Hi,
I have had the opportunity over the past years with my son, who has an avid interest in wanting to "know where things are", of playing around quite a bit on Google Earth. Also for my EPL the next unit that the Grade 6 class are studying for maths is "Race around Australia"which is looking at maps, compass points, calculating distance and movement from one location to another. Therefore I think both Google Earth and Google Maps will be great devices for the students to become more active in their learning experience for this topic. I have had a look at the fly over application that is available and this will also be very useful in getting the students involved.
In the unit of work based on travel, again Google Earth will be of great assistance. As the students begin to explore where their country is actually situated, they will also be able to actively see where specific landmarks, cities even hotels are situated. Although it is still important that children have the ability to look at a map on a page, the reality for them as they progress though their education and life, digital imagery and voice overs, such as GPS, will tell/show them where they are going.
I love it and believe, that once again the possible applications for Google Earth in the classroom to engage and motivate the students is endless.
Kind Regards,
Kylie Gupwell
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Hi Kylie,
ReplyDeleteI liked your comment that studemts will be able to see where landmarks and such things as hotels are situated in relation to each other. This could be used in designing a learning experience, where you provide students with a list of places to visit while they are on holiday, and ask them to choose a hotel with the best access to them, or public transport etc. This would get them using skills such as analysis and KLAs in Mathematics and SOCE. This would be an authentic task, as students can see how they will use this knowledge in the real world.