In 2009, my students created Google Earth Flying Tours. While it was easy in the end, there was a learning curve that caused some students to struggle.
Google Maps Tour Builder required little to no learning curve. Since we are a Google Apps For Education school, logging in and creating a tour will be a very simple process.
An additional bonus is the ease at which one can keep the tour private or share with a peer or staff member. Sharing documents through Google is second nature to our students so this process will be efficient.
View My Tour View How To Make A Tour
Google Earth is available in BETA for Chromebooks
Google Earth integrated with Google Maps
The impact on the students...
- Collaboration--Students could work in partners or groups to create their tour
- Creativity--adding additional pictures that students take or find to each destination can provide additional insight. The opportunity to include additional comments for each destination is important for deeper understanding. Students need to determine the best path for their tour.
- Critical Thinking--similar to creativity
- Citizenship--students will understand that the map while by default is private, it may be shared with peers and teachers. The map is on the web!
