GOOGLE EARTH: A USERS' GUIDE

A WORKSHOP DELIVERED AT THE SAGT CONFERENCE: 28th OCTOBER 2006

Go HERE  for the illustrated BLOG of the weekend...

Google Earth is a marvellous tool for Geographers. For the last year, a rapid pace of innovation has been sustained by users of the software, and many of these ideas have come from teachers in the UK. This session presented the best ideas (some of them mine…), in the context of an RGS-IBG Innovative Geography Teaching grant I was awarded to develop a ‘Users’ Guide’. All participants were given a work book to fill in which allowed them to develop these ideas themselves. I also set up the MY PLACES PROJECT (with limited success). This will be a collaborative resource with opportunities for teachers to send me resources they use with Google Earth, and some of their own favourites.

You too can get involved. If you use Google Earth, please export your placemarks and send them to my ‘MY PLACES’ project. That way, we can build up a library of files which all Scottish Geography teachers could access with links to places of interest relevant to SQA qualifications and courses. This applies whether or not you attended the seminar.

I am also very happy to receive any other GOOGLE EARTH related  materials you feel able to share. As Malcolm McDonald has said on SAGT website, "who needs another wheel ?" Check the MY PLACES link below for details of how to get involved.

This is a chance for delegates to SAGT Conference, or indeed anyone else for that matter, to contribute to a collaborative project on Google Earth. This will supplement existing collections of Google Earth placemarks.

Start up GOOGLE EARTH and LOG IN. This will be done automatically, unless you have one of the 'paid for' versions where there are options for which server to connect to.

You will see a column down the LEFT HAND SIDE of the screen which contains your PLACES: some permanent, some temporary. These can be exported as a whole, or a folder at a time. They can be arranged and renamed as you like, and 'DRAG and DROPPED' into FOLDERS which you have made for them.

They can be exported very easily by following the instructions on the relevant page. Follow the link below. I would like you to send me the places that you have visited and bookmarked and found useful. This is a similar idea to many of the SOCIAL NETWORKING websites which are forming part of the movement known as Web 2.0 For example, check out my del.icio.us - check out my WEB FAVOURITES by clicking the link. I'm sure you'll find sites you never knew about which will soon become your favourites too...

If you have visited a place and found it worthwhile putting a bookmark there it is quite likely that other people will have too. Why not create a Google TOUR. This is a collection of placemarks which are visited in sequence. Putting together a tour is very straightforward.

Some great ideas included:

Noel Jenkins - the king of Google Earth: real geography with real outcomes

Richard Allaway - GE in a Wind Farm resource & Mystery - providing a context

Tony Cassidy - Cross sections - exploring the virtual globe

GE Graph and GPS / GIS

GE Touring

GE & showcasing pupil work / setting tasks

Sketch Up 3D models and warehouse / DMEs

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