Found here: https://www.google.com/earth/ What is Google Earth? A downloadable tool compiled of satellite and rover images of the Earth, the Moon, and Mars, and gives a 3D bird’s eye view of each planet. You can view model representations of far into the ocean and the sky. The Google Earth website has beginner and advanced tutorials for using all of the features. You can also take screenshots and share then through Google+.
How can I use it in my classroom? The standards most applicable to the uses listed for Google Earth are standards for middle school ages, which suggests that this tool may be most useful with children ages 11-15. However, the uses of Google Earth are several and broad so it is a tool that can be adapted to several ages, subjects, uses, and needs. The most hands-on way for students to interact with Google Earth is by pairing it with an interactive whiteboard. When using an interactive whiteboard, the students can manipulate the map with their hands and it becomes a literal hands-on experience. Google Earth can be used for a variety of subjects: • History: You can use historical view to compare how locations looked in the past versus the present. • Science: You can explore the many habitats and geological features of Earth. You can also explore the surface of Mars and the Moon with narrated tours. • Math: You can use the ‘ruler’ tool to measure the distance between two points in many units of measurement. • Geography: You can overlay topographic maps to show the similarities and differences between two geological points. It can be used to help show how cultural differences affect landscape and architecture.
Standards: • MS-ESS2-2. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth's surface at varying time and spatial scales. This standard can be met using Google Earth when it's used with the historical view tool, as the class can explore how areas on Earth have geologically changed over time by analyzing the historical and current images.
• MS-ESS3-4.Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems. This standard can also be met using Google Earth when using the historical view. Students can look at one location in the past before it was populated and take note of the changes as it became more populated in the future.