No matter where you are, we're glad you're here!
Essential Questions:
ENGAGE
How Do You Google Earth?
By now almost everybody with a computer either has or will soon use this amazing geographic information system (GIS). Whether for directions to an unfamiliar place, finding the closest pizza parlor, buying a new home or planning a hunting trip, there are as many useful and interesting uses for Google Earth as there are people using it. And it's free!
If do not already have Google Earth downloaded and installed on your computer, please do so now. While it is free and easy, it is also a large program and may take a while to download, depending on your Internet service.
While you're online using this powerful GIS program, you'll find it runs more quickly and smoothly if your Internet service is up to speed. And because it's large, it can also slow down your computer if you have too many applications open at the same time you are using Google Earth.
If you're new to Google Earth, spend some time learning how to navigate using the onscreen controls. You can fly, zoom in and out, go submarine and even view the landscape in 3D. It's fun and fascinating for students and adults. But be careful. You might lose track of time exploring the world.
If you run into any problems using Google earth, or if you want tips on some of its myriad features, YouTube is a great place to find tutorials, pointers, examples and insights.
Essential Questions:- How are Alaska's natural systems interconnected?
- How have Alaska's natural systems changed over time?
- How does digital information change our understanding of natural systems?
- How does knowledge of natural systems inform our understanding of cultural systems?
- How does knowledge of natural systems relate to the roles of educators?
ENGAGE
How Do You Google Earth?
By now almost everybody with a computer either has or will soon use this amazing geographic information system (GIS). Whether for directions to an unfamiliar place, finding the closest pizza parlor, buying a new home or planning a hunting trip, there are as many useful and interesting uses for Google Earth as there are people using it. And it's free!
EXPLORE
Google EarthIf do not already have Google Earth downloaded and installed on your computer, please do so now. While it is free and easy, it is also a large program and may take a while to download, depending on your Internet service.
While you're online using this powerful GIS program, you'll find it runs more quickly and smoothly if your Internet service is up to speed. And because it's large, it can also slow down your computer if you have too many applications open at the same time you are using Google Earth.
If you're new to Google Earth, spend some time learning how to navigate using the onscreen controls. You can fly, zoom in and out, go submarine and even view the landscape in 3D. It's fun and fascinating for students and adults. But be careful. You might lose track of time exploring the world.
If you run into any problems using Google earth, or if you want tips on some of its myriad features, YouTube is a great place to find tutorials, pointers, examples and insights.
ENGAGENo matter where you go, there you are! has never seemed more true than when using Google Earth.
In this segment, we'll make use of Google Earth to explore the landscapes of some of Alaska's farthest-flung places. We'll also consider cultural connections between people and their places along the way.
EXPLORE
Cultural Connections
Using Google Earth, let's visit some landscapes where Alaska Native cultures have traditionally lived, some for thousands of years.
From the list below, select a few places to visit in Google Earth. View each landscape from a variety of perspectives: High and low altitude and in 3D. Try rotating your orientation from north to east to south to west using the navigation tools.
While you're exploring, look for specific landscape features and connections between the place and the people who live there.
- Unangan of the remote windswept volcanoes of the Aleutian island chain (Unalaska)
- Inupiaq of the Arctic Plain, whose frozen winter shore extends for thousands of miles into relentless darkness (Barrow)
- Tlinglit of the Alexander Archipelago between towering glaciers, mountains and ocean. (Hoonah)
- Athabaskan along the winding rivers deep in the interior (Fort Yukon)
- Others? You Pick.
EXAMINE
- Describe prominent landscape features. (mountain, plain, valley, water bodies)
- Describe any evident forces shaping the landscape. (faults, volcanoes, rivers, glaciers, wind, ocean, etc.)
- What are some important connections between the place and its people?
EXTEND
- In Google Earth, try placing a Yellow Pin at each landscape you visit.
- Try taking a GE screen shot and using it in a post.
Checking in.
Having difficulties using Google Earth or TD or any other resources ? Let the course instructor know. Sometimes the problem is not having enough bandwidth through your internet provider, or not having enough computer capacity, or perhaps both.
