Using Google Maps Street View

Image via Wikipedia

What do I do if I want to visit a place globally and it is on the beaten path? Say I want to visit some place that I know there is immersives, can I do this? Yes, in more ways than one. First, as always I would check to see if there is anything for your spot in World Heritage Tours (See prior post). You might be surprised. Next, especially because is is an emerging technology that more and more students are familiar with, I would look at using Google Maps or Earth (to be reviewed later.) However, you need to check first to see if the mapping van has made its way to where you want to look first. So check to see if the place you want to visit is available. (See this map to know where there is street view in Google Maps.) Google Maps its a nice platform because Google has a vested interest in developing this resource... making money via searches laid out geographically. (Sorry, money really does make much of the world go round.)

In their strange ability to see the future, Google figured out that phones would have gyros in them and would also have the ability to locate themselves via geo-tracking and satellite location. Or, maybe they used the Google-Bot's powers to make it happen! (Enter conspiracy theorists and moon-loons all!) In either case, they want you to like this software so you can bet your sweet bippy it will continue to improve, even if your classroom is not the motivator. (Like Cable in the Classroom they too have tried to bill themselves as a great education tool, but you better believe if it was loosing money- Google'd be out!) Can this be useful for us? Absolutely, and it isn't even fully tapped yet! (After reading this post check out Google's site for educators for some good ideas and collaboration opportunities: Google Maps for Educators.)

If you are using a web browser in class to visit, in your browser of preference head over to maps.google.com and "fly to your location on the planet," try out Japan. Then look for the little icon for "street view." Can't find him? Its the little yellow dude that drags around the screen like you picked him up by the scruff of the neck. He's on the left under the joystick. Grab him move him around. Notice how his legs hang limp like Gilligan after being scared by a Gorilla? If you can see something "street level" his feet must land on a street outlined/colored blue. Click down to the object, and you're in! (You may need to pan out from your current view for him to activate and turn yellow to find him.) Once in the inserted window of street level note your controls do allow you to move within the pane, with many other controls.

Moving around is pretty enveloping and unlike World Heritage Tours, etc. you can move forward and reverse in the field of vision, following roads, etc. Cool. (But why do this when, of course, if you read my prior post, you could just plug this into PowerPoint to marry it to your class presentation with ease by copying the URL in the web address of the plugin you loaded.) Either way, you real in Japan! In class! Really cool.

Want to try it out right here without street level? (Also cool.) Check it out:




View Larger Map

This map was just pasted from the embed link found in the upper right hand corner of the Google map interface after clicking on the "link" button. (Select the embed text.) There is more complex, and yes a bit more rad, way to do it but for now we like simple. Simple = Good. (And yes, I said it, I brought "rad" back.) We can save the more complex for another time!

Know of any other good ideas? Share them in the comments!