The Google Earth app, geography education, and children in literacy process: The geography of childhood

Abstract

Context: This work presents a report of experience in the classroom, with children aged 06 (six) and 07 (seven) years old, where the Google Earth application was used to demonstrate the use of geographical knowledge in a meaningful and spontaneous way in students' daily lives. Methodology: The step-by-step process from arriving at school to the moment of using the application is described, including the initial frustration of not being able to use it in the first class and the necessary access difficulties. The children's speech and their reactions to following and visualizing the images in the Google Earth application during the class are also transcribed. In addition, the children's drawing activities that express their spatial experiences are presented. Considerations: The work defends the possibility and importance of developing activities that promote the construction of geographical ideas from elementary school, including literacy classes for children aged 06 (six) and 07 (seven) years old.