Google Earth vs Google Tour Builder

This week in my college class we explored the features of Google Earth and Google Tour Builder.  When it comes to exploration, Google Earth has some great features for any classroom.  My favorite was the Voyager feature where you can explore 3D tours of educational topics such as "Wonders of the Ancient and Modern World" and "The Day the Dinosaurs Died" where students explore different locations with evidence of how the extinction of the dinosaurs might have occurred.  You can also choose locations on your own and create your own 3D tour of a topic you're studying.  The possibilities of virtual field trips are pretty much endless and I feel like Google Earth is a great way to bring wonder, exploration, and excitement to a classroom!
If you already have a field trip idea in mind, and you want to take students on a quick journey, Google Tours might be your best option.  Google Tours does lack the 3D features of Google Earth, but it does incorporate Google Street View which is a neat feature of Google Maps.  I liked how it was almost like a PowerPoint where each slide had a different location where you could add images, videos, and text for students to explore.  Creating a Google Tour is pretty quick and easy, as with most things involving Google.  I created my Tour in less than an hour and I'm excited to use it as an introductory activity to our Floor Plan project in my Geometry classes.  Here's my tour!

I'll make a quick post after this one explaining my idea for the Floor Plan project in Geometry!

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