Here are a few basics I love to see in student maps:
- Photos that go beyond Google street view: Click on a marker in this map of Baltimore City’s murals, and you won’t just see the Google street view. Instead, you’ll see the reporter’s photo of a mural along with the artist and year it was painted.
- Original videos that tell a story: In this map of the 2008 Parkersburg Tornado, click on the football markers. Each video tells us of the impact the tornado had on the town’s football team.
- Data that is complete and contributes to the story: Check out two maps just created by my students. Jennie Byrne mapped Maryland lawmakers and their opinions on the recent gay marriage bill. For a story on childhood hunger, Chris Paul mapped Baltimore county school participation in free and reduced meal programs. Both use custom-colored markers to convey data information. Way to go guys!
Beyond the basics
Sick of slideshows? Already did a map? Here are a few multimedia ideas you may not have thought of:
- Create a document gallery: In its guide to using California’s public records, the LA Times has created a document gallery to give readers access to original government documents. They can even upload their own.
- Capture a time-lapse video of a Wikipedia web page: Here’s how Mark Luckie of the Washington Post did it to capture social media response to the Sendei earthquake and tsunami.
- Create a map quiz or Twitter-based map: This post at 10,000 Words explains how to use the free program UMapper to create playful online maps.
- Design a chronology or a timeline: Useful for illustrating a complicated series of events or a span of time.