Batch Geo- Mapping Made Easy! Part 1 and 2

I loved this assignment.  It was short, simple and oh so cool!  I have often wondered how they got those little balloons on maps to mark, "you are here," and now I know!

The first part of the assignment was to go to Batch Geo in order to input my information into a spreadsheet which would then be used to create a map detailing where our individual class members reside.  Part 2 was to go back the next day and produce the actual map with the information from the spreadsheet.

I found this application to be very user friendly and fun too.  Even my fifteen year old son said, "Pretty cool, show me how to do it." For some reason the right click copy and paste didn't work for me, as Dr. Pierce had indicated it might not.  So, I had to use the keyboard commands to copy and paste from the spreadsheet to the website window, but that was no big deal at all.

I could find a hundred and one uses for this in the classroom.  The first thing that popped into my mind was history.  I'd have students mark the actual places on a map where certain events took place and include a date and some pertinent detail in the descriptors.  They could also map out colleges that offer the program they are looking for or the colleges they are already considering.  They could map their families or ancestry.  The possibilities are numerous, and I think they will have fun researching and creating the assignment.

The NETS I see here are:
 1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Teachers:

a.	promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.
b.	engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.

2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers:

a.	design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.
b.	develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress.
c.	customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.
d.	provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.

3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers:

a.	demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.
d.	model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning.

4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility

Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. Teachers:

b.	address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources.
c.	promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information.