{"id":14019,"date":"2017-10-20T05:31:50","date_gmt":"2017-10-20T09:31:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/?p=14019"},"modified":"2022-04-14T13:48:13","modified_gmt":"2022-04-14T17:48:13","slug":"choose-your-own-adventure-with-google-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/choose-your-own-adventure-with-google-earth\/","title":{"rendered":"Choose Your Own Adventure with Google Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>The virtual reality cure for wanderlust<\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-11917\" src=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/tool_tutorial.jpg\" alt=\"ways students can create VR content\" width=\"150\" height=\"149\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/tool_tutorial.jpg 150w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/tool_tutorial-32x32.jpg 32w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/tool_tutorial-50x50.jpg 50w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/tool_tutorial-64x64.jpg 64w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/tool_tutorial-96x96.jpg 96w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/tool_tutorial-128x128.jpg 128w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/>Despite this gorgeous fall weather here in central Vermont, I\u2019m suffering from a bad case of wanderlust. One antidote I\u2019ve found to satisfy the daily craving to hit the high road is the <a href=\"https:\/\/chrome.google.com\/webstore\/detail\/360cities-tab-extension\/mneedknmibimgcdecijkdflphmlhncop\">360Cities Tab Extension<\/a>. Now that I&#8217;ve added it to my Chrome browser, every time I open a tab, it displays a new full screen photo of somewhere fabulous, curious, or surreal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Another avenue for virtual adventure is to explore Google Earth, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Choose_Your_Own_Adventure\">Choose Your Own Adventure<\/a>-style.\u00a06th grade students at Stowe Middle School, in Stowe VT, did just that, learning about latitude and longitude by creating their own Choose Your Own Adventure activities.<\/p>\n<p>And your students can too.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-14060\" src=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/choose_your_own_adventure-701x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Choose Your Own Adventure with Google Earth\" width=\"450\" height=\"657\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/choose_your_own_adventure-701x1024.jpg 701w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/choose_your_own_adventure-205x300.jpg 205w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/choose_your_own_adventure-768x1121.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/choose_your_own_adventure-619x904.jpg 619w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/choose_your_own_adventure.jpg 778w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>It&#8217;s as easy as 1,2,3<\/h2>\n<h3>Step 1: Model how it works<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, invite students to discover interesting places as they learn how Google Earth works with this <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/15rqbK9irDjsANQy_V0uvhwGs2HcMOvY0_X9Y07pMWKY\/edit?usp=sharing\">practice exercise<\/a> in using coordinates to find locations. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once only available in a desktop version, Google Earth can now be launched in a Chrome browser and on a Chromebook. You don&#8217;t need an extension or app; instead, <a href=\"http:\/\/google.com\/earth\/\">the app launches right from the <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/earth\/\">web<\/a>. As an fyi, it takes a few seconds to load in your browser (few defined loosely by your wifi bandwidth) so you may want to prep machines beforehand.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But who wouldn&#8217;t want to plug in the coordinates\u00a039 37 25 N, 107 38 07 W to visit a giant spider web maze in Colorado?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>(Editor&#8217;s note: some editorial staff got dizzy watching the animation, so maybe have students sit down before checking out the giant spiders.)<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Step 2: Offer some guided practice<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After your students get comfortable with the tool, invite everyone to take a quick trip to Alaska.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1ZfXZhbMqXS2hq56OzrHFWlBh-G79DkCrg1Yd8njivBM\/edit?usp=sharing\">Google Earth Alaskan Tour (a model)<\/a><\/h4>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/e\/2PACX-1vSXLb3h3ma8hVCQ_g0KLNHzxlX0y55Vf8YTKRu1D6ak2KZG-qrRFo7-mr4SpdcrtXN5i-xTnb4K83j4\/pub?embedded=true\" width=\"800\" height=\"400\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Step 3: Students fly solo! (with a co-pilot standing by)<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The meat and potatoes of the activity: invite your students to create tours for their classmates. Challenge them to discover interesting places, and give them plenty of choice as to where they think their classmates should explore. Grab a copy of the template below for your own use. Copy the Doc to your Drive and modify it for your own activities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1e0TQPpNZhHCeJXfnPKzJ7g54ZNYJdg7ErrbLOadGwBQ\/edit?usp=sharing\">Create Your Own Google Earth Tour<\/a><\/h4>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/e\/2PACX-1vQmvbxOzbAzsOugiF1j2GLCz51d_urXAqKTwoIjnwgmoHi35Q_uQd8-FZbGK0vjUWiAIGnEVLIaTQgS\/pub?embedded=true\" width=\"800\" height=\"400\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>What makes this activity work?<\/h2>\n<h3>Collaborative exploration<\/h3>\n<p>This exercise in longitude and latitude became an opportunity for students to collaborate: they created their tours in partner pairs. And by linking this assignment to Stowe Middle School&#8217;s &#8220;social skills scholarly habits&#8221;, educator Dave Smith expected his students to think critically about their ability to collaborate. Upon completion of the tour, each student had to identify where they thought they landed on the rubric and share a short written reflection explaining why.<\/p>\n<p>Check out Lucy, Sofia, and Kaila&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1OvYaXrd-lXzlXVybNC3vYruCEZzJrIG3fv026bwVGgQ\/edit?usp=sharing\">Google Tour of Switzerland!<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Great digital resources support curiosity about the world &#8212; and provide answers<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If students want their tours to be launchable in Google Earth, introduce them to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gearthblog.com\/blog\/archives\/2017\/04\/tour-maker-new-google-earth.html\">Tour Maker<\/a>. That way students can create a tour, map it out in Tour Maker, and have a link to share.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/2MgTmCtEjfs\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/2MgTmCtEjfs<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For students who want to push further, think about introducing them to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/home\/index.html\">the wonderful world (ha!) of ArcGIS<\/a>. ArcGIS lets you embed meaningful data in a map. Their site <a href=\"https:\/\/learn.arcgis.com\/en\/\">features a number of lessons for students<\/a>, all focused on creating maps that address real-world problems, such as predicting floods, finding snowplows, and documenting wildlife. Challenge them to think about why cartography is still relevant in the digital age, despite how extensively the world&#8217;s been mapped. Connect interested students with cartographers online to find out more about mapmaking as a career.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14058\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14058\" style=\"width: 750px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/learn.arcgis.com\/en\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-14058 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/arcgis-1.jpg\" alt=\"ArcGIS\" width=\"750\" height=\"411\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/arcgis-1.jpg 750w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/arcgis-1-300x164.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/arcgis-1-619x339.jpg 619w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14058\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">You can search for relevant ArcGIS lessons by filtering for duration and level.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Personalize your adventure<\/h3>\n<p>Smith also created a folder in Schoology filled with links to other ways students could explore the concept. When students finished in class before others, Smith encouraged them to select other resources to extend and\/or deepen their understanding.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-14030 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Screen-Shot-2017-10-16-at-9.53.53-PM-300x203.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"203\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Screen-Shot-2017-10-16-at-9.53.53-PM-300x203.png 300w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Screen-Shot-2017-10-16-at-9.53.53-PM-619x419.png 619w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Screen-Shot-2017-10-16-at-9.53.53-PM.png 668w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>How do you provide choice to your student explorers?<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The virtual reality cure for wanderlust Despite this gorgeous fall weather here in central Vermont, I\u2019m suffering from a bad case of wanderlust. One antidote I\u2019ve found to satisfy the daily craving to hit the high road is the 360Cities Tab Extension. Now that I&#8217;ve added it to my Chrome browser, every time I open &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/choose-your-own-adventure-with-google-earth\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Choose Your Own Adventure with Google Earth&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[723,112,573],"class_list":["post-14019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-google-earth","tag-schoology","tag-stowe-middle-school"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14019","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14019"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14019\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31288,"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14019\/revisions\/31288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}