The Old Schoolhouse - March 2012

Click the mouse button while the ;ight simulator is running; the mouse cursor will change to a cross, and your mouse will act like a ;ight yoke. Push forward to push the aircra;’s nose down, pull back to raise the nose, and use side-to-side motion to roll the plane and control its direction.

;e aircra; is easiest to manage when you’ve turned on Roads (especially if you’re ;ying in a place you know) and Airports (from the Layers/More/Trans-portation) layer. It can be challenging to land the aircra;, but it is possible. You can even ;y on Mars and the moon. (I know; there’s no atmosphere on the moon, but still, it’s pretty cool.) ;e ;ight simulator adds an entirely new dimension to Google Earth as you try to buzz the St. Louis arch and ;y through the Grand Canyon.

Building Your Own 3D Models

You can take Google Earth even further. Google has released a free 3D modeling tool called Google SketchUp. While 3D modeling is never easy, this tool makes it relatively painless. You can download a copy of SketchUp here: sketchup.google.com/download.

You can build a model of your house, models of prominent buildings in your area, or whatever else you want. You can then submit your model to be included in Google Earth. Part of the reason Google Earth has models of buildings all over the world is because they have been contributed by the community. SketchUp is a great tool for talking about 3D geometry, modeling, and architecture.

;e Google Building Maker is an on-line tool that’s a little easier to use than SketchUp. It makes it easy to make buildings, but they are available for only a limited area. You can ;nd this tool at sketchup . google.com/3dwh/buildingmaker .html.

Google Earth Plug-in Fun One of the other amazing aspects of Google Earth is how it has been extended. ;e folks at Google created a version of Google Earth called the GEPlug-in, which exposes the Google Earth engine to web browsers. Clever developers have added all sorts of interesting games and add-ons based on this technology: •;G. E. Flight Simulator

For any of these examples to work, you’ll need to download and install the Google Earth Plug-in, available at www . google.com/earth/explore/products / Plug-in.html.

So how does this ;t my school? Clearly Google Earth is an impressive program, but it’s not designed as a curriculum. It certainly won’t replace traditional media for geography, science, or history, but it can provide added bene;ts in all these areas. Google Earth is especially suited to help technically minded students interact with various subjects. Here are just a few project ideas to get you started:

Science

•;Look;over;weather;patterns;and make your own predictions based on cloud and radar images to the west of your town.

•;Investigate;a;wilderness;web;cam for several days and log the animals you see.

•;Look;into;the;volcano,;earthquake, and tsunami layers for information about these geologic events.

Geography

•;Use;Google;Earth;to;more;closely;in-
vestigate areas you study, read about,
or visit on mission trips. Look for
photos, panoramic images, and videos
of your favorite places.

History

•;Use;Google;Earth;to;discover;ship-wrecks. Do more Internet and library research to discover the story behind the wrecks.

•;See;how;far;back;image;data;goes for your town. Create a poster or paper describing how your area has changed. (You can print out the results of G. E. searches.)

•;Create;a;tour;that;describes;a;histori-cal trek: the Israelites in the desert, Sherman’s march to the sea, or Napoleon’s misadventure in Russia.

Art/Architecture

•;Model;your;house;or;some;other;build-ing, and submit it to Google Earth.

•;Locate;famous;sculptures;and;statues throughout the world.

•;Use;SketchUp;to;build;a;3D;model;of anything you can imagine.

Let me know if you come up with anything else. If you have trouble ;nding any of the links in this document, please visit my website: www.aharrisbooks.net.

;ere is so much fun to be had with this app. Don’t tell your kids they’re learning stu;.

Andy Harris is a homeschool dad, father of four great kids, and husband to the greatest homeschool teacher ever. He has taught all ages of students, from kindergarten to university level. Andy is the author of a number of well-known books, including HTML/XHTML/CSS: All in One for Dummies, Game Programming—The L Line, PHP6/ MySQL Programming for the Absolute Beginner, and Beginning Flash Game Programming for Dummies. For more information about his books, to see where he is speaking next, or to just say hi, please stop by his website: www . aharrisbooks.net.