In the pICTure

Maths Maps . . . but across the curriculum? December 22, 2009

by Harold Laudeus (http://www.flickr.com/photos/haerold/2497632037/)

I’m lucky to work in a school that’s a member of a wider partnership, a sisterhood, a community.  If there’s an issue I’m struggling with and no-one here who is in a position to help, I know I’ve colleagues in that wider network to whom I can turn.  Other colleagues here in school however, don’t recognise that they could do that too and bemoan the fact that they feel isolated . . . but then they haven’t

• had the chance to meet other colleagues from our community in the same way I have
• yet begun to establish a PLN to which they can turn.

When @tombarrett produced his first Maths Map (do check it out; Tom explains the principle so well) ) and invited his PLN to contribute, I wondered whether this might be a way to open links between colleagues in our partnership?  I began to envisage a project where I’d take interested colleagues here through the principles of setting up a Google Map along the same lines as Tom’s Maths Maps, but from any curriculum area.  Once they’ve initiated their map, they would then contact colleagues in sister schools and invite them to join (we have a global address list which should make that easy).

Now I know that some colleagues may struggle to see how they can get started i.e. they just can’t spot a topic that they can ‘ground’ (pardon pun!) in a map.  I had no problems in the area with which I’m most familiar and was able to initiate this Physics map on the topic of Energy Resources:

. . . but what about other topics in other curriculum areas?  Can anyone help?  What topic from your curriculum area could use a Google Map to provoke, stimulate or open a discussion and provide a backdrop for a Maths Map-like exercise?  If you have an idea and can spare a moment, could you pop it into this form and we’ll see where it goes.  (Will post a follow-up and feedback on how the project went, together links to any maps we create)

Update:

Thanks to @bevevans22 for a couple of great ideas:

Inspiration from @bevevans22

Castles & Digital storytelling