Maps

Maps guide us to find our way in the world, but they do not all show the world the same way. It is impossible to represent the globe on flat paper without distorting some aspect of area, direction, distance, shape or scale. Using a variety of maps helps students gain an insight into how different representations of the world can affect their view of it. One of the most commonly used representations is based on the maps drawn by Gerardus Mercator, a 16th-century Flemish cartographer. While Mercator's maps accurately represent the shapes of countries and are useful for navigation because they show compass bearings as straight lines, they distort the size of the land. Countries further away from the equator appear much larger than they are in relation to those closer to the equator. Antarctica may be left off a map, so the equator may end up two-thirds down the map, with the northern hemisphere dominating. Arno Peters, a German historian, created an equal area map in 1974 to present a fairer view of the world while representing the size of countries accurately; it stretches land east-west near the poles and in a north-south direction near the equator. Azimuthal projections show distances and directions accurately from a selected central point, but distort shapes and sizes elsewhere. The framing (what is on the edge of map) and orientation (north or south towards the top) of a map also challenge our thinking. Political maps can also be problematic, with nearly 80 contested borders around the world. Some map activities: View a variety of maps and discuss how each represents the world and how it influences the perception of places in the world. Draw a rough map of the world to compare knowledge and perceptions. Compare information about places around the world as it is collected on a map eg. http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-freshwater-resources.htm Draw a map of your own area or a journey to school and compare it with others maps. Lower primary students can be asked to include some amazing details. Secondary students can discuss the importance of maps in development work, using their knowledge of their local area to appreciate where to place wells in a village, or how communities recovering from the tsunami need new maps in a dramatically altered environment before houses and roads can be rebuilt. Include maps in playground areas e.g. map-painting project at http://www.dpo.uab.edu/~raangus/gbrpcv/gbrpcv.htm Resources Mapping our World: an innovative approach to map work for ages 9-13 (Oxfam 2000) A collection of activities and maps that introduces students to the influence of projection on their perceptions. Available from the Global Education Centre in Adelaide Phone: (08) 8221 6744, Fax: (08) 8221 6755 email: gecsa@global-education.asn.au

ClustrMaps Hit Counter Map URL:  http://clustrmaps.com/ Clustr Maps provide a free thumbnail hit counter map showing locations of all visitors to a website. Used on a school or collaborative project website, this tool could spark student interest in world geography and global issues. Discover Information Geographically (DIG) URL:  http://www.environment.gov.au/metadataexplorer/explorer.jsp Discover Information Geographically (DIG) is a tool for searching for information about places by geographic extent, content type, content theme or searchword, or browse through all of the available metadata documents. Earth: A Graphic Look at the State of the World URL:  http://www.theglobaleducationproject.org/ The Global Education Project has an online and printed poster of charts and maps summarising the conditions of the world's ecology and humanity and how they affect each other. Topics covered include global ecology, fresh water, human conditions, energy supply, food production, pollution and toxics, warfare and ecology, and wealth. Explore Your Earth URL:  http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonplans/exploreyourearth/ Lesson plans using Google Earth to examine climate change and Earth Day Commitment are provided on the Explore Your Earth site, an education program that features interactive, US standards-based lessons that build skills in geography, science, research, and language arts. Google Earth URL:  http://www.google.com/earth/index.html Google Earth is a 3D interface to the planet that combines satellite imagery, maps, and search to enhance access to geographic information. High-resolution imagery which reveals detail for individual buildings is available for major cities in the US, Western Europe, Canada, and the UK. The images in Google Earth are photographs taken by satellites and aircraft sometime in the last three years, and are updated on a rolling basis. Free for personal use. Requires download and 3D graphics card. Instructions on How to Do a Map Painting Project URL:  http://homepage.uab.edu/raangus/gbrpcv/Map%20Painting%20How%20To.pdf The site contains instructions on how to do a map painting project. The World Map Project (WMP) provides selected schools with a wall-sized world map in a highly visible location to encourage students to think beyond their classroom walls and expand their geographic knowledge. Maps That Teach URL:  http://www.yourchildlearns.com/geography.htm Using printable and online maps, students learn about continents, countries, capital cities and major cultural landmarks. News Map URL:  http://www.muti.co.za/ This global map mashup allows users to select a continent or location, and click to get the links to current news headlines for that continent, country or major city. Worldmapper URL:  http://www.sasi.group.shef.ac.uk/worldmapper/ Worldmapper is a collection of world maps, where territories are re-sized on each map according to the subject of interest. Subjects include: Land Area, Total Population, Total Births, Births Attended, Total Children, Total Elderly and historical and future population.