I am a huge fan of using video in eLearning - whether it’s to provide an alternate mode of instruction, used to breakdown complex information in an engaging manner or to provide a short, sharp learning opportunity. Either way, video presents endless ways to engage our learners.
In this second part series, we‘re going to look at how Google Earth Studio gives us a way to create drone-like footage and how you can use it in your own learning experiences.
If you missed part one of this series, be sure to check it out. Click here to read it now.
What is Google Earth Studio and why use it?
Google Earth Studio is Google’s online animation tool which uses Google Earth imagery to generate drone-like footage. This is especially powerful when referring to tourism, history and location based learning but there’s no budget to showcase the location. Thanks to Google’s built in animation presets, there’s tons of opportunities from fly throughs, spirals, fly to's and so much more - not to mention the custom animation opportunities.
How I’ve used Google Earth Studio.
Within the tourism industry, we’re blessed by connecting people with destinations, cultures and people. We’re looked upon as experts of every destination from New York City, Rome, London and even Reykjavik. But, how do you educate and connect an individual with said destinations on a budget? Truism is that exploring a destination first hand is the best learning experience. Sure, emotive text, engaging imagery and yes, even video works. But what if we can immerse the learner in the destination, as if they were there?
This is where, in my opinion, Google Earth Studio shines through. Of course, real 4K drone footage is preferred, but we have budgets, timelines and thus need to think out of the box.
Fly through Example
During my initial exploration of Google Earth Studio, I developed this short fly through example of Milford Sound in the Fiordland National Park on the South Island of New Zealand.
This fly through showcases the cruise experience of entering Milford Sound, passing Anita Bay and allowing passengers to witness the endless mountains which carve their their way into the sky, picturesque waterfalls plunging into the water of the Fiord and marine life from dolphins and seals. It’s easy to see why people often refer to the Fiordland National Park as the eight Wonder of the World.
Plug those headphones in, turn up the volume and scroll down to witness it for yourself!
Alternatively, check out this example I made of Kings Cross Station in London as part of a Hogwarts Express and Harry Potter inspired course I’m developing - more to come on this later.
Destination Training
Destinations can be tricky to train, with so much information to digest and it can be hard to visual it, if you’ve never been there. In this example, I wanted to visualise the cruise ship port information for travel agents. Primarily, this included information about port information such as distances to/from the cities.
Thanks to Google Earth Studio, I was able to create a short video which visualised the port locations in respect to the downtown locations. Much more engaging than text-based instruction!
After developing the animation in Google Earth Studio, I complimented the visuals with lower-thirds, voice over and a backing track. To complete the experience, the video was embedded into an interactive Articulate Storyline 360 course with downloadable fact sheets, embedded Google Maps interaction and more.
Plug those headphones in, turn up the volume and scroll down to witness a short preview of the video for yourself!
It’s time to get exploring! Get curious and head over to Google Earth Studio to try it out today. If you need a hand with learning the tool, feel free to reach out.
