Earth from Above
2006; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 73; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1943-4871
Autores Tópico(s)Geography Education and Pedagogy
ResumoByline: Tom Stahley Imagine a group of students riding together above Earth in a hot air balloon. Peering downward, they point out lakes, canyons, fields, houses, and cars. They fly on to make more discoveries from heights they have never experienced before. What I have described is similar to what students experience on computer monitors when they interact with digital satellite and aircraft images available online. Using free software called Google Earth, students can view Earth by hovering over features and locations they preselect or by serendipitously exploring locations that catch their fascination. Going beyond hovering, they can swoop forward and even tilt images to make more detailed observations of the features they find most interesting. In this article I present a lesson plan in which students use Google Earth to learn basic navigation skills to effectively view images; learn ways to determine distance measurements, elevations, and coordinate locations; locate and analyze images based on personal research choices; and share findings from their research with the class. What is Google Earth? In short, Google Earth (produced by the same company that developed the Google search engine) provides a virtual view of Earth. The software offers seamless aerial and satellite imagery and gives the user control to venture to all regions of our planet. Images take on a third dimension as the view tilts and rotates to simulate a flyby perspective while Earth's surface features move by on the screen. Locations such as schools, airports, roads, and boundaries can be layered onto the images. Because Google Earth's screen views are a mosaic of images from several sources, the amount of detail varies by location. The image clarity in most major urban areas distinctly shows buildings, roadways, and vegetation. In these close-up views, the resolution may be about 1 m/pixel. In areas where high resolution is not available, the images show major geologic features and towns in medium resolution of generally 15 m/pixel. With the zooming features of the program, the viewer can see Earth from space and drift downward in some locations to views similar to what would be seen from an aircraft flying less than 0.5 km above the surface. The basic level of the software is free for personal use, works with newer Windows and Macintosh operating systems, and can be downloaded at http://earth.google.com. To accommodate the streams of data, a broadband connection is essential. With a few minutes to explore the controls, students soon become adept at the navigation process that allows them to explore amazing sites of interest. A treasure chest for classrooms Earth views provided by Google Earth are intriguing to students. The planet's imagery becomes a manipulative learning tool for understanding Earth's features. The program provides opportunities for students to be curious, to explore, wonder, and discover beyond typically structured lessons. When developing lessons, teachers should always count on students to seek out and share unintended discoveries they stumble across while working and plan for that exploration time. Standards-based learning can be targeted with lessons developed around the software (see Addressing the Standards). Above-the-Earth images-in the way that Google Earth provides them-become a launch pad for creative approaches for exploring various science topics. Comparisons of volcanic features, river systems, and climate studies are topic examples for the Earth sciences. In biology studies, the mapping of virus outbreaks could be a study topic. Examining ways that humankind has affected regions would be a way to use imagery in environmental science studies. Lesson ideas can also be developed in other disciplines including geography, history, language arts, mathematics, and population and cultural studies. …
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