Google Geo Teacher Institute - 4 of 5

The second day of the Google Geo Teacher Institute in Dublin was themed around Google SketchUp. Except it's no longer owned by Google, but by Trimble.

Google SketchUp is something that I explored when it first launched, and then couldn't see the real 'killer application' for it in the classroom in the same way as I did with Google Earth.

Noel Jenkins made some early use of Sketch-Up models when it first launched to 'place' wind turbines in the locations where they would be placed, so that their impact could be visualised.

Sketch-Up is a FREE download.

It enables the production of 3D objects which can then be located and viewed in Google Earth. Here's how one looks in the landscape:

I discovered that there was a model in the warehouse of a distinctive landmark which I pass regularly: the large Ecotricity wind-turbine in Swaffham, Norfolk which provides power for hundreds of homes in the town.

We were lucky to have Beryl Reid presenting, who had been involved in a project where she modelled many of the buildings in her town of Billerica (not Billericay)

We were shown some videos, some of which are available from the links here, or the official YouTube SketchUp Channel...

How did Beryl get her buildings to look so life-like ?
She used a technique called Geo-Modelling.
This involves 'placing' models in the landscape where they are actually located, and then adding realistic photo-textures from Google Street View.

A few final links on SketchUp
The 3D Warehouse, from where I got the wind turbine model.

A post from David Rogers on using it a while back.

Finally, if you teach in Ireland, you have a free SketchUp PRO license to use. There's also one that's been purchased for CAMBRIDGESHIRE for example... Here's the person to get in touch with if you want to access that...

Tour de France 2012

The greatest sporting event in the world starts at the end of the month and goes on until the end of July: The Tour de France.


Cycling the Alps has produced 3D tours of each of the stages of the race, which are rather nice.


The tours can also be embedded into a blog post as below - press the play button...




As with so many map related posts, I'm grateful to Keir Clarke for the original tip-off.

Google Geo Teachers Institute - 3 of 5

We had a break out session on the use of KML, which was also referred to in some of the other sessions.

KML is Keyhole Markup Language - the name goes back to the software which Google bought, which became Google Earth.
The basic idea of the language is that it uses tags, which define what particular commands or text 'look like'.These can be used to adapt the resources that are used with Google Earth.

This means that the contents of a Google Earth placemark, for example, can be customised, and data visualised in different ways. This is relatively easy to do.

Jamie Buchanan Dunlop shared a link to a really useful PDF download of some of the key shortcuts.

We also explored how to import data into Google Earth from a GPS handset. Garmin devices had been used to explore St. Stephen's Green, and some tracks produced.
Some further notes are here.

Following the event, I purchased a Kindle copy of a handbook for how to use KML, which is on my iPad.
I'll let you know how I get on with it....

After the first day of the Google GeoTeacher Institute I had a quick snooze (the 3.15 start had taken it out of me) then into town for a walk through some of the famous Dublin streets, and a few pints of Guinness.... 

Tales from the Riverbank

I spent a few days last month cycling up and down towpaths alongside the Leeds - Liverpool canal for a project. I passed by many interesting landmarks, and under many bridges. I saw locks, milestones, weirs, bluebells, fishermen, boat builders, nature reserves, swing bridges for cows and old mills.

This Guardian article describes how Google are now moving on from mapping the roads with Street View to mapping the country's towpaths, rivers and canals.

Image: Alan Parkinson

Michael McIntyre on Google Earth

With thanks to Richard Allaway for the tipoff...

Google Geo Teachers Institute - 2 of 5

The first day of the Geo Teachers Institute was focussed on Google Maps and GOOGLE EARTH.
We are now on version 6.2 of Google Earth, which has come a long way since the earlier versions. Make sure that you have an up to date version from here.
I've previously blogged about the video materials that were made available related to Google Earth.

We heard in person from Jerome Burg who created the idea of GOOGLE LIT TRIPS. These are essentially study guides to accompany books, where the locations or journey in a book have been turned into place marks. The place marks contain descriptions, or questions, or activities, or supplementary information. This is an idea that could be used in schools, although I am cautious of the potential copyright implications here ?
Check the website for files for a range of books, and advice on how to use the website on an iPad - perhaps 'in location'.

There is a new look to the GOOGLE EARTH OUTREACH page. It's worth visiting if you haven't been for a while. There is plenty here to borrow and use, with new support areas.

Also this collaborative GOOGLE DOC has 26 ideas for using Google Earth in the classroom - I contributed a few of them.

Also check out a series of useful videos made by Richard Treves, who presented in London, and is also involved in a UCL funded project looking at using Google Earth to teach undergraduates.

There was a quick tour through points, lines, polygons and tours, but I would have liked to see more of a connection during the day with the teaching of geography, geographical enquiry, and the link with concepts of place, space, scale etc. There was also a little too much emphasis on using the technology inside, rather than using it outside. 


Also the KEYHOLE BULLETIN BOARD, which hosted many hundreds of thousands of
The NEW FORUMS or GEC (Google Earth Community) that replaced it don't seem to have the same 'atmosphere' to them - it's all a bit 'corporate' now, and very hard to see what's been added recently and how popular particular postings are.
Perhaps one of the best areas is that where moderators have 'selected' some of the best content. This sort of curation works if the people doing the selecting have good taste of course, and are successful in selecting appropriately for a wide range of audiences... Check the MODERATED area of the Forum. I had a quick look, and discovered some useful glaciation files...

Finally, here's a Google Earth challenge for you.
Thomas de Bruin created an alphabet around the Netherlands.
Why not find and create your own ?
You don't have to find all 26 letters, just start by trying to find three or four, and develop it from there...

In the next post, some information on KML... (not the Dutch airline)

Google Geo Teachers Institute - 1 of 5

This is the first of several posts summarising the learning at the first of two European GeoTeacher Institutes for Summer 2012.
I was invited along by Jamie Buchanan Dunlop, who had helped to facilitate the events.
The venue was Google's Dublin offices, and my hotel was fortuitously situated about 50 yards away. It was a 3.15am start to get to the airport and check in for my flight to Dublin, which was nicely empty, then out of Dublin Airport, and onto the 747 bus to the city centre... out at the portside area, and a swift walk to the offices, arriving ten minutes before nine, when the event was due to start.

I settled into my seat for two days of sessions to develop my knowledge of Google Education projects and products.

A GOOGLE SITE had been set up for the people who were attending the event, and contains a series of links to useful resources.

Here's a picture of me talking about the Google World Wonders project on day two - as previously blogged about.
Thanks to John Bailey for the image.


More posts to come over the next few days...
The London event started today.

200 towns

Thanks to Keir Clarke for tipoff to another useful site which merges a range of different media.

200 Towns allows you to explore 200 towns.

A useful new 'Perspective on British Landscape' ?

Google GeoTeachers Institute

I shall be in Dublin on Wednesday and Thursday this week to attend the Google GeoTeachers Institute. This will be an interesting event, given my long-term association with using Google Earth and other associated 'products' as a teacher and educator.

This goes back to the launch of Google Earth over six years ago. At the time, I got in touch with Google expressing my interest in developing materials, and they gave me a free year's license for the PRO version at the time to explore and play with, and also was successful in being awarded an Innovative Teaching award by the Royal Geographical Society to develop a users guide for Google Earth. I also started this blog at the same time, so it has been going for nearly six years as well.

Over the years since, I've been involved in a range of projects involving Google Earth, including the recent ICT Toolkit books which I edited for the GA, and the continuing work with teachers in my role at the GA, and now as a freelance geographer.
I also produced some resources for the newly launched Google World Wonders project.

Google Earth is still being developed and expanded all the time, and it is still a tool that teachers want to use.
In fact I've got an event in October in my diary when I'm going to be using it with the teachers of Aberdeen and surrounding area.

I'll be interested in hearing about a potential response to Apple's decision to have its own mapping.
Also interested in hearing about Street View Trekker, which is able to be carried into places that cars and trikes can't reach.

If you're coming along to the event too, come and say hi.