This session will cover how to create quick and easy maps with My Maps, a simple tool for creating interactive and collaborative maps on the web. You’ll also learn how to continue working on your maps with your mobile device, both online and offline. You can choose to share your map with your field team only or to the public or even embed it on your website.

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Create a map to illustrate the following:

• Search for our hotel and put a marker on it. In the marker description box, add the hotel website URL and an image of the hotel that you can search for online.
• Search for your workplace and place a marker on it. Add something interesting about your work to the marker description box.
• Map your journey from your workplace to the workshop. How did you get here? What adventures did you have along the way? Try using the driving directions just for fun - can you get here from there?
• Zoom in to the hotel and draw a polygon around the building we are in to highlight it. Change the color and transparency of the shape. How big is it?
• Add points, lines and polygons to illustrate something about your home community that others may be interested in learning.

Turn to the person next to you and share your maps. Call up your neighbor's map in your Google Drive and take a look at it.

Directions for creating a map and adding places

1. Create a new folder for your project. In your web browser, go to Drive.Google.com sign into your account. Click the +New button and create a folder. Double click to open the folder.
2. Click the +New button, scroll down to "More" and click Google My Maps.
3. Click on the word "Untitled map" in the lefthand panel. Give your map a title and description.
4. If desired, change your base map style. At the bottom of the lefthand panel, click the arrow next to "Base Map". Click on one of the base map options like satellite.
5. Add three important resources for your community to the map. You can use points, lines or polygons:
   • Adding a point - There are two ways to do this:
     • Find the place you want to mark on the map (pan and zoom). Click the placemark button (under the Search bar), then click the map where you want to add the marker. Add a title (place name) and description (what is this place?), then click "Save".
     • Search for the place in the search bar by name, address or lat long. Click on the correct search result, then in the pop up that appears click "+Add to map". In the pop up that appears, the title (place name) has already been filled out by the search results, but you need to add a description (what is this place?). To do this, click the pencil icon in the pop up to make the point editable, then type in the description. Click "Save".
   • Adding a line. Click the "Draw a line" button under the search bar and select "Add a line or shape" from the drop down box. Click on the map to draw your line. Double-click the end point to end your line. Then add a title and description and click "Save".
   • Adding a polygon / shape. Click the "Draw a line" button under the search bar and select "Add a line or shape" from the drop down box. Click on the map to draw your line. Finish by clicking on the first point to end the polygon drawing. Then add a title and description and click "Save".

6. Give each resource a title and description.

7. Change the style of your icon, line or polygon.

• Change your icon style. Hover over a placemark and click the paint bucket that appears. Then click "More icons". Choose an icon and click "OK". Then color the icon by selecting from the color palette.
• Change your line or polygon style. Hover over a line or polygon and click the paint bucket that appears. Select a new color from the color palette and move the width slider to see the width of the line or border change.

Add images and videos

1. Add a photo of your own to your map.
   • Click on a placemark, then click the camera icon in the pop up.
   • Choose any of the options to add a photo - but try to use your own photos if possible by uploading from your computer, taking a picture with your computer or phone camera, getting a photo from your Google Photo Album or social media. When you find the photo you want, click "Select" to add it to the map.

2. If you have a photo with a location embedded in it, upload it to Google Photos, then import it from a Google Photo album. The image should automatically map to the correct location. If you don't have any photos with locations, you can turn on the location setting on your phone, take a photo, and try adding it to your map.

View and edit your map on your phone or tablet

Using Google Maps on both Android and OS devices:

1. Make sure you have Google Maps installed on your phone (if you have an iPhone you need to add Google Maps, not Apple Maps).

2. Make sure you turn on geolocate, and make sure you are online (either cell service or wifi).

3. Open Google Maps on your phone and find our hotel. Get driving directions to the airport.

4. Sign into your Google Account on your phone.

5. Open Google Maps and view the My Maps you created in the first activity.

Using Google My Maps on Android devices:

6. If you have an Android device make sure you have Google My Maps installed (this is a separate app).

7. On an Android device call up the maps you created in the My Maps app, edit your My Maps and then view it on your laptop (you'll need to refresh the screen to see new edits).

If you use a loaner phone for this activity, share the map with geoworkshops2@gmail.com so that you can visualize it using the phone's account.