Google Earth and Literature

I was reading about a workshop offering about Google Earth and literature. I don't have time to go to the workshop, but thought I would investigate it myself. It turns out there is an amazing blog about this GoogleLit. If you have Google Earth installed, you can go to this website and download virtual tours of books. It looks as if this site is being added to all the time by teachers.If you had access to a projector and a computer, this would be a wonderful way to lead a discussion about literature. Give yourself some time to really explore this site. I love it and am trying to find a way to include it in our curriculum. They have titles about the Civil War, Revolutionary Way, Paddle to the Sea and Big Anthony. There is a really interesting mix of books and I do expect this will grow to a great resource.

Recommended web site for Maps

I found this web site, recommended by a blog that I have been reading that I do think would add much to the student's understanding of history. The David Rumsey Map Collection has over 20,000 maps and other related images at their site. As far as I could tell, all of the maps could be downloaded to use. Some of these maps (now over 150) can be opened in Google Earth for further exploration. You can overlap maps of ancient globes or Civil War sites onto Google Earth.
A very different type of map is The Breathing Earth. This is a simulation that shows how many people are being born and die, the population of countries and the world and the CO2 emissions of each place. While it is just an approximation, it is very interesting.