BatchGeo: Map Any Data!

Over the last couple of days the assignment for my tech class has been to create a map using BatchGeo to post data recorded in a spreadsheet in Google Docs to be used for plotting the location of students' homes or email on the map. How cool is that?

What I Did

First, my professor shared the excel spreadsheet with the members of the class who were able to edit/update the sheet all at the same time and automatically save the changes. I found this step tricky because it took cooperation from all the students and there were changes that had been made that should not have been, like in my address. I also had to add the headings because I couldn't get BatchGeo to map out my data without them.

 

The next thing that I did was copy and paste the data into BatchGeo. After clicking "Map It" the completed map appeared.

 

 

 View Technology Class Map in a full screen map

 I clicked on "Save" and filled in the requested information, including email to be able to edit the map later or share it using the map URL or embedding code, which is what I used above. I had trouble receiving the email from BatchGeo with the address, so don't forget to check your Spam folder, folks!

I was able to complete this successfully, but I did have to play with it a while especially the copying and pasting into BatchGeo. Some of the points plotted will have to be updated because of the incorrect addresses that may be fixed later.

 

What I Learned/Application

I never knew how Google Maps worked, but now I do. This was my favorite activity so far. I LOVE maps and I love to see spatial relationships between things; it helps me learn information better by improving my memory with visual association. It is a well known fact that Americans do not know their geography as well as many other countries do. This is a fabulous tool to get students involved in technology online as well as learning a little geography no matter what class; there's that fabulous cross-curricular learning again! Students can share a little about themselves.

 

Not only may this be used for plotting actual locations of students, but also for educational use. For example, it could be used for plotting the location of the homes of various famous artists to get an idea of where they were from. It could also be used for plotting the location of pieces of art students might be interested in seeing in person one day. Oh! Plan a field trip to DC with an art class and plot all the pieces that are must-sees!!! Endless options!

 

This activity among other technological skills, like Diigo or Jing, make me a 21st century educator because the 21st century is about the distance between people shrinking socially. What we know, how we learn it, and how quickly we learn it has all changed. These activities take advantage of the social networking with people coming together in a virtual world to complete a task without meeting face-to-face. Of course in-person interaction is important in the classroom, but now the whole classroom experience can be enriched with both online and in-classroom information sharing. With so much creative inspiration online and coming from classmates, technological literacy is key to being a 21st century ART educator.