Google Earth use in classrooms

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This app won me over straight away. Over a year ago when I started to use GE I could see massive potential in just being able to see the world in an instant. So I set about making some resources and clearly the first things that came to mind are the geographical uses of the programme. I decided to start posting them on the GE Forum under UK Primary Curriculum and people started to look at it.
I produced some Google Earth resources for “Village life in India” which is a Geography QCA unit. Staff at my school used it with great success in Year 5 and it was a simple resource including locations of the school, county, country, continents and the village itself. I also added in an overlay of a more detailed map showing Chembakoli. Simple stuff but it had a great impact on the children and was a great teaching tool.

BBC DV Planet Earth snapshot

The resources I produced just stemmed from there really, my only problem… not enough time to produce and develop the ideas I had. But someone was looking – there have been over 12,000 views on my forum since I began.
I think that the most successful resource I have made, has been the BBC Planet Earth work. The TV series was quite amazing and when I found that much of the video content had been made available online via the BBC website I used it to illustrate the whereabouts of the different aspects of nature in GE.

The only disappointing thing is that although there have been many people viewing there has not been any contributions of content from UK teachers.

Past Posts

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Well I think that I should really talk about some of the ideas I have had in the past. They have never been written down anywhere and anything that was worthy was just done or resources just made. So please excuse the post-dating of some entries.

NAACE Focus Magazine

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I have just had a couple of emails from Heather Govier over at NAACE to ask if I could contribute an article to there Focus magazine on Personalised Learning about the results and progress of the Wiki I have started and the class blogging. I think that this will be a good opportunity to highlight the whole process of blogging from it’s start. I think that a diary type style would be useful – probably just similar to the entries I will add in this blog. Should be fun.

A Wiki about classroom blogging

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I have created a Wikispace to collate my ideas and uses of the classroom blog and emailed the NAACE mailing list to ask for contributions from its members.

“Dear all,
This year I am to develop a classroom blog with my children at school. So what can I actually use a classroom blog for? I have often wondered about the answers to that question. I understand that many people may feel that blogging is about the freedom to express yourself through writing and being prescriptive is not the way, but as a newcomer I want to make the most of this new tool. That is why I ask the question.

So I have created a Wiki space to collate and develop possible ideas and successes in the use of a classroom blog, and I would invite colleagues to go to it and add to the page where possible. I will add to it my own experiences throughout the year.

http://classroomblogging.wikispaces.com/

I would hope that this page becomes a useful resource for teachers about to embark on their own class blog and that we may hear of more and more creative ways to use them.

I look forward to your help”

It will hopefully grow into a list that perhaps a teacher in a few months time can read and think that the ideas inspire them to start a blog with their class.

The Wiki is called classroomblogging and is at http://classroomblogging.wikispaces.com/
Why not visit and post some of your ideas.