I’ve been a fan of Google Maps for some years now. Despite being spatially and geographically challenged, it has helped me get to where I’m going on many occasions. Only (very, very) recently I discovered the magic of Google Maps Engine Lite and the huge potential it has to be used in the classroom across so many curriculum areas. It’s free and easy to use. Log into your Google account, go to Google Maps, from the search bar select ‘My custom maps’ and get started with a new map and a new layer.

A simple example for using Google Maps Engine Lite is getting students to map locations used in a book or around a particular historic event. You can add complexity by getting students to add additional information such as:

• pictures
• information about the location
• links to other websites

You can also get students to collaborate on a map using the ‘Share’ feature.

Here is a link to a simple map I created using significant childhood locations:

https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zLzLktDloYdw.k1jh5MaDkhFE

I added a little bit of information and a link to a photo with most of the pinned locations on the map.

Below as a great tutorial on using Google Maps Engine Lite to make data come alive in the classroom from Contour Education. It’s a great idea and, once again, one that can be used with lots of different topic areas.