Virtualfieldwork.org

Virtual Fieldwork Tutorials and how tos

These tutorials were produced using at least three different software packages.  Jing allows for simple sharing of video screen captures.  The following videos were all created using Jing.  Google Maps allows for easy editing of interactive maps.  Those maps can be downloaded and displayed on a virtual globe in Google Earth.  All of this software is free.

Keep the following in mind as you work through the tutorials:

1. •Don’t hesitate to hesitate. It’s easy to pause the video and flip back and forth between the video and your work.  Use the slider to replay segments of the video you want to see again. 
   

2. •A Google account will come in handy. While you can use Google Earth without a Google account, content creation is somewhat simpler using the My Maps section of Google Maps.  It is also easy to bring photos into Google Earth from Picassa, Google’s photo sharing site. 
   

3. •We are mostly creating in Google Maps to display in Google Earth. Editing placemarks and polygons is simpler to do using My Maps than Google Earth and it is simple to download your Google Maps creation into Google Earth. 
   

4. •You can collaborate across distance.  In Google My Maps, click the ‘Collaborate’ link to invite others to work on your map.