Google Earth Resources for Educators

Creating Interactive Lessons with Google Earth

 

Strategy One – Use data from the layers already in Google Earth.

 

Google Earth contains a wealth of information.  There are photos from Panoramio, entries from Wikipedia, and YouTube videos.  There are also specialized layers, including information from National Geographic, The Cousteau Society, and user-contributed data.  All of this information can be collected into a folder.

 

 

You can also load files created by other users.  Clicking the “Add Content” button will open the Google Earth Gallery in an external browser.  More content can be found at the Google Earth Community website at http://bbs.keyhole.com .

 

These files will be added to your “Temporary Places” folder.  You can drag and drop content from there into folders that you have created.

 

HINT:  To find Google Earth files quickly online, go to Google Search (www.google.com) and click on the Advanced Search link.  In the File Type field select either KMZ or KML.  You can fill in other search terms as desired.

 

Strategy Two – Use embeddables.

 

Some websites, such as YouTube and VoiceThread, allow users to embed their content into websites and blogs.  Since a placemark is a miniature web page, and can interpret limited HTML, you can also embed much of this content into placemarks, too.

 

Look for words such as “embed” or “share.”

 

 

Websites with embeddable content – sample list:

 

These websites offer free membership and the ability to upload content.  Some of the sites are blocked by districts because of objectionable content or bandwidth usage.  Some of the sites are supported by advertising content.  Embedding the content into other contexts such as Google Earth may eliminate advertising.  All of these have been tested and are known to work with Google Earth placemarks.

 

Website	URL	Description
Video Content
YouTube	www.youtube.com	Video content of all types, often blocked by districts.  YouTube has its own layer in Google Earth.
TeacherTube	www.teachertube.com	Very much like like YouTube, except moderated for educational settings.
Vimeo	www.vimeo.com	Video sharing site that features HD video content.
Audio Content
Houndbite	www.houndbite.com	Audio sharing site.  Users can upload audio files and share through embedding.  Website is not reliable and is frequently down.
Vocaroo	www.vocaroo.com	Very simple audio recording and sharing site.  Users can record their messages online, then embed those messages into other contexts.
Images
Flickr	www.flickr.com	While individual images from Flickr can be put in placemarks, slideshows can be created based on tags and searches, then embedded into placemarks.
SlideFlickr	www.slideflickr.com	Another method for embedding Flickr slide shows into other contexts.  This site allows users to add MP3s as background music.
Photobucket	www.photobucket.com	HTML code for embedding individual photos can be found on the photo pages.
Webshots	www.webshots.com	HTML code is provided for embedding both individual images and slideshows.
Documents
Slideshare	www.slideshare.net	Allows users to upload PowerPoint presentations and embed and share them online.
Scribd	www.scribd.com	Allows users to upload a variety of documents, including MS-Office files and PDF files.  All of these types can be embedded into Google Earth.
Multimedia
VoiceThread	www.voicethread.com	Allows users to create multimedia stories incorporating video, audio, images, and documents.  Creations can be embedded into placemarks.
Wayback Machine	www.archive.org	More commonly known as the Internet Archive, this site is also a vast repository of searchable multimedia content.  Users can also upload their own content to the site.  HTML embed codes are provided for all of this content.

 

Note about StreamlineSC, Discovery Education, and downloaded content…

 

Videos from Discovery Education are provided as part of a subscription service.  The ability to embed this content would violate licensing agreements, so those HTML codes are not available.  You can, however, link to StreamlineSC videos so that they play in an external browser or application such as Media Player.  You just can’t embed them so that they play in the placemark itself.

 

In the latest versions of Google Earth, embed codes for downloaded files won’t work.  This includes local video and audio files, including those that are downloaded from Discovery Education and YouTube.

 

 

Strategy Three – Create your own content.

 

Since the placemark is basically a mini-web page, HTML can be used to include formatted text, images, and links to external websites.  Users can create any content they wish.  Unfortunately, Google Earth does not include a WYSIWYG editor, so users must either be able to write HTML code, or use a workaround.

 

First Method - HTML Codes

 

Images:

 

Online - <img src=“http://www.webpage.com/image.jpg”>

 

Local -  <img src=“c:\some folder\image.jpg”>

 

You can share local images only if you save your file as a KMZ file.

 

Links:

 

If you put the entire link in the placemark, it will work, but won’t look as clean.  For example, you could copy the following URL in your placemark to link to an article about Shoeless Joe Jackson…

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoeless_Joe_Jackson

 

However, it would be much cleaner to do the following:

 

<a href=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoeless_Joe_Jackson”>Shoeless Joe Jackson</a>

 

What appears in the placemark is Shoeless Joe Jackson.  Users can click on the underlined word and be taken to the article.

 

Text Formatting:

 

Paragraphs  - <p> and </p> as follows:

 

<p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Sed lacinia. Etiam pretium viverra urna. Nam vulputate tellus in lorem. Aenean a ligula. Nunc arcu. Quisque fermentum est ut felis. </p>

 

Bold - <b> and </b> - example: <b>Bold Text</b>

Italics - <i> and </i> - example:  <i>Italics Text</i>

Underline - <u> and </u> - example:  <u>Underlined Text</u>

 

You can combine HTML tags, but be careful with placement.  For example the following would be acceptable:

 

<b><i>Bold Italics</i></b>

Or

<i><b>Bold Italics</b></i>

 

However, this is NOT acceptable - <b><i>Bold Italics</b></i>

 

 

 

Second Method – Use Google Maps

 

Google Maps DOES have some HTML editing power.  You will need a Google account, then select “Create a new map.”  You can create placemarks using “Rich Text”, which lets you add links, images, and formatting.  Once you’re done, select “View in Google Earth.”

 

Third Method – Use an External Web Editor

 

External web editors such as Dreamweaver and FrontPage can be use to create web pages.  Copy the HTML code from the page and paste into your placemark.

 

There is also an HTML editor at www.geopackrat.com.  This works best in Internet Explorer.

 

Fourth Method – Use a Google Spreadsheet

 

Google has created a spreadsheet that can be used to create a set of placemarks.  Users can select from a variety of templates and styles, then add the latitude and longitude of the locations.  The drawback is that you can’t just put the placemark in Google Earth – you have to know the latitude and longitude ahead of time

 

The spreadsheet can be found here - http://earth.google.com/outreach/tutorial_mapper.html

 

 

Placemark Details

 

In addition to content in the placemark, the current view and altitude of the placemark can also be recorded…

 

 

Other Placemark Data:

                    

•          In addition to location and appearance, the current zoom level, bearing, and tilt level can be recorded in a placemark.

•          A “snapshot” can be taken of a current view of a placemark to record these items.

•          Placemarks can either be clamped to the ground, or can appear above ground at a specified altitude.

•          Placemarks can have their own icons.

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Image Overlays

 

Image overlays function just like placemarks, except that an image appears on the terrain rather than an icon.