Tell a Digital Story using Google My Maps!

Why use digital maps?

“Ten years ago, Apple put a map in our pocket. Fast forward to now and

almost everyone has a digital map in their pocket. Pilots now fly with iPads, ship captains now navigate with GPS and digital maps. Truck drivers now drive via digital maps and GPS location. So basically every professional that needs to use maps is using digital maps. I’m not saying we need to stop teaching how to read a paper map…but really…that should be a small percentage of the mapping work a student does.”
-Jeff Utecht

Being a digital map reader is a necessary skill for most of us - it allows us to explore and discover the world in multi-media. Becoming a digital map creator makes for endless possibilities - build a marker and add text, photos, video, show a route, show what you know, make connections, or ask questions!

Below is an excellent example using Google My Maps (newly introduced by Google this year) to tell a compelling digital story about the UnderGround Railroad here in Concord/Carlisle. Click a number to see more information about the Underground Railroad stop. Don't miss the short videos, featuring some retired CPS teachers playing famous people of the time!

(This project was developed by the Thoreau School 2nd Grade Teaching Team in collaboration with Sue Howard, Thoreau ITS, and retired CPS teachers!)

When educators think of digital maps, we immediately think of their uses in Social Studies and Geography classes. But, digital Storytelling with maps lends itself to a lot of potential uses across the curriculum. Digital maps could be used to follow physical locations for characters in a book (Adventures of Huckleberry Finn), explain geological features (Science), or showcase a country students are studying (World Language).

Interested in learning more about this easy to use tool?

Join the CCHS Tech Leaders on Thursday, September 28th from 7:30-7:45 in Room 247 in the Learning Commons. Esther Winkler-Au will share her use of Google My Maps with her World Cultures class, and her thoughts about how that helped the students' learning!

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