Put Learning on the Map

My wife, Anna, and I spent a few days of our honeymoon in London last summer.  On the long flight across the Atlantic I read a book called The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson.  The book is the true story of London's great cholera outbreak in the mid-1850's and the quest to find its source and resolution.

As Anna and I explored the streets of London, I recognized some of the neighborhoods referred to in the book.  It made the history I learned in the book come alive and feel more real. 

Although we cannot transport ourselves or our students everywhere we read about in our studies, we can explore those places virtually.  Anyone can create customized, annotated maps using Google Maps' My Maps.

For example, Mr. Daniel Miller at Jordan High School created a My Map for his students documenting the London sites of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations.  Check it out below (click on the blue placeholders for details and zoom in and out)!



View Great Expectations - Settings in a larger map

How can Google's My Maps be used in your classroom?