Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Tell a Story with Maps

Posted by Atsumori. Category:

I'm exploring Google Maps and Google Earth as part of Google's online certificate course.  The experience is definitely propelling me into 21st century learning with strength.  It is the first online course I've taken that has been organized well for my busy teacher life.  The course is short (two weeks), targeted, personable, and connected to current inquiry: a fourth grade maps/regions project.

Today as I explored Google Maps Lite, I was able to make a Family Fun Map of my community.  Google instructors emphasize that you should tell a story when making the map.  Since storytelling is a main emphasis of the fourth grade program, I immediately began to see connections. I was also struck once again by the fact that 21st century storytelling takes many more paths than the old fashion essay on white lined paper.

How will my students use this tool to explore their community, United States regions, and the world?

How will I teach this tool next fall as students begin using maps with greater strength to explore their world?

I'll begin the year by making a map with the students. That map will include the places where we live as well as our favorite local places to play and learn.  That will be a good way to get to know one another while making a useful resource for the entire class. Later, we'll explore U.S. regions and our cultural histories using these tools.

Google is changing the way we communicate and think about our world in significant ways.  Their description of learners as "explorers" brings creativity, adventure, and enthusiasm to this task.

Similar to when I made my first iMovie, Google presentation, Animoto, screencast or any other digital project, there's a lot of trial and error going on. I watch a little video, try it out, watch some more, try again, rewind, revise, review, reflect and repeat.  Learning today is an amazing new adventure.

If you're embarking on this mapping journey, let me know.  What have you learned so far?  How do you plan to use this learning with your students?




0 comments:

Post a Comment

◄ Posting Baru Posting Lama ►
 

Followers

Web Analytics