MyMaps

As I read other people's postings I find myself in a perpetual state of thankfulness. Today's big thank you goes to Josh Catone on Read/Write WEb who posted about Google's MyMaps. His thoughtful post gives a very clear description of how to use MyMaps and I immediately thought of several projects at school that would be a perfect fit. I increasingly see the potential of Web 2.0 apps for helping less able students to express themselves in exciting ways. Some of these might include:
* Mapping the setting of a novel (real or imagined) and illustrating it with images from the Creative Commons.
* Planning outdoor education trips - the kids could suggest activities and promote their ideas with images.
* Create a treasure hunt associated with a novel, theme or historical concept. (For example: explain why each marked location is significant/ if x had gone to point A instead of point B how would that have impacted them?/explain how the three marked points on the map have a connection etc.)
* Present a walking tour of any significant location complete with images and annotations.

I like the fact that students can choose to make their map creations public or private. Can't wait to show this to my staff next month. Thanks Josh!