I had a fun time using Google MyMaps to create a map of my dream vacation, which I was finally able to take about two years ago. This map shows our adventure as we traveled around Mexico City, and across Mexico to the Yucatán Peninsula.
I like how MyMaps allows you to zoom in and out, seeing the whole scope of our journey as well as the individual places we visited within a neighborhood. I liked being able to differentiate walking, driving, and flying paths as we used all three modes of transportation frequently.
The only hesitation I have is the inability to upload and use your own photos. I had to be coached through a publishing process to add the photo of myself, and I would have used many more of my personal photos if this ability were integrated into the program. However, I appreciate how the program only allows the use of photos in the public domain. This eliminates a lot of stress and hassle for students and their teachers!
I would be interested to use this in teaching my two social studies courses this year. Students could use this tool to attach historical or current information about a specific country or city, add relevant news photos or videos about current events in those places, or draw lines between places to highlight specific connections.
Yes, I really liked your own photo! It’s too bad you couldn’t upload more of your own. I found the trouble with Haiku Deck was that you could upload your own photos, but most of the quality was lost in the process. It seems the program wants you to use it and it exclusively.
I can definitely see how you would use MyMaps in a Social Studies class! Geography plays such a major role, and there’s so much movement and so many exchanges between regions that this program would allow a student to keep track of it all more easily. In particular, a student could keep track of military movement during war times. Even though Google Maps would be using today’s borderlines, it would still help students place historical events in a modern-day context.
Looks like a fun vacation!
Not sure why Google makes it so hard to add your own photos. I suspect they are trying to leverage all their location data and use it for promoting businesses that have content on Google.
I can’t believe I still have never been to Mexico. One of these days. …