Engaging+Learners+with+GLT

=Engaging Learners with Google Literature Trips=

Short URL to this presentation - http://bit.ly/littrips

Presentation at ISTE 2013 - See also GoogleEarth toc Presentation Handout =Description:= Engage students with integrated visual learning using Google Earth to develop the geographic story/timeline connecting to literature you study in class. Work together to create a Google Literature Trip you can use in your classroom in the Fall.

=Purpose:= To provide a tool set for teachers to engage students in learning Google Earth's visual geography tool.

=Objectives:=
 * Expose teachers to tools that will engage students in literature, introduce geography concepts, activate background knowledge, and provide your students access and exposure to the world around them?
 * This session will explain how to create a Google Literature Trip and how to make cross-curricular connections. We will explore the basics of Google Earth such as navigation toolbar, measurement tools, featured content, placemarks, and layers of information.
 * It is also possible while building a Google Lit Trip with a class to address National Geographic’s Five Themes of Geography. We will follow the author of two Google Literature Trips and the learning journey of the creation process.
 * After attending this session, teachers will be able to use existing Google Lit Trips and begin developing their own. Teachers may also feel comfortable to empower their students to share their learning by creating a Google Lit Trip.

=Outline:= What are Google Lit Trips Overview of the learning process the author had creating a Google Lit Trip Overview of Google Earth Explore creating a basic Google Lit Trip based on:
 * History of Lit Trips
 * The Google Lit Trip Website and ALI.apple.com
 * Anatomy of a Google Lit Trip
 * Survey of Features
 * Differences from Google Maps
 * Creating Places (Text, images, links)
 * Creating Paths
 * Creating Overlays
 * Create a mini Google Lit Trip while exploring these aspects

History of Lit Trips
In 2007, Jerome Burg of California began a project as a Google Certified Teacher to engage students better with some of his favourite pieces of literature. Working with Google Earth as the springboard, there are now over 38 Literature Trips published on his site. GoogleLitTrips.org More recently he collaborated on a book - BookMapping and started looking at Trips that involve a single location.

=Extending beyond the 'Literature Trip'=

If you like Google Lit Trips, you might be interested in [|Google Historical Voyages and Events], a project by Google Lit Trips developer Carol LaRow. According to Carol, “This site is dedicated to the explorers, voyages, events, and historical backgrounds of countries throughout the World.”

A newer concept is also a One-Stop Story http://www.googlelittrips.com/GoogleLit/Special_Projects.html

Curriculum Connections
There are several Google Lit Trips that connect directly to BC Curriculum

Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine - social justice, immigration, discrimination, WWII,

Underground to Canada by Barbara Smucker - immigration, settling of Canada, discrimination

White Jade Tiger by Julie Lawson - immigration, discrimination, local geography, local history

Anatomy of a Google Lit Trip
Google Earth Good Geographic Literature A KMZ file (could be premade or created on the fly) Internet Access

Overview of the learning process
I have done this myself and with students.

Students
Teaching students the basics of creating a Lit Trip are fairly quick. A series of simple lessons can be downloaded.

A great demonstration of the value of this method is having students searching for images for Underground to Canada and then putting in images of 'plantations' that were actually 'tea plantations'

A caution is having a list of 'locations' available for students. The inside of the novel listed 10 'locations' so most students created places for these locations only.

Teachers
My first Google Trip was actually a photo tour field trip. I learned how
 * to identify locations
 * to create balloons
 * to embed images in balloons (mine and others)

My first official Google Lit Trip was Hana's Suitcase. how to read and collect list of locations
 * I learned**
 * determine which locations are of significance
 * determine if is is an identifiable location

how to identify locations how to search for appropriate images how to find other web connections how to contact publishers (and usually not get a response)
 * figure out different place names based on culture / language
 * figure out approximate locations based on time or direction
 * public domain
 * creative commons
 * requesting permission of the author
 * contacting the site owner for hanassuitcase.ca
 * being given permission to link images from that site.
 * requesting image permission from people in Europe and being give additional information helping on my quest.

//See nuances// Germany - Area under German control I grew up in our BC Education System and had no concept of the impact of Nazi Germany in terms how far it had advanced.

Overview of Google Lit Trip Features
Overview of the Lit Trip Credits Author and other Background Folders for Chapters Extensions and next steps
 * Pins identifying locations
 * Balloons embedding
 * images
 * widgets
 * links
 * information and questions
 * snapshots of special views
 * movie tours

Student interactive features
 * have students navigate the existing placemarks
 * have students use the ruler to measure distances
 * have students use tilt features and explore 360 degrees around a location

Other Features Can work with Timelines
 * locations appear and change over time

Now let's download one and explore it.

Differences from Google Maps
Google Maps has most features of Google Earth with the following exceptions
 * Rulers, Polygons, and Movies
 * Tilt Plane navigation
 * Number of items on one screen

So.... You can create a Lit Trip in Google Earth and import into Google Maps.

The advantages of Google Maps are:
 * No software to install
 * Set sharing preferences

=Let's Create one together=

While this is not a complete Google Lit Trip, we will walk through the component steps together

1. Create a folder to store your locations in

2. Search for a location
 * Drag from search pane into your folder

3. Create a new location
 * Click on pin icon
 * Label it
 * Provide information or questions

4. Edit a location
 * changing the pin
 * changing the text
 * inserting an image (from a website)
 * insert a link
 * changing the view properties
 * insert a widget (let's use voki.com)

5. Create an overlay
 * find a relevant image / map on the web
 * copy the URL
 * Create the overlay
 * Paste the URL
 * Set Transparency

6. Create a Path
 * Move Balloon window
 * click point to point
 * zoom and move in this mode with arrows and +-
 * click and drag a path

7. Create a Movie Path
 * Click to create
 * Press record - navigate Google Earth

=Resources=  http://www.googlelittrips.com/GoogleLit/Lit_Trip_Tips.html

[] [] http://gelessons.com/ http://earth.google.com/ http://googlelittrips.org/