In the pICTure

Edtechcc Assignment 6: Mapping it out March 4, 2012

Our next assignment (unfortunately missed the last one – the previous post might explain why) is:

Use Google Maps to create your own custom map that includes photographs of places.

So I thought I might take the opportunity to add a little background about where I’ve been hiding:

Perhaps one of my most memorable bike rides … so far!

What have I learned?

As I was already familiar with creating Google maps and adding supplementary information, there wasn’t much new ground turned here. However, what the task did remind me was that despite how easy (relatively speaking) it is to get information onto a map in this way, a mechanism for automating the system still appears to remain elusive. So for example whilst it’s possible on GPS enabled phones to geo-tag images (or sounds using Audioboo for example), getting them all onto a map under a single theme seems to be still awaiting an app. I wonder why this is? John seems to have been beavering away at various solutions, but it clearly isn’t as straightforward as it might first appear. In my naive little mind, the workflow ought to be something like:

1. Create a blank Googlemap as a placeholder.
2. Go on the field trip or walk.
3. Take photos, record Audioboos or videos.
4. Upload them to the named Googlemap, having the map grow (perhaps for viewers elsewhere) in real time.

How hard can it be?!