Map of the day: My Maps for teaching Physics and Literature

Posted by Sowmya Subramanian, Engineering Manager, Google Maps

In my time spent combing through all of the amazing customized maps created by our users, I've been pleased to find many maps that illustrate the usefulness of My Maps in a classroom setting. For example, I recently found two great ones that illustrate how tools in the My Maps tab can be used by teachers in two very different subjects: Physics and Literature.

For one, check out this cool map created by a Physics teacher who has been teaching his 9th grade students about speed, velocity and displacement. In an effort to make the class more interesting, he had his students pair up and use map-making tools in the My Maps tab to plot out different bus routes in the area. Each route was labeled with the average time needed for a bus to make a complete loop and the average speed of the bus. Pretty cool, huh? You can read more about it on his blog .

And then there's an English teacher who got his students (and me!) hooked on a reading assignment by mapping out a novel's plot points. In the book Whirligig by Paul Fleischman, main character Brent travels to the four corners of the U.S. on a Greyhound bus. Tom used My Maps to plot out the character's entire route, highlighting key placemarks and engaging students along the way. And be sure to read more about the assignment on his blog.

Teachers, what are you waiting for? On your marks... get set... map!