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R. Byrne: "Scribble Maps provides a variety of base layer maps on which you can draw freehand, add placemarks, add image overlays, and type across the map. Compared to creating a custom map on Google Maps, Scribble Maps is much easier for students to learn how to use. Scribble Maps also provides far more default placemark icons than Google's My Maps tool. Scribble Maps will work in the web browser on your laptop, Chromebook, iPad, or Android tablet."

R. Byrne: "Odyssey.js is a new open source map creation tool from CartoDB. Through Odyssey.js you can create mapped stories in three formats; slide, scroll, and torque. In all three formats viewers will see a location on a map along with the text and pictures of your story. The slide and scroll formats are fairly straight-forward, you click through slides or scroll through a story. The torque format allows you to connect elements of your map to a timeline." This tool could be used to map history, parts of novels, the immigration of peoples, the expansion of wars, etc. Mapping and visualization are always good to enhance learning.

"Mapping History contains hundreds animated and interactive maps from key events in the history's of the United States, Europe, Latin America, and Africa. The U.S. maps are sorted chronologically and by event or era. The European maps section is categorized more by topic and appears to be still under construction. The Latin America section is sorted into three regions (Caribbean, Central America, South America) and there are four African maps, each one shows the continent's division and political borders at various points of history. Mapping History is an excellent resource for the social studies classroom. Thanks out to Greg Odell who shared this site on Twitter." Great for project- or content-based projects.

Sounds like a good place for many different kinds of content- and project-based learning. "Free Map Tools is an online resource that allows you to utilize maps in really cool and interesting ways. With this site you can find the distance between two points, by land and air. You are able to calculate the area of a region on a map. It allows you to determine how far you can travel while walking, riding a bike, or driving a car for a designated amount of travel time. It will even tell you where you would end up if you tunneled through the earth. Free Map Tools is a very cool website that has applications for social studies, science , and math teachers."

"A wizard for creating and managing customized Google maps of address lists * addresses come from your own Google spreadsheets * modify your address list and maps are automatically updated; done so daily, or on demand * privately be the only viewer of your maps, or publish them and show them on any website * access the address lists and maps from anywhere * download KML of your maps / export them to Google earth"

"Mind mapping is a visual form of note taking that offers an overview of a topic and its complex information, allowing students to comprehend, create new ideas and build connections. Through the use of colors, images and words, mind mapping encourages students to begin with a central idea and expand outward to more in-depth sub-topics." Gives some tips on the pedagogy of using mind-maps and how to teach it to students.

"The overall theme of this teacher-tested unit is using maps to understand borders and their impacts in Europe. The materials will help your middle school students to use maps to think about how borders intersect physical and human geographical features, and how those intersections can lead to cooperation and/or conflict. The educator resources provided in the unit include maps, multimedia, and case studies that will enable students to develop skills in map analysis and apply that analysis to specific situations. Other parts of the unit will invite you and your students to explore similar cases in Europe and your own community. "This unit was originally developed for the National Teacher Leadership Academy (NTLA) 2008 Summer Geography Institute." Very useful for Peace Studies, geography, and mapping skills for middle school (10-14 years), and could be adapted to older students.

"Edraw Mind Map is a free mind map software with rich examples and templates which make it easy to create mind maps, brain-storming diagrams, project timeline, life planner, SWOT analysis and sketch maps."

"The days of foldable paper maps are numbered but the world wide web is opening up the potential of maps by offering an amazing variety of cool websites that teachers should take the time to explore. Below are ten great mapping sites for you to use in the classroom."

"Essay Map is a handy tool from the folks at Read Write Think. Essay Map provides students with step by step guidance in the construction of an informational essay. Some of my students seem to struggle most with constructing an introduction and conclusion to their essays. Essay Map is particularly good for helping students visualize the steps needed to construct good introductory and conclusion paragraphs." R. Byrne's description of this tool includes some applications. He suggests Essay Map may be too basic for most high school students, but might be a good tool for middle school or high elementary. However, ESL students of any age might benefit.

"Maps can be a remarkably powerful tool for understanding the world and how it works, but they show only what you ask them to. So when we saw a post sweeping the Web titled "40 maps they didn't teach you in school," one of which happens to be a WorldViews original, I thought we might be able to contribute our own collection. Some of these are pretty nerdy, but I think they're no less fascinating and easily understandable. A majority are original to this blog (see our full maps coverage here), with others from a variety of sources. I've included a link for further reading on close to every one." Exceptionally explanatory. Use for class projects and problem-based learning.

R. Byrne: "Creating mind maps or webs is one of my favorite ways to organize ideas and information. I've often had my students create mind maps as an exercise in making visual connections between important concepts, events, and people in a unit of study. The following free tools offer good options for creating mind maps online. "

"I have begun a new Maths Map in Adelaide focusing on addition ideas that can be seen or referred to on the map. It would be great to have your contributions it is very easy to do:" This doesn't have to be just in Adelaide--use Tom Barrett's ideas for a Google Maths Map in your local area. There are math activities for K-5--it's fun, too!

"When teaching students about current events I have always tried to incorporate maps so that students can make a connection to the places that they are reading about. I do this if the story is about something happening in Africa or something happening twenty miles down the road from our community. Newspaper Map and the Breaking News map are both helpful in showing students the connections between story subjects and their corresponding locations." T/H to R. Byrne

"A useful site for creating metro maps. Use it in creating writing to map out a character's travels, make Monopoly-like games or make classroom posters showing connected words, names, ideas or topics."

"Google Earth and Google Maps has always been a natural fit in social studies classrooms. But Google Earth and Maps can also be powerful tools in other content areas. The resources below represent some of my favorite resources for introducing Google Earth and Maps in areas outside of social studies." A great list of uses for a variety of subjects. And a link to how to get Google Earth Pro for free. T/H R. Byrne

Describes the mind-mapping tool that saves to Google Drive, and pedagogical applications for it. Also links to 4 other mind-mapping applications.

R Byrn's refers to Hi as a mapping service with social network. User geo-locate pictures with short "sketches" or even longer posts about the location. Students in international online classes could use this mapping app in creative ways to introduce themselves or create an online geography project.

"The goal of Wikihood World Browser is to provide visual, geo-located context for Wikipedia entries. You can explore Wikihood World Browser in two ways; you can simply browse the map by scrolling and zooming in on locations then clicking on placemarks or you can enter specific locations into the search bar. Wikihood World Browser will accept search queries for specific places and it will accept queries for some historical events like the Battle of Gettysburg. "

" Mind maps are content- and purpose-agnostic. Use them for anything that requires thinking, planning, organizing, or writing." This is the third of three articles (linked here) ab out using mind-mapping productively. Great article for teaching writing. It's not all about "outlines."