Map it!

I love maps! My sense of direction is pretty good (at times), but I do have a difficult time with orientation as compared to maps!!! Where were we without Google maps or GPS's?? HOW did I get around???  We got our GPS stolen recently and it felt like I lost an arm!  Fortunately, we both got around on our iPhone Google maps. (I love to follow the dot) But that, at times, became difficult. We recently got an iPad, and don't worry about the lost GPS anymore! However, someone needs to show me how to make the map on an iPad stationary!  When I flip the device around, the map moves too! Argh! This is what I mean when I say map orientation confuses me from time to time. Also, on vacation recently, I can do the car directions fine, but when you switch to walking directions-I'm hopeless! I'm hoping to get better at that!

So, when we were asked to design a map for this assignment, I was very excited!  What kind of map should I make? My husband and I are trying to get to Europe this fall... Anything having to do with food would be great.... But I decided to stick with what I know and that's art!  I spend the summer of 2002 living and studying in Paris and I wish I had this kind of technology with me then! So, my map is of some of my favorite museums in Paris. I could have added a lot more, but I stuck to ones that I have been to (all except two) and tried to keep a good variety!

You can find my map here and in the image here:

Here is a link to my intinerary that goes with my map!

Maps are such a good visual tool for students to use and now, with this application, be able to manipulate themselves. I can remember having to call up airlines for plane ticket information when I was in Civics class-now students can make a map of vacations, historical sites-anything!  It not only good for teaching geography, but also time management, schedules (such as trains and buses), how to get from place to place in the quickest way possible, and even a little bit of geometry! You could also bring in history and cultural lessons as well-the possibilities are endless!

NETS T standards associated with this are:

1) Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity
2) Design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments
3) Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility

Again, any self-created content is creative to me. This could be used in literature classes to mark the journey of Huck Finn down the Mississippi, to plan a vacation logically and economically, or to historically mark the Freedom Trail. Any idea that a student can cook up that has anything to do with geography of any kind can find a useful outlet here. The only limitation are the real world-which, is pretty endless! I am sure if it is this easy to make a map, that there is some way to make an assessment out of it! Also, this goes back to students finding their way in the larger world and this mapping application put the power of the known world into their hands. What better gift to a student then the world!