Yeah, I could look at a good map for hours...
But no map I've ever seen can hold a candle to NASA World Wind or Google Earth! These free programs use satelite imagery in combination with maps and a host of database information.
Each program has its own unique features. I like the satelite imagery options in the NASA product, and it has enough road and database information to be useful. Google Earth has fewer satelite options, but more bells and whistles and specialized databases including photos and video of special sights.
Read more about the programs at the web sites below, but ask your ITRT for assistance if you want the software on your computer. I recommend that at least one notebook at each school have the software installed. As the satelite photos take up a lot of bandwith and storage, perhaps using one machine with increased cache would provide faster viewing while conserving resources. We might also try loading the software on school servers--the software may then be accessed by any school machine.