Google Earth

To use Google Earth, open the app or website, search for a location, and use navigation controls to zoom, tilt, and explore. Additional layers, Voyager stories, and measurement tools can be turned on as needed.

Adult involvement is especially helpful in framing questions, pointing out features, and connecting what students see in Google Earth to broader topics in geography, history, or science.

Students need a device that can run Google Earth (browser or app), basic navigation skills with mouse or touch, and enough reading ability to search for locations and read labels. Adults should be comfortable designing or adapting simple activities around the tool.

Google Earth does not have built-in lessons or adaptive pathways, but families can personalize it by designing their own tours, pinning locations that matter to them, and combining it with readings, documentaries, or projects. Learners can follow their curiosity to explore places they care about while adults guide how that exploration connects to academic goals.

Google Earth can both support and challenge learners with ADHD: it offers a highly engaging visual experience, but also many possible distractions. Using it for short, targeted tasks rather than open-ended wandering can help maintain focus.

For some autistic learners, the structured visual environment in Google Earth can be soothing and absorbing; for others, navigation and 3D graphics may be disorienting. Clear goals and limits, plus time to practice controls, can make sessions more successful.

Google Earth does not teach math directly, but can support spatial reasoning and basic concepts like scale and distance. Pairing its measurement tools with explicit instruction can make these ideas more concrete.

Google Earth relies heavily on visual information rather than long text passages, so many learners with dyslexia may find it accessible. However, reading place names and labels can still pose challenges, so read-aloud support may be helpful.

Google Earth includes smooth zooming and rotating animations that some kids enjoy and others may find dizzying. Adjusting navigation speed, limiting quick spins, and taking breaks can help learners with sensory sensitivities.

Google Earth is a flexible exploration tool rather than a therapy program. It can, however, be incorporated into social studies or science projects for many learners with diverse support needs, especially when adults provide structure and scaffolding.

Gifted learners often enjoy using Google Earth to follow their curiosity-diving deeply into particular regions, historical sites, or environmental questions. It can support independent projects and research when paired with readings and primary sources.

For twice-exceptional learners, Google Earth offers a rich environment for independent inquiry projects while still allowing adults to layer in accommodations and support as needed.

Profoundly gifted students may use Google Earth as part of advanced geography, history, or environmental science projects, including mapping research findings or analyzing satellite imagery over time.

Google Earth can both support and challenge learners with ADHD: it offers a highly engaging visual experience, but also many possible distractions. Using it for short, targeted tasks rather than open-ended wandering can help maintain focus.

For some autistic learners, the structured visual environment in Google Earth can be soothing and absorbing; for others, navigation and 3D graphics may be disorienting. Clear goals and limits, plus time to practice controls, can make sessions more successful.

Google Earth does not teach math directly, but can support spatial reasoning and basic concepts like scale and distance. Pairing its measurement tools with explicit instruction can make these ideas more concrete.

Google Earth relies heavily on visual information rather than long text passages, so many learners with dyslexia may find it accessible. However, reading place names and labels can still pose challenges, so read-aloud support may be helpful.

Because interaction in Google Earth is mostly point-and-click, learners with dysgraphia can participate fully without extensive writing. Any written outputs can be handled through typing, voice typing, or alternative formats.

Google Earth is free to use and does not require a subscription, so there is no refund policy to manage.

Google Earth may be less of a fit for families who prefer entirely offline learning or who do not have reliable internet or devices that can handle 3D graphics. It can also be overwhelming without adult guidance, as there is no built-in structure or progression.

Google Earth is updated regularly with new imagery, improved features, and occasional new storytelling tools, so the experience and data continue to evolve over time.

Tie Google Earth sessions to specific questions: for example, "Can we find three different types of landforms near this river?" or "What does the neighborhood around this historical site look like today?" This keeps exploration focused and meaningful.