Google Earth
Google Earth
Google Earth offers maps and satellite images for complex or pinpointed regional searches .
Top of Form
Step 1: Open Google Earth
All teachers and students in Henrico County Public Schools have google earth already installed as part of their computer image. If you do not have google earth installed on your computer, you can download it for free. Go to www.google.com and type in Google Earth. This will give you the website and directions for downloading an installing. There are also useful help files to learn more of Google Earth’s many features.
Go to applications à Google Earth
Step 2: Create a New Folder
Each project that you create will be housed within specific folders.
On the left you will see information panes about My Places and Layers.Click on Add à Folder
A window will pop up for an untitled folder. Click inside the name box and name your folder.
For example, if you are studying the original 13 colonies, you would name the folder 13 colonies. You can also type some information that you will learn on this tour in the description panel.
Click OK
Your folder will now appear in the My Places pane with a hyper link named 13 colonies.
Step 3: Set your placemarks (locations)
Click on the 13 colonies folder to highlight it. Double-Click on an area of the globe you would to visit. Keep Double-Clicking to zoom in.Click on the placemark icon (tack) to mark your spot.
Name the placemark in the same way that you did the folder. You can also move the placemark to a more specific location on the globe when in this view. Click on the placemark icon to change it’s look and color.
Click OK
You should now see the place listed under the folder you want to include it in.
To edit or change the place of the icon later in the project, click on the place holder and hold down ctrl à Get Info.
Continue navigating to places, landmarks, and or landforms that you want to visit in your tour. Be sure to put a placemark and name each item. These should all appear in the My Places pane under and site that you have visited.
Bottom of Form
Step 4: Save as a KMZ file
Once you have included all of your places, you are ready to save the folder as a kmz file. You may want to click and drag the places (in the side panel) that you have marked to arrange them in the order that you want to visit them.
Click the original folder (13 colonies) to highlight.Go to file menu and click
Save à Save Place As
The save window will open. It will be named with the name of the folder. Choose where you want to save the file and make sure kmz is listed in the file format.
Click Save
You have now created a kmz file that can be burned to a CD or placed on a jump drive/ server to move it to any computer. This file will have all of the places that you marked with any descriptions or information that you include.
Some suggestions for classroom use:
Ø You can create kmz files for any region of the U.S,
Ø You can create a kmz files that showcase different landforms throughout the U.S. or other places in the world.
Ø You can include places that are mentioned in literature.
Ø You can include places that are part of current events.
Ø You can have students locate places, capitals, and landmarks and include descriptions.
Ø You can include math by focusing on the scale, predicting and measuring distances and changing the units of measure for comparison.
Ø Students can create kmz files for presentations and report on different places.
Ø Students can locate places and report on environmental issues, habitats, biomes and ecosystems, relating social studies to science topics.
Ø Students can report on economic issues that are related to geography.
Ø Students can create tours of journeys made by early explorers.
2