Impact of Google Earth on Student Learning
Briju Thankachan, Teresa Franklin
Abstract
Virtual globes provide multiple opportunities for educators to build spatial understanding among students and
bridge the gap between students and teachers and the less interactive paper map. Google Earth has been shown
to support student learning and to increase levels of interactivity and user experience. The purpose of this study is
to determine the impact of Google Earth on student learning. The key question that is addressed is: Does
incorporating Google Earth into the content of the social studies classroom impact student learning? The
research was conducted among 102 students in the sixth grade and tenth grade from three different schools in
southeast Ohio, United States. The research design used in this study is experimental research using post-test only
control group design. This study indicates that the average grades in social studies in the class using Google
Earth were higher than those using a printed map.
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