Google Earth

Google has come up with fantastic tools that have reinvented the way we do things. Google Earth is a yet another one of these tools. Google Earth is a program that uses virtual reality and applies is to the world, and in fact, the Moon and Mars. Google Earth allows you to go anywhere in the world with a click of a button. For instance, you could be looking at the layout of New York City and then move the screen to show you the layout of Beijing. Not only does Google Earth show you real overhead shots but also includes some 3-D buildings. So if you wanted to see how the Eiffel Tower or the Pyramids looked you could find them and rotate your views to see every angle. Another feature that Google Earth has is that you can find restaurants and lodging if you are planning out a trip. Other than recreational uses Google Earth also has educational uses. Online there are “trips” that can be viewed in Google Earth that follow the treks of famous people or literary works. For example, you could follow the path of Lewis and Clark or follow the path of Huck Finn. The great feature with these trails is that along the way you can click on the points and get more information about the area and the place. Along with the trips that can be found online, you can also create them yourself.

Google Earth can also be used in a math classroom. Students can use Google Earth map out flight patterns for trips and use properties of triangles to calculate how far it is do fly directly as opposed to stopping in different cities. For instance, say you were traveling from Pittsburgh, PA to El Paso, TX but on the way you changed planes in Indianapolis, IN. The student could use Google Earth to find the distance from Pittsburgh to Indianapolis and from Indianapolis to El Paso. The students could then find the angle the two different flight paths make and use trigonometric functions to find the distance if it was a straight shot and compare that to the actual distance between Pittsburgh and El Paso.