EarthQuests: WebQuests meet Google Earth Kaye Placing UniServe Science The University of Sydney

EarthQuests WebQuest meets Google Earth Webquest and Virtual Field Trips meet Google Earth

Google Earth Satellite maps of the world Accessed through your web browser Must download an application program and install on local computer Available for Windows only Must have Internet active - Broadband recommended Base level is free

Google Earth Interactive Allows you to find locations Zoom in and out Tilt to get different perspectives Rotate around a location e.g. Uluru Add placemarkers Edit placemarkers – icons and more Save locations visited

WebQuests Were first developed by Bernie Dodge and Tom March “A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the internet” (Dodge) An achievable task and a list of selected web sites are provided Should involve group work May involve role play e.g. scientific occupations Should develop the top levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy such as synthesis

WebQuests (examples & resources) Our Indigneous Garden – UniServe Science Hydrothermal Vents – UniServeScience WebQuest Direct Ozline Best Web Quests

Virtual Field Trips Virtual Field trip Visit places that are too far, too expensive, too dangerous, too time consuming, no longer available …

EarthQuests First developed by John Demmers and Gerard Dummer Seven Wonders of the World –Visit the seven wonders of the ancient world via Google Earth –Complete a matrix about the seven wonders –Visit other wonders from lists provided and select seven of interest to you –Complete a virtual field trip to your selected wonders to share with the class

EarthQuests by UniServe Science Deserts of the World –2006 International Year of Deserts and Desertification Australian landforms –Stage 3: An Ancient Land Task 2 –Stage 4: Relate the formation of landforms to weathering, erosion and deposition Disasters –Stage 5: explain some impacts of natural events including cyclones, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes on the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and/or biosphere

DesertQuest The task –Find out about the deserts the world under a number of headings, matrix provides –Select one desert and create a virtual field trip to that desert using a series of placemarkers Mojave desert – Death Valley, Monument Valley, Rainbow Valley Tanami Desert – Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Atila (Mt Conner), Tnorala (Gosses Bluff), Kings Canyon

Why use Google Earth … not just a normal web page Motivation Develop spatial relationships Investigate the terrain – immediate and surrounding Manipulate images

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