Pursued and Google Maps: Stay one step ahead

Imagine you are a trained undercover agent. While helping a little old lady across the street after saving stranded kittens stuck in a tree, you’re ambushed by evil doers.

You’re taken prisoner, shoved in the trunk of their getaway car, and transported to a secret location.

But because you are a trained undercover agent, you’re able to escape. The problem? You’re not sure where you are. You could be in any city in the world!

And so begins your adventure in the very cool, free, online, geo-based game called Pursued. Using the Street View feature of Google Maps, the makers of Pursued have created a great way for you to trains kids to ask questions, use visual clues, think spatially, become comfortable with geography tools, create mental maps, and solve problems all while having a good time.

Google Story Builder – one more cool tool in your toolkit

Just over two years ago, Google used the Super Bowl to highlight a very cool tool they had created called Search Story that used their Search feature to, well . . . tell a story. I spent a few minutes sharing how you might be able to use Search Story to help kids summarize all sorts of information and to discuss historical people, events, and ideas. I thought about how you could use it to create hook activities or have kids create end of unit type products.

The bad news? Google is no longer supporting Search Story.

Sigh.

But . . . they’ve created a replacement. Google’s latest fun tool called Story Builder is up and running.

Tip of the Week: Updated Google Earth Tour Guide Feature is Sweet

The title should really read Sweeeeet – with a lot of  extra eeee’s. Because Google Earth’s latest update incorporates an incredibly tasty feature.

Called Tour Guide, the feature provides guided excursions to and through a wide variety of geographic places, both famous and obscure. There are over 100,000 tours in 200 countries with more than 1,000,000 photos now available – from flying tours of the Roman Coliseum to Dodge City’s Boot Hill.

5 great Google search tips

The good news about Google search?

It searches something like 97 bazillion web sites. Whatever you’re looking for is in there somewhere.

The bad news about Google search?

It searches something like 97 bazillion web sites. Whatever you’re looking for is in there somewhere.

Using Google can be a powerful tool but you and your students often spend way too much time trying to find what you’re looking for. The good news is that Google provides a variety of built-in search strategies that can assist in your search. These strategies deliver quality results while saving you time.

Tip of the Week: Shambles at the Palace of Versailles Simulation

Times are tough. Teachers are getting fewer and fewer opportunities to take kids on field trips. You just can’t hop a plane and head out to the Gettysburg battlefield or the Palace of Versailles like you used to.

But the good news is if you can’t get to Versailles, Versailles can get to you. With a bit of help from Google, the Palace of Versailles now comes in 3D.

The new this summer Versailles 3D website offers you and your kids the chance to explore and experience the Palace in all of its 3D glory.