Virtual Field Trips
I used Timelapse in Google Earth and selected a timelapse of the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I would ask students to identify the changes they see to the land, the water, and ask them what this kind of change might mean for the environment. Describe the expansion. How would this affect local plants and animals? What new things might be introduced to the area? What does the increased human population mean for the environment? What does urban expansion look like in this city? Do you see changes in the surrounding areas?
The idea would be to get students to recognize the impact humans have on the environment, and to recognize how little time it takes for large changes to happen. It would also help to show what urban development looks like — it might not sprawl, but it can get more dense, which has other implications for humans as well. What might some of those implications be?
TweetExample for "Virtual Field Trips":
https://earthengine.google.com/timelapse#v=43.65322,-79.38318,10,latLng&t=0.79&ps=50&bt=19840101&et=20201231&startDwell=0&endDwell=0
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