As this post goes live, five Googlers are on their way to Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost inhabited location on the North American mainland. What brings us to such a far-off place? We're visiting three rural school districts to show teachers and students how Google Earth and Maps can be powerful tools in the classroom.
There has been a lot of interest in the 49th state of late, but our trip has actually been months in the making. The idea for an educational outreach tour began when one active Geo developer, John Bailey of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), told us about his experiences teaching undergrads with Google Earth. We wanted to learn more and help spread the word on how educators are using these technologies, and knew we wouldn't find a better guide than the Geography Department at the University of Alaska.
In each town, we'll begin with a school-wide assembly with 9th-12th graders where our colleagues from UAF will explain our visit and help introduce Google's Geo tools, after which we'll inject some Googley fun into the mix with a trivia contest.
Then we'll break into smaller groups where we'll focus on three classroom activities: First, we'll use Google Earth and image overlays to see how Alaska has changed over time. Then, we'll get out in the field on a geo-caching mini-adventure where students will learn how to upload GPS tracks. Finally, students will collaborate to build a My Map showing their favorite spot in each town, some of which we'll capture with GigaPan technology.
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In addition to the materials already available on the Google for Educators site, we'll be posting updates and more tips for teachers on the LatLong blog throughout the week, so be sure to check back often.
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