Mr. Cotter's 7th grade classes have been researching country information for each unit this year and are sharing what they found on a collaborative online map. The students research some basic facts such as imports and exports, find an important historical site and explain its significance, document and share a cultural experience from their country, and analyze one current event from that country. By the end of the year, Mr. Cotter hopes to have all countries from South America, Africa, and most of Asia represented.
In this case, the use of technology improved on traditional map activities in a number of ways. First, students were able to share multimedia content related to their assigned countries that helped to bring that country to life. Second, students created a collaborative map that capitalized on students' individual work to bring an entire region to life. Lastly, as a cloud-based resource, classes' finished maps were then available to use throughout the year as the foundation for discussion.
