Ideas to Go: maps

This post from illustrator Christoph Niemann caught my eye: Abstract City.  I sent him an email asking him how he generated his maps and he replied in less than 5 minutes.  I love that!  He used Adobe Illustrator.  It got me thinking about the many ways students could use Google Maps  or draw their own in original, playful ways.

There are many traditional ways to use maps in their original state.  I have posted about ways to use maps in different subject area classes before and of course there's Google Lit Trips and Google Earth for Educators: 50 exciting ideas for the classroom.

Shambles has a page of links to Google Earth and Google Maps activities.
Vincent Sherpinsky has produced a How-To  Slideshare which serves as a good introduction.

Now, about those more inventive ways.  Niemann's maps should give you some ideas.  Here are a few more:

• How would you express a metaphor or create a pun using a map?
• Take a map to art class.  What shapes can students see within the map?  A la my feeble attempt above in which I saw a heron.
• In Science, plot the digestive process, a life cycle or chemical reaction using a map.
• In Math, draw out equations or formulas.

I know there are some wonderfully creative people who read this blog.  How would you use maps in original ways across the curriculum?

Image used under a CC licence by Manitoba Historical Maps

http://www.flickr.com/photos/manitobamaps/2089812938/sizes/l/#cc_license