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Geography- Google (PB)

Page history last edited by felt2848@... 13 years, 5 months ago

 

Google

 

For Middle School

 

by Ryan Felten

 

 

 

 

What is Google? 

 

Google Search or Google Web Search is the most used and popular internet search engine available.  Google Web Search is owned by Google Inc. and receives several hundred million inquiries every single day.  Google creation was to separate it’s self from other web searches; Google’s main focus for the search engine was to hunt for text in websites, as opposed to other data.  Google Search doesn’t only just provide the word-search capability, but offers twenty-two other special features.  The other features that Google Web Search offers are: synonyms, weather forecasts, time zones, stock quotes, maps, earthquake data, movie showtimes, airports, home listings, and sports scores.  Google Web Search does not only have special features for word searches, but it provides features for numbers too.  The special features that Google offers for numbers consist of ranges (70...73), [7] prices, temperatures, money/unit conversions ("10.5 cm in inches"), calculations (3*4+sqrt (6)-pi/2), package tracking, patents, and area codes.  The final thing that Google also provides is language transition of displayed pages.

 

 

 

How Google Works

 

Google consist of a series of local websites; the largest of these series of websites is google.com.  Google's search engine normally accepts queries as a simple text, and breaks up the user's text into a sequence of search terms, which will usually be words that are to occur in the results, but one can also use Boolean operators, such as: quotations marks (") for a phrase, a prefix such as "+", "-" for qualified terms, or one of several advanced operators, such as "site:" (Wiki).  Google uses a patented aligorithm called PageRank.  PageRank allows Google Web Search Engine to ranks web pages to a certain search criteria.  The PageRank algorithm analyses human-generated websites assuming that these web pages linked to other important pages are themselves likely to be important. PageRank is also thought to correlate well with human concepts that are considered important. In addition to PageRank, Google over the years has added many other secret criteria for determining the ranking of pages on result lists, reported to be over 200 different indicators.  These criteria’s are kept second to allow Google to keep its advantage on its competitors.

 

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Google in Geography

 

Google could be used in many different ways in the classroom.  A teacher could use Google to help allow the students to explore and research specific topics.  Students will have the capability to find information and teach themselves or each other in group work.  By being able to research and use the appropriate information of the internet through Google, students will have access to a wide range of quality academic documents.  The range of places that Google can provide academic  documents  include academic working papers, government reports, official statistical data, and transcripts, radio and television broadcasts. Students can also experience the world without leaving the classroom.  When talking about a certain region of the world or individual country students can use Google images to be able to visual see areas of the worlds that they would normally never get to experience it in real life.  By allowing the students to use Google image, the teacher will be presenting the students information in both visual and audio learning styles.

 

 

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Other Options Google Offers for Geography

 

The Google Web Search is not the only other tool that a teacher can use that is created by Google INC.  Google has two other programs that you can use that will be especially useful in a geography classroom.   The first program that could be utilized by using Google is Google Earth.  Google Earth is a program that a person can download for free of the internet that creates a virtual globe, and provides map and geographical information.  Google Earth provides the viewer a satellite image from a bird’s eye view of buildings or features on the surface of the Earth. 

 

Google Earth Homepage (http://www.google.com/earth/index.html)

 

 

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Geography lessons Using Google Earth

 

Other Google Options (Cont) 

 

Another option that Google provides is Google Map.  Google Map is a web mapping program provided by Google for free that offers many map based services including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps.  Google map offers street maps; you can also plan a route base on traveling by foot or in car.  This program can also provide you urban business locations, and public transportation services.   

 

Google Map Home Page (http://maps.google.com/)

 

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Lessons Using Google Maps (History, Geography, Literature)

 

 Google Docs

 

Google Docs is also a program that can be used inside the classroom.  This program would be good for any classroom subject.  Google Docs is a online word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation editor that you and your students can create, store and share information and data at real times.  Students have the ability to create or upload existing documents.  Google Docs require no program to be downloaded and all your work can be access from anywhere that has internet connection, but is also safely stored for future use.

 

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Resources

 

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