Mapping Our Stories

For this activity we will build a single map with a different layer for each student on the Google My Maps platform. Later in the semester, we will build individual maps using Google Earth browser version, which is a beautiful, immersive platform.

The map that we will develop in today's activity will be shared with everyone, so you will be able to see each other's work. Please be respectful and do not delete anyone else's work. Make sure that all of your work is in your layer (you can drag and drop anything that winds up in the wrong layer). Since it will be public, please do not put private information on this map, such as the location of your house; use proxies instead, such as putting the map icon on a public place or the town center.

We will use this map to tell the story of our important places, our family histories, and our connection to nature. Because our lives have been radically changed during the pandemic, we will include the story of how our connections to our important places have been altered.

Below is a list of prompts that you can use as a starting point for your map. Write about your perceptions and feelings in the map icons so that they become a type of spatial diary of your experiences. You can also add to this list and map locations that are important to you right now but aren't covered by the prompts.

You can use photographs and videos in your map. Please feel free to contact relatives and friends to add information to your layer.

When we have finished our layers, each of you will share your map over Zoom with the rest of the class. We will then expand on this map later in the semester to build individual maps using Google Earth browser.

What factors go into shaping an individual worldview?

First is family and local culture

• Where do your ancestors come from, i.e. what country or part of the world?

• Where were your grandparents born (all four of them)?

• Where were your parents born? (if this is different from where grandparents were born, examine why)

• Where were you and your siblings born?

• What place in the world do you identify with in terms of identity?

• Without posting any addresses or personal information, map the city or town where you now live. Where are your family and friends? Who are you staying in touch with physically or virtually during the pandemic?

• Are you able to stay connected to the place in the world you identify with in terms of identity? Is this a source of strength for you, joy, or sorrow?

What are the nonhuman influences in your life?

• What is your favorite place in the world? Are you able to stay connected to this place, either physically, in your imagination, or virtually?

• Where is your favorite tree, body of water, place to relax, etc.? Is this something that you are currently able to think about? Do you feel connected even when you are unable to physically visit it?

• Where was your favorite place to play (or hide) when you were 5 years old? 10 years old? 15? Today? Are any of these places a source of comfort in the current situation?

• Who were the most important animals in your life? Are there currently any animals in your life? Where are they? Are they a source of companionship or comfort?

Spiritual Elements and beliefs help shape your thinking

• Where are the spots that are sacred to your beliefs located? Are these places you can currently visit? Do you think about them?

• Where are your personal sacred places? Are you able to stay connected? Are they a source of comfort?

How has the pandemic changed the way you relate to nature and your special places?

• Are you able to go outside and experience the natural world? If so, where do you go? Is experiencing nature important right now?

• How have your feelings about your place of residence changed since the start of the pandemic? Do you feel more connected to it, or less?

• Where do you wish to go most once you can travel? Why?

• Think about how you feel about "place" when your connection is virtual; do you feel like you are actually there when you are "visiting" virtually? If you are prevented from physically visiting the places that are most important to you does this diminish your emotional or spiritual connections?

Counter Mapping by Adam Loften & Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, Emergence Magazine

Some ideas to think about when you read the article on Counter Mapping:

• What is a map?

• How do you represent the personal meaning of places in your world?

• How do you represent cultural meaning of places you inhabit?

• How do you incorporate connections to places over time?

• Can we map both time and space simultaneously?

Think about the map that you created for today's activity in the context of what was explored in the Counter Mapping article:

• Some of the places that you mapped were important to your ancestors, connecting you to the past through place. Some of these places may no longer exist, many of them will be greatly changed since the time of your grandparents or your great grandparents. How do we express those changes in our maps?

• Some of the places you mapped are of greater importance to you than others. Can we represent the importance of a place on our maps?

• Satellite imagery is a visual representation of space that we used as the basis for our mapping activity. Could you also represent your map as a story or song? Or using different visual imagery as was illustrated in the Counter Mapping article?