Bring Math Lessons to the Street using Maths Maps

Do you follow Tom Barrett (@tombarrett) or his projects? If not, you should.

Tom shares some great ideas and gets a lot of people collaborating online to create rich resources of ideas for using technology for learning. If you have not seen his Interesting Ways project, check them out. You'll be amazed and inspired to try new things with students using tech tools.

A couple of years ago, Tom created a project for integrating Google Maps into math curriculum. He calls it Maths Maps. The Maths Maps project is collaborative, similar to the Interesting Ways project and has led to interactive activities using rich visual materials from real world locations for learning and applying math skills.

Maths Maps via http://edte.c

Contributing to the project is easy. Just follow these guidelines from Tom's Maths Maps page on his blog site:

1. "Explore the maps below for the ideas already added, follow the links to open them in a new window.
2. Send me details of which map you want to edit and your Google email address and I will add you as an editor, follow the link from the email invite.
3. Click on EDIT in the left panel.
4. Zoom close to the city and it’s surroundings. (Don’t forget Streetview)
5. Find some TOPIC ideas you can see.
6. Add a placemark (use the right colour for the age group it is best for – see purple pin)
7. Explain the activity in the description.
8. Change the title to show how many ideas there are.
9. Send out a Tweet or write a blog post to highlight this resource and encourage others to contribute."

Visit Tom's Maths Maps page to access examples and learn more about using Maths Maps and contributing to the project.