The earth expanding right hand and left hand,The picture alive, every part in its best light,The music falling in where it is wanted, and stopping where it is not wanted,The cheerful voice of the public road, the gay fresh sentiment of the road.-- Walt Whitman, "Song of the Open Road"
We are in a season that in pre-pandemic times usually meant unfettered and uncompromised traveling and geographic relocation. In the midst of COVID, doing such movement and visiting of others safely is challenging, which leaves me a bit gloomy. It is likely that such a melancholic mindset has inspired me to think of Walt Whitman (a balm to the overcast soul if there ever was one!), as well as digital tools that allow at least a virtual facsimile of travel.
Google has a long history of such geographic, useful digital tools. Of course, Google Maps has long been a mainstay of their Suite, with upgrades along the way like Street View. Google Earth started as an impressive downloadable program, but originally took a sizable hard drive footprint and considerable computer processing power. Yet both of these began as consumer, and not creator, tools. That changed with Tour Builder, which allows you to utilize the Google Map data and create narrative presentational "stories" you could share with others. Unfortunately, Google recently announced that Tour Builder will be shuttered in July 2021. The good news? Google Earth for Web -- a browser-based version of Google Earth that works without a download, which means you can use it on a Chromebook! -- now has similar creator tools.
How does it work?
Google Earth for Web (hereafter "GEfW" for short) allows you to make a guided map journey that you can present to, or share with, others. In some ways, it is like an interactive geographic timeline, in that you can take any place on Google Earth as one of your "stops" and add contextual text, videos and pictures. A key advantage that GEfW has over Tour Builder is that it is now seamlessly integrated into your personal Google Drive. Your projects save inside a "Google Earth" folder (created the first time you save a GEfW project), which makes finding and sharing them very easy. Note that your Chrome browser must have hardware acceleration on for Google Earth to work; this is under "Advanced" in your Chrome's settings. (Hardware acceleration is sometimes disabled by your district's Google admin.)
In this tutorial video (2:06), you learn how to start a Google Earth project and a quick overview of its tools:
How could you use it?
A Google Earth for Web presentation would certainly be more dynamic than a typical direct instruction "click through the slides" experience. But the ability to empower students to tell their stories in new ways is really where GEfW can elevate learning. This video (2:12) gives some great examples of how your students could integrate GEfW into their next passion project or PBL:
Downsides?
When opening up a previous project, or even just opening up Google Earth for Web, be prepared for a little lagginess as the media loads in your browser. Your mileage may vary depending on your Internet connection and the performance ability of your device. Considering how graphic-intensive the application is, this is not a surprise. When presenting or editing a GEfW project, I highly recommend shutting down unused programs and minimizing your open browser tabs.
Enjoy creating unique stories utilizing the vast Google Earth data! And if the current holiday season and the pandemic is making you as melancholic as it is me, remember Whitman's wise words:
The earth never tires,The earth is rude, silent, incomprehensible at first, Nature is rude and incomprehensible at first,Be not discouraged, keep on, there are divine things well envelop’d,I swear to you there are divine things more beautiful than words can tell.
Thanks
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