January's Recommended Tech Tool: GoogleEarth!

 Here is the link to Download the Activity! 

Now here is a tool I use almost everyday!  In training dogs I use it for measuring trail distances and finding new trails.  But I also use it just for fun to see what the world looks like!  We live in a great time, it's the first period in history where we can actual sit in homes, offices, classrooms, and “see” the world.  So please go play with this program, take a tour through Asia to the Russian arctic as I recently did, or explore the streets of London, New York, wherever!  But have fun!

Our free lesson this month is all about using Google Earth to measure distances and calculate travel times. Students can use real time data from dog runs to help make calculations. All data is posted weekly on the Flash Kennels Ning site. 

Here are some other lesson ideas:

• Have students plot the route they take from home to school.
• Use Google Earth to map out where various common food items (apples, oranges, etc.) come from.
• Locate all the state capitals and challenge the students to find the shortest driving route to visit them all.  (okay, they can take a boat to Hawaii)

Well, I could go on but I think you probably get the picture.  There are endless possibilities!  And because people can post pictures and information pages to the main map, anywhere you students go they can see photos and read “census” style information.

If you don't already have Google Earth loaded on your computer(s) here is the link to their free download and do not forget to download the lesson activity. 

 Here is the link to Download the Activity!