Using Google Earth to Build Community & Connection in Online Classes

It can be a challenge to foster a sense of community in an online class, particularly when students join us from across the country and even around the world. In this session, we'll explore how to use Google Earth in a fun and interactive way to connect students to place and each other.

By pinning each student's local businesses and organizations on a map, students can learn about each other's communities and create a shared experience. When they click on the pins, they can access websites, social media feeds, and student-written profiles, creating an engaging virtual environment that promotes connection and understanding. This brings distant communities into their homes so that they feel "real," and students enjoy learning about each other in the process.