'GOOGLE EARTH'-BASED LESSONS AND LAB ACTIVITIES FOR EARTH SCIENCE CLASSES

The increased availability of detailed satellite imagery creates a unique opportunity for Earth Science students to study landforms and landscapes, enabling them to literally broaden their horizons by including not only individual geologic features, but also boundaries and transition zones between regions dominated by different geologic processes. Since its release in the summer of 2005, GoogleEarth has provided an uncomplicated means of combining satellite imagery with geological and geographic information in dramatic fashion. While satellite visualization tends to grab the student's attention, it remains necessary to integrate these techniques into lessons that include inquiry-based learning activities. The authors have collaborated by beginning to create topical earth science lessons and laboratory activities using the free GoogleEarth software to enhance the conceptual understanding of topics ranging from plate tectonics, volcanoes, glacial geology, erosion and deposition in river systems, and meteorite impacts. These new exercises allow educators to keep up with advances in technology and supply students with the modern tools necessary to understand the fundamentals of geological processes. Several examples of these activities will be presented at the poster. Additional activities will be available online at http://www.eastchester.k12.ny.us/schools/hs/teachers/fermann/gsa.htm and at http://www.bedford.k12.ny.us/flhs/science/geohome.html.