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Plotted - Plotted
Grades
6 to 12
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Plotted is a free interactive tool that helps readers visualize and share the journeys in their favorite books. By combining maps with literary analysis, the site allows you to track...more
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Plotted is a free interactive tool that helps readers visualize and share the journeys in their favorite books. By combining maps with literary analysis, the site allows you to track a character's path through either a real-world location or a custom-uploaded fantasy map. You can place interactive plots on the map, which serve as digital markers containing text descriptions, book quotes, or analyses of specific scenes. Create an account to create a new map by adding a title, choosing a fantasy or real-world option, adding a description, and optional book information. Click on the map to add and label locations. Each map project is shareable via a unique URL, enabling a community of readers to explore different geographic interpretations of the same story. The platform is highly accessible to any age group capable of reading and identifying locations, making it a versatile resource for upper elementary students mapping a picture-book journey or high schoolers analyzing complex global migrations in a novel.
tag(s): digital storytelling (182), maps (223)
In the Classroom
Transform a literature unit by having students create a visual geography of a protagonist's emotional and physical journey. For a middle school lesson on a novel like A Long Walk to Water, students can plot the specific coordinates of the character's travels across Africa and add reflections on how the character overcame obstacles at each location. After completing their interactive map, students can summarize the overarching themes by creating an engaging presentation with Gamma, reviewed here. To extend the project into a collaborative discussion, have students share their map links on a digital bulletin board using Lino, reviewed here, where peers can leave sticky note comments comparing different mapping choices. This approach moves beyond traditional book reports by requiring students to synthesize geographic data with narrative evidence to show a deeper understanding of the story's progression.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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MapMaker - National Geographic
Grades
4 to 12
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National Geographic's MapMaker Launch Guide introduces MapMaker, a free, web-based mapping tool developed with Esri for teachers, students, and National Geographic Explorers. Explore...more
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National Geographic's MapMaker Launch Guide introduces MapMaker, a free, web-based mapping tool developed with Esri for teachers, students, and National Geographic Explorers. Explore curated basemaps and data layers in two-dimensional and three-dimensional views, search for locations, measure areas, and investigate geographic patterns. The page links to guided lessons in world cultures, geography, and Earth science, along with FAQs and a help center featuring demonstrations. MapMaker supports classroom activities that develop spatial thinking, geographic inquiry, and data analysis skills. No account is needed to explore the maps, but saving and sharing custom maps, notes, and sketches requires a suitable login. Educators can create free individual accounts, while students need accounts through Esri's School Bundle.
tag(s): critical thinking (199), data (211), map skills (68), maps (223)
In the Classroom
Have students create a personalized digital map of their local community. They can mark locations such as their school, library, parks, and cultural landmarks with pins, shapes, and labels. Explore global climate patterns by turning on different data layers (e.g., temperature, precipitation, vegetation). Students can compare regions, make observations, and write claims backed by map evidence about how geography influences climate. Have students research a historical event or time period (e.g., westward expansion, ancient civilizations, migration routes) and create a map showing locations from that time, with modern overlays to compare past and present geography. Have students choose a topic (such as a natural disaster, an explorer's journey, or a cultural region) and create a digital map that tells a story using pins and custom labels. Each pin includes facts, images, or student-written summaries to encourage research and multimedia integration.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Google My Maps - Google
Grades
4 to 12
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You may already be familiar with Google Maps, reviewed here, but Google My Maps takes working with maps a step further. Use Google My Maps to create...more
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You may already be familiar with Google Maps, reviewed here, but Google My Maps takes working with maps a step further. Use Google My Maps to create custom maps with features you add. Add points or shapes to any location, use the embedded search to find places then save to your map, import information from spreadsheets, and customize your map with colored icons and your uploaded images and videos. Collaborate on your project just like you would with Google Documents, then embed maps into your website or blog.
tag(s): maps (223), virtual field trips (153)
In the Classroom
Share Google My Maps on an interactive whiteboard or projector to create virtual trips for many situations. Create a trip to biomes around the world, visit places mentioned within books, map out battlefield locations for different wars, or find and save different kinds of landforms on your map. The possibilities are as endless as your imagination. Embed completed maps onto your class webpage or blog for students to view when reviewing for tests or quizzes. Have older students complete their own Google My Map project to create their own virtual field trips. This site is perfect to use in conjunction with TeachersFirst Reading Treks, to follow the adventures of characters in the featured stories. Not ready to create your own maps? Use the explore feature on the site to find many examples of maps made by others.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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MapHub - Zsolt Ero and Gergely Matyus
Grades
4 to 12
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Create personalized and interactive maps with MapHub's user-friendly features. Explore the featured maps to find examples of maps, then make your own. MapHub's short tutorial provides...more
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Create personalized and interactive maps with MapHub's user-friendly features. Explore the featured maps to find examples of maps, then make your own. MapHub's short tutorial provides an overview of features. Add and personalize points on your map by choosing from different icons and color combinations. Give your icon a title and description; MapHub also provides many choices for map backgrounds. Connect points of interest using lines or define with polygons. When finished, download your map or share using the provided link or embed code.
tag(s): digital storytelling (182), maps (223)
In the Classroom
Use MapHub for personalized lessons in using maps and defining locations. Create a map to share on your interactive whiteboard (or with a projector) to highlight landforms, state capitols, or locations within a novel. As you teach about events in history such as the Civil War add markers to your map to share locations and information from that event. Add notes to your icons sharing information from each location. Include a link to this map on classroom computers or embed onto your class blog for students to view from any device. Add URLs to additional resources within your descriptions of points on a map. This allows you and your students to create visual presentations with access to multiple resources. Flip your classroom to create an interactive lesson using MapHub. Have students view your map as an introduction to a new unit. Instead of a traditional book report or class presentation, have students use MapHub to create an interactive map sharing their learning.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Bing Maps - Microsoft
Grades
K to 12
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Use Bing Maps to explore locations, plan routes, and find nearby businesses and services, including restaurants and gas stations. Search for a place or allow location access to center...more
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Use Bing Maps to explore locations, plan routes, and find nearby businesses and services, including restaurants and gas stations. Search for a place or allow location access to center the map on your current area. Get directions and view real-time traffic information to help compare routes. Switch between road maps, aerial imagery, and Streetside views where available to examine landscapes and landmarks. Sign in with a Microsoft account to save places in collections and access them across devices.
tag(s): directions (9), maps (223), Microsoft (50)
In the Classroom
If you teach geography, this one's a must. It is also helpful for showing students WHERE a story or news event takes place. In lower grades, use it to show students the basics of their community. Teach map skills by showing students their own community. Zoom in on their street or the school. This site is perfect for sharing on an interactive whiteboard. Set up a class Microsoft account (or use student accounts if permitted). Have students create their own custom route plans to tour historic sites. Challenge math students to plan the most economical route to visit several vacation destinations, including gas mileage and gas prices. Have students create place-marker files of the important places in the life of a famous person or the route traveled by a particular unit during the Civil War. Have student groups create place-marker files to show environmental sites, habitats, landforms, or anything you can place on a map. Share or embed student-created maps using the links and embed code provided.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Plantsoon - Roel Bergs
Grades
4 to 12
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Plantsoon allows teachers to integrate green learning into regular lessons. Students can go beyond textbooks by exploring, photographing, and tracking plants in their own surroundings....more
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Plantsoon allows teachers to integrate green learning into regular lessons. Students can go beyond textbooks by exploring, photographing, and tracking plants in their own surroundings.
tag(s): communities (37), maps (223), plants (142)
In the Classroom
Share Plantsoon on your interactive whiteboard or projector to locate and discover different kinds of plants. Click the map to find species near you. If you are lucky enough to have a school garden, Plantsoon is the perfect site for planning, documenting, and sharing your garden with your students and community.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be shared by URL
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Odyssey - CartoDB
Grades
6 to 12
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Build interactive, map-based stories without coding skills using the Odyssey open source library. Click Create Story to begin and follow the prompts to choose a template for slides,...more
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Build interactive, map-based stories without coding skills using the Odyssey open source library. Click Create Story to begin and follow the prompts to choose a template for slides, scrolling, or an animated story template. Add story content, images, links, and more within the "sandbox." When finished, publish directly to GetHub, download, or share as iFrame to embed directly into your blog or website.
tag(s): digital storytelling (182), gamification (88), images (276), interactive stories (23), maps (223)
In the Classroom
Most storytellers will find a bit of a learning curve to working with Odyssey, click on the three bars on the left top of the home page to find the Quick Start Guide tutorial for using the site. Share this site with tech-savvy students so they can be experts and help others become familiar with using the site. Use Odyssey for creating map-based stories based on works of literature, important events in history, or mapping scientific discoveries. Odyssey is perfect for use with gifted students when creating multimedia presentations.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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StoryMap JS - Northwest University Knight Lab
Grades
7 to 12
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Make your story-telling come to life in any content area with this free tool! Story Map uses a map or pictures to tell the story. The simple editor in this ...more
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Make your story-telling come to life in any content area with this free tool! Story Map uses a map or pictures to tell the story. The simple editor in this tool syncs to Google Drive editor to create a storymap. The created storymap is a sequence of slides for a map location or image that includes a heading, text, and even images and embedded video. The map or image and included information appear side by side. You can click between the slides connecting one location to another (or portions of an image to another). Your story is now interactive! To use: Follow the prompts to connect your Google Drive to the tool. Choose the type of story to create, Map or Gigapixel (image). Don't worry about the map image showing on the first page. When building a map, the front page will include the portion of the World Map based on map points throughout the project (ex. USA or Europe). Add a headline and detail to the appropriate areas. Include links and change font to bold and italic if desired. Add images to any page by uploading from your computer (through Google Drive) or by entering a link to an image. Enter the URL of the Vimeo or YouTube video you wish to use. Need help? Click on the Gigapixel tab along the top for help in uploading images and videos. The Media box not only has an area for the URL, but also an area to enter a caption and credit for the image. Add additional pages by clicking "Add Slide" in the left-hand menu. Add points to your map, one per slide, by typing the building, street, city, and country. Use the zoom bar in the top left to find the location. Customize the map style, background color, and font using the Options buttons. Click Share to send through social media or to use an embed code. The embed code can be used in any site, adjusting its width for different sites. If using Gigapixel, use a large image (as the image will literally be the "map" and your points move around the image). Save your image to Google Drive and copy the URL of the image as you will need it in the first step.
tag(s): maps (223), stories and storytelling (81), timelines (60)
In the Classroom
Be sure to stress Fair Use and Copyright with students when using online images and crediting sources. Find great resources and information on TeachersFirst. Of course, if possible use your own images. In Science, use this tool to upload a picture of a science experiment from class and retell the story of the "experiment" by connecting with each of the individual parts of the image. In a Technology class, use this tool to create a project of anything that could be considered "mappable." Some examples include a timeline tour of an event, tour routes of a favorite band, the movement of a character in a movie or novel, or various events in a War. Find various shapes in nature and buildings for a Geometry class, showing their locations in a map. This tool would be wonderful for gifted students to showcase an interest or extend learning from a concept learned in class. Use this tool to trace the history of various recipes or ingredients in a Family and Consumer Science class. Trace the history of people, religions, and events. In Science, create a tour of various animals found in specific areas of a given biome or locations of various types of rocks and their information around the world.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Tableau Public - Tableau Software
Grades
9 to 12
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Tableau is a data visualization and analytics platform that helps users turn information from spreadsheets, databases, and other data sources into interactive charts, graphs, maps,...more
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Tableau is a data visualization and analytics platform that helps users turn information from spreadsheets, databases, and other data sources into interactive charts, graphs, maps, and dashboards. Users can explore patterns and trends, compare information, filter data, and create visual stories that make complex information easier to understand. Tableau can be useful in the classroom for analyzing survey results, studying historical or scientific data, creating geographic visualizations, and developing students' data-literacy skills. Tableau offers several paid plans for organizations that need cloud sharing, collaboration, and advanced management features. It also offers Tableau Desktop Free Edition, which provides desktop analytics capabilities at no cost, with no trial expiration or credit card required; users can save and analyze work locally without publishing it online. Tableau Public is another free option that allows users to create and share interactive visualizations online, but anything published there is publicly accessible, so teachers and students should not use private or personally identifiable student data.
tag(s): charts and graphs (184), data (211), maps (223), polls and surveys (44)
In the Classroom
View the training videos together as a class before asking students to use Tableau. Have a few students become "experts" on this software and help others as needed. Create Tableaus for any projects requiring the gathering of data, such as research into individual countries, comparison of statistics across states, or compiling poll results. Be sure to check out Tableau's Gallery for many ideas on using the software.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Map Stack - Stamen
Grades
6 to 12
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Create highly stylized map images with this tool. This tool is very similar to the Photoshop layers palette and easily creates map layers using data already available in Open Street...more
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Create highly stylized map images with this tool. This tool is very similar to the Photoshop layers palette and easily creates map layers using data already available in Open Street Map. Create layers using backgrounds, roads, labels, and satellite imagery. Modify the layers' color, opacity, and brightness. Easily highlight or color portions of the map you want to standout. Share the image you create via Pinterest or Tumblr. Share your map image also by a link. Use precision detail with image overlays and layer effects, even creating masks for other layers. The tool can also be used to create a regular map in the colors you want. This site takes some tinkering to figure out but yields colorful and interesting maps.
In the Classroom
Use to focus on and compare resources found in various communities or geographic locations. Identify where natural resources are concentrated in the world. Compare street design in various communities, concentration of population, and more. Create artistic representations of various areas as a project. Include this tool for your tech savvy students to try as you study different types of maps. Challenge them to create a map that has traditional elements such as terrain, and also uses color and image tools to emphasize or communicate information about a location, such as toxic waste locations or musical "scenes." Art teachers can suggest this tool for students to create geo-based artworks or create images to use in Earth Day posters.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Zeemaps - Zee Source
Grades
4 to 12
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ZeeMaps is a browser-based tool for creating and sharing interactive maps without installing software. Add locations manually or import data from sources such as Excel, CSV, KML, and...more
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ZeeMaps is a browser-based tool for creating and sharing interactive maps without installing software. Add locations manually or import data from sources such as Excel, CSV, KML, and Google spreadsheets. Customize markers with descriptions, photos, video, audio, and your own icons, and highlight geographic regions to emphasize important areas. Viewer, member, and administrator access levels help control collaboration. Share maps through links or embed them on a website. ZeeMaps recommends registering with an email address and password to create maps. Its free trial supports up to five maps with unlimited manually added markers, but spreadsheet uploads are limited to 100 entries per map. Maps freeze after two weeks or 100 views, whichever comes first, unless covered by an active paid subscription.
tag(s): directions (9), map skills (68), maps (223), noregistration (74)
In the Classroom
If you teach geography, this one is a must. It is also helpful for showing students WHERE a story or news event takes place. Teach map skills by letting students explore and annotate their own community. This site is great on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Create multiple markers for various points within your community. Annotate the markers with specific information that students research. Remember to create an admin password (and save it somewhere safe!) for others to collaborate on the map. Research various places around the world, and create markers of must-see places, historical finds, and other locations of interest. Create a map of news hot spots around the world. In Biology, find places where environmental or biodiversity concerns are occurring. Collaborate on a map to include annotated information of student research about these problems. Create a map to introduce various cultures around the world. Enter video, audio, information, and links that students can use to "uncover" the content to be learned.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Map Treasure Hunt - Class Tools
Grades
5 to 12
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Create a virtual treasure hunt using the tools and maps on this resource. Follow simple directions to add clues to find any location on the globe. When finished, save to ...more
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Create a virtual treasure hunt using the tools and maps on this resource. Follow simple directions to add clues to find any location on the globe. When finished, save to receive a unique url for your treasure hunt. Players follow your clues to find coins at each location along the way. After finding a coin, clues provide information for the next stop. There is a small learning curve for following and creating treasure hunts. But once you figure out the first one, the activity becomes quite simple to understand. See a very short treasure hunt sample here.
tag(s): game based learning (333), map skills (68), maps (223)
In the Classroom
Add virtual treasure hunts to many classroom lessons. Share treasure hunts on your projector or interactive whiteboard, perhaps for students to do as a center. Create treasure hunts to announce field trips, locate areas of interest for social studies lessons, or point out locations in novels and other reading material. Have students create their own virtual treasure hunt for a favorite location, where they were born, or to begin a biography of a famous person or series of historic events such as the civil rights movement. In science class, have students create a treasure hunt of habitats or environmental disaster sites. Create student-made mapquests for math skill practice as students calculate distances, map scale, and trip costs using a treasure hunt.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Open Street Map - OpenStreetMap
Grades
6 to 12
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OpenStreetMap is a free, collaborative mapping project often described as the "Wikipedia of maps." Contributors around the world add and update information about roads, trails, buildings,...more
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OpenStreetMap is a free, collaborative mapping project often described as the "Wikipedia of maps." Contributors around the world add and update information about roads, trails, buildings, businesses, and other features, although accuracy and completeness vary by location. Users can copy, download, share, and adapt its open map data under the Open Database License, which requires credit to OpenStreetMap and its contributors and includes share-alike requirements for certain publicly distributed modifications.
tag(s): map skills (68), maps (223)
In the Classroom
Use any part of this map for your school projects. Share the maps on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Copy, download, or alter maps as needed. The license requires crediting OpenStreetMap. Build completely new maps around a specific theme or concept, such as walking, hiking, bicycling, routes for those with disabilities, among others. Create projects traveling through various areas around various themes such as places to eat, sleep, or play. Students create stories about stopping in these places to share with others. If you teach geography, this one's a must. It is also helpful for showing students WHERE a story or news event takes place. If you teach map skills or teach about how communities grow, be sure to share this map to show how maps can change when a new street or highway is built. If you have a new road in your area, show the difference between this map and older ones that can be found online. Challenge students to compare this map to others.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Tripline - Byron Dumbrill
Grades
4 to 12
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Tripline brings stories and journeys to life through interactive, animated maps. Add locations, arrange stops in the desired order, and use map playback to follow the route. Enhance...more
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Tripline brings stories and journeys to life through interactive, animated maps. Add locations, arrange stops in the desired order, and use map playback to follow the route. Enhance individual stops with descriptions and, with Pro access, uploaded photos. Connect literature and geography by mapping a character's journey, trace historical events, or document other location-based learning. Public maps can be shared through web links or embedded on websites, depending on account access and privacy settings. An account is required to create trips; the registration form includes full name, email address, username, home city, and password, with Facebook signup also available. Tripline offers a limited, ad-supported free Tourist tier for creating private trips, while features such as adding photos and collaborators require Pro access. Educators can request Pro access at no cost by registering with an official school email address and contacting Tripline support. Once approved, teachers can create trips and invite students with free accounts to edit them.
tag(s): maps (223)
In the Classroom
Suggested uses on the Tripline site are to use along with moments in history such as Paul Revere's ride and Lewis and Clark's expedition to demonstrate stops along their path. Other classroom uses would be for students to create a Tripline map of their summer vacation to use as an enhancement to a regular report, map out your favorite sports team's schedule, historic state sites, map out where characters in a novel travel around a city, state, country. and world using images to enhance the setting, and music. Registration does require an email address. Tip: rather than using your personal or work email, create a free Gmail account to use for memberships. If you plan to have students register individually, you may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up Gmail subaccounts to use for any online membership service.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mapalist - Blargh Labs
Grades
2 to 12
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Mapalist turns addresses stored in a Google Sheet into an interactive map. Create a Mapalist account, connect your Google account, and select the spreadsheet containing your locations....more
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Mapalist turns addresses stored in a Google Sheet into an interactive map. Create a Mapalist account, connect your Google account, and select the spreadsheet containing your locations. A guided setup helps you identify the address columns and choose the information displayed with each map marker. The tool automatically plots the locations and offers options for grouping markers, customizing icons, clustering nearby points, and creating heat maps. Keep maps private or make them public to share by link or embed in a website. Download options include KMZ files for use in Google Earth and GeoJSON files for other mapping applications. The free plan currently includes five maps, up to 500 pins per map, and 50 lifetime views per map; paid plans offer higher limits. Find FAQs, tutorials, and instructional videos through the Help links in the website's footer.
In the Classroom
Use a teacher-managed Mapalist account and a Google Sheet to create a class map. Google Forms is an optional way to collect locations: link the form responses to a Google Sheet, then use that spreadsheet as the source for your map. Share the form through your learning management system or class website. Include clearly labeled fields for the location name, street address, city, state or region, and country to help the tool place markers accurately. Plan projects within the free account's map, pin, and viewing limits. Invite students to map historical landmarks, memorable travel destinations, or places connected to a novel. Younger students can practice identifying directions, comparing distances, and describing relationships between locations. In civics, map public libraries, government offices, and community services. In health, identify parks, recreation centers, and farmers markets. For science, map public locations where students observe particular trees, insects, or other wildlife. Add descriptive information to the spreadsheet so each marker explains the location's significance. Use public places or teacher-provided sample addresses rather than students' home addresses, and review all entries before making a map public.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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ScribbleMaps - Scribble Maps
Grades
2 to 12
10 Favorites
0 Comments
Scribble Maps is a browser-based mapping tool that lets users create personalized maps with markers, text labels, lines, shapes, and images. Use it to highlight geographic features,...more
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Scribble Maps is a browser-based mapping tool that lets users create personalized maps with markers, text labels, lines, shapes, and images. Use it to highlight geographic features, trace journeys, identify important locations, or illustrate connections between places. Search for a starting location, choose an available map style, and customize your annotations using color and styling tools. You can begin without registering, although saving and feature limits apply. The free plan includes basic mapping tools and allows up to five lifetime saved maps; additional tools, privacy controls, and export options require a paid plan. Share completed maps through view-only links, or use separate edit links when collaborating. Maps can also be embedded in websites, and supported export options allow map data to be used in other applications, including Google Earth and Google My Maps. Free saved maps are public, so avoid including private student information. A Help Center provides tutorials and step-by-step instructions for creating, saving, and sharing maps.
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tag(s): directions (9), geology (60), landforms (38), landmarks (20), map skills (68), maps (223), space (250)
In the Classroom
Students and teachers will want to keep a written record or map URLS and passwords for future reference. Model this for students so they do not lose hours of work! Teachers can prepare partially-made maps or maps for students to make corrections and changes by giving the students the URL, then having them SAVE the map with a NEW ID. To SAVE the map with a new name and URL, click "Save map" in the menu, then enter your OWN map ID. Students could use a code including their initials, such as SJ12-3-09 for a map made by Sally Jones on Dec 3, 2009. Teachers should PASSWORD protect their originals so changes can only be saved under a new name. Similarly, if a student saves the map with a map password, they don't have to worry about other students vandalizing their work. But they DO need to remember the password! Wise teachers will keep a class list of maps and passwords for forgetful students! In primary grades, make maps of your local community together on your interactive whiteboard as you teach basic map skills. Create your own "key" with symbols you choose for playgrounds, etc. Have students help map locations of favorite playgrounds, grandparents' houses, stores, etc. as they gain basic understanding of map skills. Make sure you allow students to operate the tools! Save the map and share it as a link from your class web site (or embed it there). Keep names generic so it is "safe." Other ideas to challenge gifted student beyond the curriculum or elevate challenge for small groups include: natural resource maps, immigration maps, maps of civil war battles day by day, maps of key sites in the life of a famous person, artist, or author, maps of the settings in a novel, landform maps of a continent or state, "My life" maps of places important to an elementary student's family, annotated watershed maps of pollution sources, maps of the water cycle, maps of constellations in the night sky created by students to demonstrate understanding, maps of a dream community to be built in a vacant area (desert), including the water sources, etc. that will be needed, maps of a redesigned city/town on top of its current map. Teachers can provide map challenges or templates to be completed or corrected, including maps where students must label distances and cardinal directions between points (using map scale and skills). Or provide a teacher-created map with labels in the wrong places for students to correct the landforms, resources, etc. What will YOU do with Scribble Maps?Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Google Earth - Google
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Bring the world into your classroom with Google Earth. This interactive digital globe lets students explore satellite imagery, geographic locations, landforms, buildings, and other...more
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Bring the world into your classroom with Google Earth. This interactive digital globe lets students explore satellite imagery, geographic locations, landforms, buildings, and other features worldwide. Zoom, rotate, and tilt the globe to view landscapes and many cities in 3D, or use Street View to explore locations from a ground-level perspective. Students can search for places, measure distances and areas, and investigate geographic features. Teachers and students can also create Google Earth Projects by adding placemarks, photos, text, lines, shapes, and saved views. Teachers can organize projects into presentations that move viewers from one location to another, making Google Earth useful for virtual field trips, geographic storytelling, and interactive classroom projects.
tag(s): climate (99), earth (188), landforms (38), landmarks (20), news (223), oceans (142)
In the Classroom
Use tutorials from this site to learn more and to get a taste of what the program can do. Get started by exploring the different LAYERS available in the left side and searching a location you know. Locate and try the tools to drag, tilt, zoom, and even measure distance. Extensive user forums are available through the help menus.Placemarker files created by you "live" on the computer where you make or save them and are not shared on the web. Note that your computer will ask whether you wish to save your "temporary places" (any places you have marked during a session) each time you close Google Earth. If many students use that computer, you may find you have a disorganized mess of saved places. Be sure to direct students to either name their saved places logically and file them into folders or NOT to save them to My Places! Students and teachers can create placemarker (.kmz or .kml) files and share them as email attachments, files on a USB "stick," or any other means you would use to share a file, just like a Word document.
Another practical tip: if students are using Google Earth on several machines at the same time, you may put a heavy load on your school network. Plan accordingly, perhaps having groups alternate their Google Earth time if it becomes sluggish.
Use Google Earth to teach geography or simply give location context to class readings or current events, especially on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Ex. you can tilt to show the peaks scaled by Lewis and Clark or volcanoes that rise in the Aleutians. Have students show the locations of historic events or literary settings and create placemarkers with links to learn more. Placemarker text is editable by going to the placemarker's "properties" or "info," so students can enter the text description, place title, and any inks they want to include, such as a link to a certain passage of text, an image of a character, or news image/article for a current events map. Students who know html code can get even more sophisticated in what they include in placemarkers. Have students/groups create and play a "tour" of critical locations for global warming, a comparison of volcanoes, or a family history of immigration. Navigate the important locations in a work of literature using Google Lit Trips or search the web for placemarker files connected to civil war battles, natural resources, and more. Turn layers on and off to look at population centers and transportation systems. Teach the concept of scale/proportion using a tactile experience on an interactive whiteboard and the scale and measurement tools. See more ideas at the teacher-created Google Earth 101 wiki reviewed here. Even if you do not venture into creating your own placemarker files, there are many already made and available for use by teachers and students.
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Google Maps - Google
Grades
1 to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Google Maps is a free mapping tool for exploring places, planning trips, and understanding the relationships between locations. Search for an address, landmark, or business, then zoom...more
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Google Maps is a free mapping tool for exploring places, planning trips, and understanding the relationships between locations. Search for an address, landmark, or business, then zoom in and out or switch to Satellite view to explore imagery of the area. Where available, use Street View's yellow Pegman icon to explore panoramic views of streets and surroundings. These images are not live, and their age and coverage vary by location. Google Maps also helps users find nearby businesses, schools, parks, and other points of interest, get directions, and share locations or routes. A free Google account lets you save favorite places and organize them into lists. The service works in a web browser and is available as a free app for Android and iOS. On a computer, supported maps can be embedded in websites using the sharing menu. For creating custom maps with markers, layers, and imported location files, use the related Google My Maps tool.
tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (133), directions (9), maps (223)
In the Classroom
If you teach geography, this one's a must. It is also helpful for showing students WHERE a story or news event takes place. In lower grades, use it to show students the basics of their community. Teach map skills by showing students their own community. Zoom in on their street or on the school. This site and its more sophisticated cousin, Google Earth, are great on an interactive whiteboard. Set up a class Google account (or use student accounts if permitted). Have students create their own custom route plans to tour historic sites. Challenge math students to plan the most economical route to visit several vacation destinations, including gas mileage and gas prices. Have students create placemark files of the important places in the life of a famous person or the route traveled by a particular unit during the Civil War. Have student groups create placemarker files to show environmental sites, habitats, landforms, or anything you can place on a map. Embed projects in a class wiki using the handy embed code offered as a sharing option. Not comfortable with wikis? Check out TeachersFirst Wiki Walk-Through.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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