Google Maps

     For my Google Maps field trip I chose to take my students around the state looking at various sites that are on the National Historic Landmark list.  Taking the travel into effect I noted in my document that the sites would visited on different days, two sites are half day trips and are on the same day.  Getting ready to teach Geography I found this project very enjoyable and user friendly as I worked thru my map.  Once the map was created it was very simple to search for a site and then just click add to get it on my map. 
     The applications for this in a classroom seem endless when it comes to students creating maps or noting where events occurred.  After teaching U.S. History to 1900 the past few years this would have come in very handy when it came time to look at location of battles for the Civil War or Revolutionary War.  I look forward to using this in my classroom.

West Virginia National Historic Landmark Field Trip

West Virginia National Historic Landmark Field Trip Document


ISTE NETS*S Standards covered

1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
      A. Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness
      B. Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources
     
2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
      A. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity
      C. Customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources
      D. Provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform and  learning and teaching.

The above standards were highlighted I feel because we are taking an activity that is a boring tasks to students and by applying technology to it we are allowing them to place the knowledge from a piece of paper to the real world.  Google Maps allows the students to see the geospatial space fill up and exactly where stuff falls.  Teaching history maps are used as assessment tools and this allows us to diversify how we assess student knowledge of the world around them.