Tom Barrett 'interesting ways' series

1. 15 Interesting
Ways* to use
Google Maps in the
Classroom
*and tips
Google Maps Icon
Buttons by bluman
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution
Noncommercial Share Alike 3.0 License.

2. #1 - Place Pages
Each location in your search
results in Maps has a unique
webpage.
This is useful as a simple single
page summary of information for
children. They can use it during
their own research on a place or Whitby Abbey
landmark.
With the placemark open look • Places are now available in the
for the "More Info" link. Google Maps mobile version
4.4.
The page includes relevant • Each of the pages are editable
information, images, mini map, too if the info is not correct
videos etc

3. #2 - MOLE
Use & add to MOLE (Map of Outdoor Learning Opportunities).
Add visitors into school, trips and other outdoor experiences.
Use the map to discover new places to deepen learning
experiences for your class.
Visit mole here.
Find out how more here.
@primarypete_

4. #3 - Get to Know Your
Neighbourhood
Use Google Maps to locate
your school. Zoom in to Street
View and let students take a
virtual tour to their homes.
Mark them with map pins.
Measure distance
traveled using the labs
measurement feature.
Michael Fawcett
@teachernz

5. #4 - Distance Measurement Tool
Use the Distance Measurement Tool and the varied units of
measurement to compare lengths on your school grounds.
Smoots Away!

6. #5 - Story Maps
Use the map as inspiration to
create a story.
Provide the children with a location
that frames your narrative. Think
about somewhere that would
provide a rich visual stimulus from
the available imagery.
Add a starter placemark that the
children begin from or ask them to
craft their own.
Encourage children to use the different layers of
information to help guide their narrative
Often useful to work together as a • Earth layer
• Streetview
class to start with. • Wikipedia
• Panoramio images

7. #6 - Path Profile Tool
Use the Path Profile Tool to see the shape of land on school trips.
Smoots Away!
Then untick roads
if you want to use
paths
Then mark your map by clicking the route -
use backspace to re-set a point
Then click popup!

8. #7 Home and Houses
When looking at
different types of
houses and homes
e.g. Tudors/Victorian,
why not add them to a
map. The children can
then click on a point
and look at the house
through Streetview.
Add to this map: http://bit.ly/housesandhomes
@ianaddison

9. #8 Castles and the Seaside
If you're looking at a
particular feature that isn't
just in your local area,
why not create a map?
Ask others to add to it so
you can build up a
resource. Some
examples are Castles
around the world and one
with beaches/ seasides.
Children can zoom in or
Streetview to see the
local area.
Add to these maps: http://bit.ly/castlemap or http://bit.ly/giraffemap
@ianaddison

10. #9 Ou est la boulangerie?
Why not write a set of
instructions for children to
follow and see if they can
get to the right place? It
could be done in maths
when learning directions or
in language lessons. Where
do they end up?
Children could then write
their own instructions for
someone else to follow.

11. #10 Habitats Map
Create a map of the different
habitats in your area.
Children could add pictures of
the creatures they find in
each one.

12. #11 Add images and locations for
student holidays and school camps and
excursions
When students return from trips
they can upload their photos,
showing the location where they
were taken.
Based on land-
forms and land-
marks other
students may be
able to guess
where they visited.

13. #12 Students write the directions that
they travel to school for other students
to follow as procedural text.
Use Google maps to
assist students to
visualise and record the
directions they travel on
the school bus route, or
car travel to school.
Another student follows
their directions to see if
they end up at the same
location!

14. #13 - Research
We’ve just started using Google
Maps as a way of beginning our
topic about India.
Children have been finding out
about geographical features such
as rivers and main cities or
landmarks and adding a
placemark to post images and
information to share with their ~ Steph Ladbrooke
classmates.
@sellyeve
The map has been embedded in
our Learning Platform.

15. #14 - As The Crow Flies
You can use the map measurement tool on Google maps to
practice area and perimeter. Select places in your town to
measure and compare. Work in decimals or practice rounding
skills as you work with the measurements.
Compare "how the crow flies" distances between two towns to
actual road travel distance.
If you are using "bar models" in math lessons, drawing direct
lines between towns offers a wonderful visual bar model
example for calculating how many more or less miles.
I haven't tried, but can you measure around the planet?
@c_arnett

16. #15 - Postcrossing
Whitehouse Common Primary have used a GoogleMap to
keep track of their Postcrossing project, marking postcards that
we've received in pink and sent in blue, changing to green
when they arrive. A great online record of the project to go with
the display of postcards in the entrance to school.
Lisa Stevens @lisibo @wcprimary

17. If you would like to:
• Contribute your ideas and tips to the presentation.
• Let me know how you have used the resource.
• Get in touch.
You can email me or I am @tombarrett on Twitter
If you add a tip (or even if
you don't) please tweet about
it and the link so more people
can contribute.
I have created a page for all
of the Interesting Ways Image: ‘Sharing‘
presentations on my blog. Thanks for helping
Tom Barrett
The whole family in one
place :-) Have you seen The Curriculum
Catalyst yet?