Creating Graphs and then placing them in Google Earth

Noel J has posted about the new graphing application that has been made available by Frank McAree of Alcester Grammar School.
The application offers the chance to create easy graphs which can be viewed in Google Earth. It can be downloaded from HERE.
The code generates a graph which can then be tagged to a particular location in Google Earth.

Check it out. This has a few possible uses as a basic GIS for plotting values for coursework / enquiries.

Nice work all round.
Will investigate adding to this to the relevant page of the website.

Coming up to 100 posts....

What has been the most exciting use you've made of Google Earth in the Geography classroom. Which example has 'clicked' with the students the most, or what has been the best piece of work that has been produced by a student ?
Add a comment below.
Happy to showcase work that is sent to me...

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all my readers....

Here's one way to spend £1 million...

A couple of quickies

First of all, from CREATIVE REVIEW'S blog, come 4 scenes from the Bible 'as they would be seen on Google Earth'... Check them out.

Also news from Noel Jenkins that for those teachers using his classic MONTSERRAT lesson, the quality of the images has been much improved. I remember using this a few years ago, and having to use an overlay as most of the southern part of the island was covered in thick cloud.

Wii Controller for Google Earth

Just came across this from Joseph Coulston - dates back a year or so...

Rainforest Ad

One of my favourite sites: HOUTLUST has now reopened at OSOCIO.
Check out this very clever BRAZILIAN AD, which has a GOOGLE EARTH type slider. Try sliding the zoom out to see what happens....

New GOOGLE School resources

Got a glossy poster in school today advertising a new GOOGLE service: Google Schools.
There are a series of free resources which you might find useful.

The GOOGLE SCHOOL site features a good CARBON FOOTPRINT site for example.

Also featured are POPULATION DENSITY, NATURAL DISASTERS and FAIR TRADE.

Check them out.

Population Density Overlay

Just looking at a find via Kenny O Donnell, via Google Earth Blog.
We were looking at global patterns of population today, and mapping them. Now there is a great GOOGLE EARTH FILE (click the link to download) which overlays the anthropogenic biomes over the world...
Also on GE Blog is reminder about various Santa trackers for Google Earth

Cyclone Sidr Resources

BANGLADESH - Cyclone Sidr Resources

Tony Cassidy spent the October half term of this year in Bangladesh.
As part of his travels, he was asked to create a resource.
The week after he arrived back in England, CYCLONE SIDR hit Bangladesh: the worst cyclone since 1991.

Details of the CYCLONE can be seen on the BBC NEWS site, and there is a very detailed article from the DAILY TELEGRAPH here.

Lesson	Ideas	Resources
1	Rationale- why study this event?Formation of the Cyclone Sidr. Cyclone protection in Bangladesh.	PowerPoint with linked video and embedded animation.Student worksheet about the formation of the cyclone.
2	Causes, Impacts & Responses.	PowerPoint introducing classification task.Student worksheet-classification task.
3	How quickly will Bangladesh cover?	PowerPoint comparing development statistics of the U.K. and Bangladesh.Student response worksheet.
4,5,6	Levelled assessment.	Students to produce a PowerPoint storyboard about the cyclone for B.B.C. news 24.Task worksheet. Assessment criteria. Outline PowerPoint.

The resources are a hefty 26Mb download.

If you use the resources, please make a donation to the OXFAM DISASTER RELIEF FUND. Click the link below, or the logo at the top of this post.

OXFAM DISASTER RELIEF FUND

Lots of new GE stuff

All on GE Blog.
Highlight is the ARCTIC ICE ANIMATION.

Jamie, Ollie ver (y good...)

Do you see what I did there ?
The free Google Earth courses mentioned below, run by Jamie from Digital Explorer are getting good reviews.I'm booked into one of the courses for (ahem) advanced users next year...

Ollie Bray went to one, and has since posted his notes and in an iterative way has referenced this blog, which I'll now link back to his...
Check out OLLIE's POSTING (which has some very useful GOOGLE VIDEO clips)

Google Earth Workshop Reminder - taken from RGS-IBG flyer...

This practical workshop will show teachers how to use
Google Earth to enhance fieldwork. It will also involve
hands-on experience with digital cameras and GPS units
creating mini-fieldwork projects outdoors. Participants will
then be shown how this data can be transformed into a
virtual journey using Google Earth.
Virtual expeditions and fieldwork can complement
outdoor experience for pupils and also support their work
in the real world. These courses run in participation with
Google™ and Digital Explorer will provide a hands on
introduction to the use of Google Earth in the classroom.
Creating virtual fieldwork using Google Earth means that
the visits you run with pupils can be shared with other
classes and future years in school. Previously
inaccessible destinations can now be visited virtually with
the click of a mouse.
If you would like to:
• ensure your students have a detailed and exciting
record of their fieldwork;
• share your own expedition with the classroom;
• enhance the way your pupils interact with the world;
• share journeys virtually for those who cannot
participate – younger pupils, different classes,
parents or a wider audience
This course will enable you to bring geography alive in
the classroom.
Participants will begin by familiarising themselves with
how to use Google Earth, digital cameras and GPS units.
Working in pairs, participants will design a field-based
study. They will spend time outdoors recording their
study in preparation for converting this data into a virtual
experience. Back inside, the next stage is to learn how to
create enhanced Google Earth place marks using digital
images and attach this information to GPS points.
Then the race is on to turn the raw data into an inspiring
virtual journey. The day will end with each pair presenting
their work to the rest of the group.
Course trainer
The course will be led by Jamie Buchanan-Dunlop who
combines being a humanities teacher in Greenwich with
a number of pioneering education initiatives. He is
director of Digital Explorer (www.digitalexplorer.co.uk)
and iNOMAD (www.inomad.co.uk). Jamie regularly uses
Google Earth on expeditions, fieldtrips and in the
classroom.
Who is eligible?
Key influencers in geography teaching from LEA
maintained schools are invited to attend.
Funding
Google™ has kindly sponsored 10 courses to be run
throughout the UK allowing teachers to attend free
training sessions.
Dates and Venues
Swansea Monday 12 November 2007
Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Monday 19 November 2007
Edinburgh Tuesday 20 November 2007
Belfast Monday 10 December 2007
Leeds Monday 14 January 2008
Cornwall - Launceston Monday 21 January 2008
Birmingham Monday 28 January 2008
Southampton Monday 4 February 2008
London (RGS-IBG) Tuesday 4 March 2008
Essex - Chelmsford Monday 10 March 2008
Cost
Free of charge - but please note that if you accept a
place on one of these courses and subsequently do not
attend you will be charged the full price of a standard
course, £95 + VAT (£111.63)
To apply please return a completed booking form to:
Geography Outdoors: the centre supporting field research, expeditions and outdoor learning
RGS-IBG, 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR ▪ tel: 020 7591 3030 ▪ fax: 020 7591 3031
▪ e-mail: go@rgs.org ▪ website: www.rgs.org

Sketch Up Tutorial Videos

Thanks to Kenny O' D for the tip-off here.
Aidan Chopra, who produced "Google SketchUp for Dummies" has also placed a whole load of short tutorial videos on YOUTUBE.
Well worth watching to show you the tricks of the software...The book is £7.99 on Amazon currently...

A load of other useful links from the page too.
Thanks for sharing Aidan - good work !

Also a reminder of the new RGS-IBG Google Earth training days.
Spaces are going fast !

Ollie Bray at Teachmeet

Quick quiz: which city ?

Ollie Bray did a useful short 7 minutes on Google Earth at the recent TeachMeet07, which was held in Glasgow.
OLLIE'S BLOG has all the details.

Answer: Auckland...

You Tube

This article
has a description of some Google Earth tagging of YouTube videos which is apparently about to be added as a feature.

Also check out Digital Urban for an interesting looking mapping post.

Led me to an interesting post related to some work I've just been doing on Christaller's Central Place theory.