Did you know that Google is more than just a search engine?  I consider myself a “Google super user” myself, uploading and sharing documents with Google Docs; collecting podcasts and RSS feeds in my Google Reader; editing and storing photos with Picasa; personalizing my igoogle home page with widgets; and utilizing the intuitive Gmail interface.  But, wait!  There’s more!  Wait until you check out Google Earth 5.0!

Google Earth 5.0 is a free download to the general public, and for educators only, you can subscribe to Google Earth 5.0 Pro for free, once you have requested and received approval this special educator status.

The unbelievable features of Google Earth 5.0:

• “Fly” to any place on our planet from an aerial view.
• Zoom in and pan to the left or right.
• View street cameras of live web cams of various locations.
• View still photos of key landmarks and sites.
• Explore the oceanic layers.
• Capture and record the tour or path you want visitors to experience.
• Insert “pushpins” to give directions and point out facts or mark particular cities, landmarks, or latitude and longitude markings.
• Post hyperlinks, embed videos, and other multimedia web 2.0 snippets.
• Allow your students to add their own content to an already created Google Earth file.
• Export files to save for the future.