Map:Google Maps

Summary

            Whether you are planning a real field trip or an imaginary one, Google Maps can help. I once, very recently actually, thought that Google Maps was for finding a single location or directions from one place to another. However, I have learned that Google Maps can be used in quite a different and spectacular way; individuals can create their own Google Maps with unique legend icons, lines, shapes, and descriptions. These maps can be titled, described, edited, and published to the web. They can be saved to be either public or unlisted (a link is needed to be able to access the map’s webpage). Creating a Google Map can be approached in two ways 1) a specific place can be searched for and a temporary placemark will appear in the location you are looking for or 2) you can zoom into the map and search within an area for places of interest. I can't imagine someone not learning something from the map during the process!

What I Did & What I Learned

            I created a cross country field trip itinerary based on a trip (Discovery) conducted by my previous school. In the past, the teachers and students involved in such extended trips would collaborate to create web pages dedicated to sharing their experiences and learning with others. However, in the past couple of years, students have been put in charge of recording this information during their travels on a Facebook page. Doing so has allowed them to easily upload photos and share short essays collectively. It has also allowed peers, teachers, administrators, and families to send comments from home. In the future, the students could use Google Maps to create a summary of their trip as an artifact of their learning.

          In order to create my Google Map, I explored the student’s most recent Discovery page to learn about their trip across country to Alaska and back. I took what I learned about their trip and created a map illustrating their travels and experiences. Doing so inspired me to think of similar, local experiences I could lead for my future students.

Check out my map in view my map in Google maps.

Access my Google Drive document detailing the field trip's theme and the school's mission.

To read more about the mission and objectives of Discovery as well as to learn more about recent trips, check out the Discovery Archives Page.

Check out Discovery 2011's Facebook Page.

Learn more about the school by checking out its website.

Other Things to Be Illustrated Using This Tool

·         Underwater scuba dive

·         “The Way” or “El Camino” to Santiago de Compostella

·         City tour

·         Museum tour

·         College tour

·         The Oregon Trial

·         Places where Laura Ingles Wilder lived (discussed in her series of books)

·         Places in the community (study of relative and absolute location)

·         Tour de France

·         Civil war battles

·         Civil historical sites

·         Where George Washington has traveled

·         Route 66

·         Order of State Adoption

Standards Reflection

Using Google maps coincides with the ISTE-NETS-T’s Standard 1, “b and c.”           

        There is no better way to have students explore real-world issues than to take a look into their local, national, and global communities. Doing so by traveling outside of the classroom is best. If students in a class use Google Maps to create a record of their travels, they are required to reflect upon their experiences and learning through collaborative means using a tool meant to demonstrate understanding of geographical concepts, planning, and creative thought. But so often, traveling is simply not possible. But, traveling with the click of a mouse in Google maps still allows the teacher to guide students to solve authentic problems regarding any geographical topic.