Google My Maps meets Blackboard

Posted on May 5, 2009 by Kimberley Johnston

Since its birth in 2005 Google Maps has become fairly commonplace in day-to-day life. Google Maps is a web mapping application – in short an online global atlas and street map.

But did you know in 2007 Google launched My Maps? My Maps allows you to add to a Google map – you can mark locations, draw routes between locations or highlight areas on your map.

How to create a ‘My Map’ in Google Maps:

1. Navigate to the Google Maps website – you will need to sign in to create a ‘My Map’, but registration is free and easy.
2. Clicking on the link My Maps will load maps you have already created and allow you to create a new map.
   

   Showing the location of the 'My Maps' link.

3. Click ‘Create new map’ to start the process. 
   

   Showing location of 'Create New Map' link

4. Now you can create a new map. Start by giving your map a title and description. Choose whether you want your map available publicly or not.
5. While you are creating your map you will have editing tools available to you. These are displayed in the top left-hand corner of the map.
   • Hand tool: Allows you to drag the map around. Double clicking on the map will zoom in.
   • Place mark tool: Allows you to place land marks on you map, you can also add comments to your landmarks and change the icon displaying.
   • Draw tool: Allows you to draw lines; lines along roads; and polygons. When you are drawing a line Google will also tell you how long it is. 
     

     Showing location of the editing tools and comments box for a place mark.

6. Once you have finished editing your map, make sure you save it and click done. You can always go and re-edit your map by clicking on ‘Edit’ at a later date.
7. If you want to embed your map into a web page or Blackboard page, click ‘Link’ and copy the line of code given. Similarly you can copy the link to your map and email it. 
   

   Showing location of the 'Link' button

How to embed Google Maps into Blackboard:

1. Create a new item in Blackboard.
2. In the text box make sure you turn HTML on, then paste in the code from step 7 above. 
   

   Showing where to turn the HTML on in a Blackboard text editing box

   

   Showing the code to use when inserting into a Blackboard item

    

   

   Showing what the embedded (pasted) code looks like in a Blackboard item

3. Finish off your item as normal – now you can show students how to get from their lectures to labs, or perhaps depict field experiment locations. 
   

   Showing the map in Blackboard

This entry was posted in blackboard and tagged blackboard, maps by Kimberley Johnston. Bookmark the permalink.