Batchgeo

For this assignment, we used Batchgeo to map the locations of every peer in our class. First, we compiled our names and addresses into a shared Google document, and then the next day we copied/pasted everyone's information into Batchgeo. Batchgeo then generated a map based on the information we submitted, and displayed all of our locations. To view the map of our class click here or see below.

  I had difficulty using the html code provided by Batchgeo, so I used Jing to embed the map in my blogpost. I will have to play around with html codes to try and figure out how to embed them into my blog, and once I do I will come back and add the code into this post. 


I think this activity would be a lot of fun for students, but I honestly can't think of many ways I would use it for any real purpose in my English classroom. Maps are always fun to view and students could input their information and that of their favorite authors, but I'm not sure what they would actually "learn" from it. Students could also input addresses of characters in books they are reading about, if that information is provided, so that they could get a better feel for the setting of the text. However, most settings are just general areas around the world.  There are some books that give specifics and for those books this tool would be really cool to use. Overall, I think Batchgeo would hold more entertainment value than actual learning value in my classroom. I'm usually great at thinking outside the box, but I really can't come up with much more than what I listed above, and that's not really enough for me to be excited about. Geography teachers must be thrilled, though!