Google Cultural Institute... An Amazing Classroom Resource

The Google Cultural Institute is an amazing tool for exploring art, history, and the world around us. Google has partnered with museums and galleries around the world to create an immense library of ultra high resolution images of famous art work and photographs that can be examined in an amazing amount of detail. The Institute is made up of three powerful tool... The Art Project, Historic Moments, and World Wonders.

Many works of art can be zoomed in on so far you can see the dirt that has accumulated in the ridges of brush  strokes. You can also visit the museums themselves to see the work and where it is located using Google Street-view links that are embedded in it!

One amazing work that is available for exploration is called Sun That Does Not Set by HoyAyer. It is a collection of photographs taken in one of the southern most points of South America. One was taken each hour and when combines you end up with this beautiful collage. It is also an awesome science resource to show how the sun does not set in certain places and certain times.

You also have the ability to explore an amazing collection of historic photographs and video clips for almost every historic moment in the modern age... basically anytime since cameras were invented... You can zoom in on photos to explore details and watch videos of interviews with people the actual events. All of these images are reliable and easily attributed since they have been shared by museums. This is not your average Google Images Search!

The contributors and Google have been collaborating to make Exhibits from the library of materials and have made a number of really good ones so far. One of the most powerful I looked at was called Tragic Love at Auschwitz , and it was about two young Jews in Poland that found love when they met in Auschwitz. They later went on to escape, although they were later recaptured and executed. The story is told in pictures, authentic documents, and written transcripts from the people that knew them in the camp. It is amazing how the story comes to life when these separate historic resources are displayed in this context.

More exhibits are bieng added all of the time, including this one on the history of computing: Revolution: The First 100 Years of Computing.

You can also explore many of the world's wonders through photographs, video clips, and Google Street View. One amazing example of this is on the Great Barrier Reef. You can travel here through the street view links and explore the beauty of this underwater wonder. You can then take a look at some of the amazing images that have been captured here as well. When you are finished, you can jump to another amazing place on this planet and explore that as well.

Since this tool is from Google, it is free and it is also linked to your Google Account. Just by being logged into Google you will be able to create collections and Galleries of your own. You can make a collection of images from World War 2, or even create your own Gallery of your favorite impressionist works. These galleries can be brought up anywhere you can access the internet and are easily shared via hyperlink.

These tools can be used to add amazing content to your lessons, but they can also be used by students as well. They can explore history to find their own answers and create collections for study or presentation.

Here is tutorial to get you started:  Google Cultural Institute Tutorial Playlist