Touring on Google

Hello, friends! I hope your summer is allowing you to be as lazy as I have been.  I just got around to doing my summer kitchen rearrange yesterday.  All of my other days have been lounging with my cats and... that is about it.  I am excited to announce that both of my proposals for my school district's technology symposium have been accepted!  I will soon be sharing some amazing google apps and how to screencast with my fellow educators.  I am super pumped and so are others. I will be setting up both sessions on Google Classroom so if you are interested in getting access to that classroom then send me a quick email and I will get back to you with the code as soon as the class is up and running.
I am really excited about this week, but I discovered Google's Tour Builder!  I am sure we are all aware of Google Earth (if not check out the video below), but this tool combines Google Earth, Youtube videos, and images to create a tour of the world!

Google Tour Builder

Okay, so Google Tour Builder allows for you to create a travel "timeline" and moves around the world, country, or city as you tell a story or give students information through your own description.  To enhance this virtual field trip, you can add videos and images.  The end product is pretty amazing. However, I will warn you that they are transitioning into only the 2D version of this tool because most browsers no longer the support the 3D version (which I think it the best version).  Sadly, Chrome does not support the 3D version anymore IF you have the most current version of Chrome.  I did find a go around for this and that is using Mozilla Firefox browser.  Here is a tutorial to help you get started.

The website also has a ton of tours that are premade and ready to be shared with your class.  If you are wanting to check out one of my own creations here is a link to check it out.  Like I said they look much better using Firefox.  

Here is another tutorial on how to use the tool.  

Classroom Ideas!

The tool really has endless uses.  Here are a few ideas I came up with on my own.  

Science:  Show environments such as the rainforest all around the world. 

Social studies:  Use a "moving" map to show all of the important locations in a culture.

English:  Use it to help inspire students to write about a specific location/time.  

Reading:  Show students that actual locations within the text they are reading.  

Math: Find specific shapes in geography!  

Really the ideas are endless.  Be free and let you mind run wild.  I thinking about using to tool to get to know my students ambitions and where they want to go at the beginning of the year.  

What are some of your ideas for using Google Tour Builder?

Until next time...