Explore Russia With the Russian Street View Gallery

Earlier this week Google added Street View imagery of Russia to Google Maps. Now you can explore historic landmarks in Moscow and St. Petersburg from a ground level perspective. Using the Google Maps API, Keir Clarke at Google Maps Mania has pulled together many of the Street View images to create the Russian Street View Gallery.

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Applications for Education
Just as with other Street View images, the Russian Street View Gallery is a step or two better than having students just look at static pictures of the places that they're learning about. The next time you're teaching a lesson about the Russian Revolution use the Street View imagery to them explore the grounds of the Winter Palace.

Novels on Location

Novels on Location is neat use of Google Maps designed to help you find fiction works according to their geographical settings. When you visit Novels on Location you can find novels by clicking on the placemarks that you see or by using the location search bar in the upper, right corner of the site. If you want to contribute to Novels on Location you can do so very quickly by simply entering a location then entering the title and author of your favorite book set in that location.

Applications for Education
Novels on Location is a little lean on titles right now, but it has the potential to be a good place to find your next favorite read. You could have students contribute to Novels on Location. Or create your own classroom version of Novels on Location by creating a shared Google Map to which your students make their contributions. If you do develop your own version of Novels on Location, ask your students to include a short book review in the placemarks that they add to the map.

H/T to Google Maps Mania.