Creating custom maps using Google Maps

Accessing images from all around the world was impossible some years ago. We are talking about huge amounts of information in terms of photos taken by satellites or produced by geographers and earth scientists. Such information wasn't available to everyone in a practical way.

We will require students to create an online map in Module 2-A world of music, to illustrate the geographical history of some instruments from around the world. Some of these instruments, such as the ukulele, travelled thousands of kilometers—was taken by the Portuguese sailors to Hawaii!

Google Maps (http://maps.google.com) is one of several online map services available that does not just allow us to search and navigate in this sea of geographical information, but also makes available various tools that make these maps more interesting for teaching and learning. These tools are placemarks, lines and areas; these are the digital equivalents of the elements we would use in real...