Digital Geo Tools for the Classroom

@MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools

In July 2017 I attended the California Geo Teacher Institute (CAGTI) along with one hundred other Educators from across North America. Throughout the 3-day event at Google Headquarters in Silicon Valley, I learned so much about digital geo tools for the classroom and realized that I never shared all of the amazing takeaways on my blog! 

 

@MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools

   @MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools@MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools @MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools @MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools

 

 

Geo Tools are getting more and more sophisticated every day and there are tons of benefits of using them in the classroom with students of all ages. The ideas and possibilities are endless!

 

Here’s a list of Digital Geo Tools that I compiled from #CAGTI17 that you can use in the classroom:

 

Google Earth The same tool you know and love but now it’s available online!

@MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools

  • Voyager Interactive guided tours in Google Earth put together by scientists, storytellers and different organizations.
  • This is HomeStories of different cultures and visits to homes around the world.

 

 

MyMaps Create, share and personalize your own maps.

@MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools

 

 

Space Visit different planets on Google Maps!

@MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools

 

 

Map of Life (MOL) – This map of life on earth allows you to search by country or region to see what species of animals and plants live there. (Also available in French!)
@MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools

@MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools@MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools

 

 

Tour Builder Document your travels, city or experiences using Google Earth. You can choose the locations right in the map, add photos, videos and even share what you’ve made.

@MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools

 

 

Play Maps Cube A fun 3D map game where you guide a ball around on a cube with maps as sides.

@MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools

 

 

 

GeoGuessr An addictive game that drops you anywhere in Street View and you have to figure out where you are. Here’s my blog post about it.

@MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools

 

 

Smarty Pins Putting Trivia on the Map. A fun trivia game on Google Maps.

@MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools

 

 

Google Earth Engine Check out the time lapse feature to go back in time with maps! Go back in time to see map changes in slow, medium or fast speeds.

@MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools

 

 

Google Maps Timeline Check out where you’ve been in Maps, plug in the date and see where you’ve been and even which photos you’ve taken.

@MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools

 

Google Lit Trips Lit Trips are online files that mark the journeys of characters from famous books on the surface of Google Earth.

@MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools

 

 

GE Teach Use this site to compare two maps side-by-side at the same time.

@MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools

 

 

Globe Reflections – Have fun playing with a world map and reflections of it with this interactive map. Point, drag,  and click to explore–what do you see?

@MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools

 

 

Satellite Imagery Alphabet Find letters using satellite images The Earth Observatory has assembled photos of all of the letters of the alphabet. What will your students find? I spelled “Geo” below!

@MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools@MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools@MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools

 

 

The True Size Of Compare the size of countries with others on this interactive map of the world.

@MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools

 

 

Antipodes A cool map that helps you find the antipodes (the other side of the world) of any place in the world. Where would you be if you dug a straight line through the earth?

@MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools    @MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools

 

 

Global Surface Water Explorer The history of water on the planet via maps and datasets.

@MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools

 

 

Real World Math a collection of free math activities for Google Earth designed for students and teachers.

Digital Geo Tools @MrsGeekChic

 

 

I Know Where Your Cat Lives – A map of geotagged cats from Instagram! This is a great tool to spark discussions with students about digital citizenship.

@MrsGeekChic Digital Geo Tools

 

Have fun exploring these digital geo tools with your students and taking your geography lessons to the next level!

@MrsGeekChic

About Larissa Aradj

Larissa is a Teacher-Librarian, Media Teacher, and edtech enthusiast from Toronto, Canada. She is a Google Certified Trainer, Innovator (#TOR16), Apple Distinguished Educator, and Toronto District Schoo Board Excellence Award Recipient.

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