Building skills with MapMaker
By now, I hope you’ve heard about National Geographic MapMaker, the new app and data perfect for bringing maps to your K-12 classroom. (If you haven’t, take a second and read about it now in National Geographic MapMaker – a new mapping app for schools or check out our October 10th webinar Introducing National Geographic MapMaker.)
As it is a new app, there might be tools and capabilities that are new to you. We’ve put together skill builders to quickly get you (and your students) up to speed. Each skill builder covers app functionality in a short video and step-by-step written guide you can follow to try it out yourself. Too easy? Try the recommended "More practice" ideas at the end.
The nine skill builders cover the key functionality of the app:
- Map navigation and basemaps
Pan, zoom, rotate, search, change basemaps, and use bookmarks – and unique to MapMaker, you can do these in 2D and 3D in the same app! - Measure
Measure distances and areas in 2D and 3D, including exploring some curious measurements. Is the shortest distance between two points always a straight line? - Coordinates
Investigate how coordinates change as you move across Earth or enter coordinates to go to that location. - Elevation profile
Draw a line on the map to see the elevation profile of the terrain it crosses. In 3D, you’ll also see where your profile line would be on Earth’s surface. - Sketch on the map
Add points, lines, and areas to the map to share additional information or draw attention to areas of interest. - Export maps
Save your map as a PDF or an image to include it in presentations, reports, and other formats. Put maps where you need them. - Open and share maps
MapMaker comes with a collection of maps designed for K-12 classrooms. Find maps about topics covered in lessons and share them with students and classmates. - Layers and data
Layers are collections of data you can add to the map. In MapMaker you can change how layers appear, explore details about the data on the map or in a table, and add and remove layers to create maps to answer your questions. - Simulate daylight and weather
See the angle of the sun at different dates and times and play to see the pattern of sunlight and darkness across Earth. You can even simulate weather patterns.
Try one out and see what you learn. Suggestions or requests? Send them our way: mapmaker@esri.com.
Visit our webpage to learn more, or launch MapMaker to start exploring.
