for students.
Picture this:
Scene 1
The class lights turned off, students huddled on the floor in front of the well lit Smartboard, and Planet Earth illuminated as big as life on the screen.
Scene 2
Teacher talking in a whisper like voice looking directly into the eyes of students using subtle hand gestures and telling a story in an overly dramatic way.
Scene 3
Students get goosebumps and they can’t wait to learn more.
It’s possible ~ really!
“Tricks” I’ve learned to create a dramatic presentation that elicits a deep emotional response.
- The only feature I have checked in the sidebar is the “Boarder View” so students can clearly identify countries. Depending on the presentation the pictures and wiki articles that are embedded throughout may be more of a distraction initially.
- Then I get rid of the sidebar view completely. I want the screen to have as few distractions as possible during the presentation.
- I use the “Ruler” function and click on “path” so I can stop my line at strategic points that gives me an opportunity to embellish the presentation and to ask questions along the way.
- I wait to zoom in so students have a “global” view of the story.
- Only in the end do I zoom in as close as possible for the ultimate WOW effect.
All of the above mentioned bullet points are done prior to the students seeing the screen. Think drama! If I have 5-10 minutes of an attention span to work with I don’t want to waste 1 minute clicking and setting up the screen. I am really trying to get the WOW effect from the beginning to the very end.
Question: “Can students use Google Earth as a presentation tool to tell a story in a dramatic way?”
Answer: Oh, I am pretty sure they could handle it!
