What it is: Today is the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Mission. I have been following the moon landing on We Choose the Moon. This is an incredible site that has allowed me to re-live (for the first time) the Apollo 11 mission as if it were happening today. In honor of this historic day, Google released Google Earth 5.0 complete with Moon view. With Moon in Google Earth you and your students can take tours of landing sites narrated by Apollo astronauts, view 3-D models of landed spacecraft, zoom into 360* photos of astronauts footprints, and watch rare TV footage of the Apollo missions.
How to integrate Moon in Google Earth into the classroom: Now that the moon has made an appearance in Google Earth, your students can experience the moon and Apollo missions up close and personal. Space, astronauts, Apollo missions, and the moon were the stuff of legends before the space race took off. Moon in Google Earth brings back the excitement of the space race allowing students to explore and discover. This is an excellent virtual field trip to take your students on during any space or moon unit. Use an interactive whiteboard to discover as a class. Students can take turns being moon tour guides. Students could also explore independently keeping their discoveries in a space journal and reporting back to others what they discovered on their journey to the moon.
Tips: Google Earth is a download. If you need IT to perform downloads for you, be sure that Google Earth makes it on your list of must haves for the school year.
Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Moon in Google Earth in your classroom.Moon in Google Earth
