Google My Maps is an easy tool for creating personal maps with descriptive pinpoints. This demonstration will show how students of different levels can use Google My Maps across the skill areas to create and share work. Ready-to-go projects will be shared that will increase student motivation, awareness, and autonomy.

1. Enhancing and
Integrating Skills Using
“Google My Maps”
The Minnesota English Learner Education Conference
November 5-7, 2015, Bloomington, MN
Jane Gressang, Molly Kelley, & Sarah Lowen
Lecturers, ESL Program, The University of Iowa

2. Presentation Outline
❖Intro to Google My Maps
❖Research
❖Project examples
❖Questions & reflection
Link to our slides
http://tinyurl.com/meledmaps

3. Introduction to
Google ‘My Maps’

4. Google ‘My Maps’
Create personal maps with descriptive
pinpoints
Free with Google account
❖ https://accounts.google.com/signup
Simple steps to create
❖ Tour: https://www.google.com/maps/d/
❖ Sign in
❖ Go to http://drive.google.com
❖ Choose “New” > “More” > “Google My
Maps”
❖ Follow the walk through/ start mapping

5. Google ‘My Maps’
Share quickly and easily
❖ Click on +Share
❖ Invite people OR copy link
❖ Edit “Who has access” by clicking
“Change…”
❖ Access options
➢ On - Public on the web
➢ On - Anyone with the link
➢ Off - Specific people

6. Research

7. Autonomy (Benson, 2013)
❖“Autonomy refers here to a capacity to control important aspects of one’s
language learning.”

8. Motivation and Initiative (Dam, 2012)
❖‘‘Students [who] are used to being spoon-fed or…told what to do’’ often lack
initiative in their learning.

9. Motivation and Collaboration (Sheppard, 2015)
❖“Student motivation is a complex subject, but we can be sure to support our
students’ motivation by choosing appropriate … texts and tasks, and by being
sure to consider our learners’ levels, interests, and learning goals. We also
need to provide a supportive learning environment that recognizes students’
efforts, applauds their successes, and builds classroom community and
collaboration.”

10. Modified Task-Based Instruction (Nunan, 1989)
❖Any task defined with four criteria: “Meaning is primary, it works toward a goal,
it is outcome-evaluated, and it is related to the world outside the classroom.”

11. Modified Task-Based Instruction (Nunan, 1989)
Hong Kong’s primary school task-based curriculum defines task using five main
elements:
❖“A purpose or underlying real-life justification for doing the task that involves
more than simply displaying knowledge or practicing skills”
❖“A context in which the task takes place that may be real, simulated, or
imaginary”
❖“A process of thinking and doing”
❖“A product or the result of thinking and doing”
❖“A framework of knowledge and skills”

12. Modified Task-Based Instruction (Nunan, 1989)
Key features of task-based teaching with young learners:
❖“They have coherence and unity for learners (from topic, activity and/or
outcome), meaning and purpose for learners, clear language-learning goals, a
beginning and an end, and involve the learners actively.”

13. Project
Examples

14. High Beginning Level: My Autobiography
Steps
1. Students create an individual map.
a. Pinpoints of important places. Write 1-2
sentences.
b. Layers of times of their lives.
2. Students share map with class/ classmate.
3. Classmates read the map and write
discussion/ follow-up questions.
4. Discussion/ mini-presentations in class.
a. Students present their maps.
b. Others ask prepared questions about
Example
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zfFMP
1AD5wu8.kg-gj2qoG_mc&usp=sharing
Other options
❖ Students review sentences for subject-
verb agreement/ verb tense or class
specific grammar points.

15. Intermediate Level: Famous Attractions
Steps
1. Students select attractions (group/ class).
a. Pinpoints are attractions.
b. Layers could be groups or types of
attractions.
2. Students read a text about each attraction/
view a video. Links to sources added to
pinpoints descriptions.
3. Students write highlights for each
attraction.
4. Read others’ and peer review for content/
edit for grammar.
Example
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zfFMP
1AD5wu8.kciH-ep2xWYI&usp=sharing
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=ztqNz
vAlCiqs.kFYYyzPL1qOA&usp=sharing
Other options
❖ Students make a tour brochure or tour
video for each attraction.

16. High Intermediate Level: Explore Your New Town
Steps
1. Groups select a place to visit together
based on a category (coffee shops, study
spaces, outdoor places, restaurants, etc.)
a. Pinpoints are places.
b. Layers are categories.
2. Each student writes a paragraph in a
different writing style (narrative, opinion,
compare/ contrast, process, etc.).
3. Students upload paragraphs and group
photo to a class blog.
4. The reviewer (an opinion paragraph) posts
Example
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zfFMP
1AD5wu8.ky8y6qDimsuw
http://fall2015e1wg.blogspot.com/
Other options
❖ Groups interview customers at the
locations and add the video/ audio to the
pinpoints. Other groups could listen and
write comprehension questions.
❖ Students could conduct interviews about
what people like most at each place, and
then present their information in charts to
the other groups.

17. Advanced Level: Social Problems Interviews
Steps
1. Students share a class map. They find
video interviews about social problems or
record their own.
a. Pinpoints are locations of the interviews.
b. Layers are topics.
2. Students watch the videos and create
discussion questions, transcripts, or
quizzes for their classmates.
3. Students find related videos and articles,
adding the links to the pinpoints.
4. Follow-up activities could include debates,
Example
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zfFMP
1AD5wu8.kuE5x6CSMTU0&usp=sharing
Other options
❖ Students participate in local volunteer
projects that work on solving the social
problems. Then share what they learned in
class.

18. Advanced Level: Newspaper/ Article Reflections
Steps
1. Students read articles based on current
events happening locally, nationally, and
globally. They then write a short summary
of the news into the Google Map.
a. Pinpoints are where the news article is
focused.
b. Layers would be a type of news: local,
national, and global..
2. Students write a blog on the news article
(summary, synthesis, reaction, review...).
3. Students convert their essay into a
presentation.
Example
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=ztqNz
vAlCiqs.kDspc3jzYho0&usp=sharing
Other options
❖ Student groups create weekly summaries
of news (local, national, or global) for their
classmates and present it in writing or as a
video news update.
❖ Students start to write their own news
stories about events in the area.
❖ Students volunteer at a student
newspaper.

19. Suggestions
❖ Demonstrate map steps in class, but link to
app help instead of making your own
instructions.
❖ Use other web apps like youtube, Google
sheets, and similar web resources to help.
❖ Take advantage of students’ phones and
laptops in class for access to tech.
❖ For evaluation, focus on only 2-3 main
goals of the assignment--accuracy?
fluency? clarity? Keep grading points
simple.
Example project instructions and grading scale
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lMVTPPW
aKc4c3J8F2JC5tgyNhOjwAexeZI1xJHm8b5E/edi
t?usp=sharing
Example Google sheets signup
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NEuLF1
jCy_U6NT1ZoOgjsOhjd7-
P_hMHAizgQUpC5n4/edit?usp=sharing

20. Summary
Research
❖Autonomy/ initiative
❖Motivation
❖Collaboration
‘My Map’ Tasks
❖Meaning and form
❖Variety of levels
❖Project steps incorporate
different skills (writing,
grammar, listening,
speaking, reading)
of Research and Tasks

21. Reflection
Group/ pair discussion
❖ Answer the questions
❖ Discuss your experience
Continue the conversation/ individual sharing
❖ https://todaysmeet.com/MinneTESOL
❖ Input ideas & questions
❖ Page available one month
Reflection questions
1. What did you find interesting or
helpful?
2. What kinds of technology do your
students have access to in/out of
class?
3. How could you implement these
projects in your class?
4. Do you have any ideas that were
not mentioned?

22. Questions?
Our contact information
Lecturers, ESL Programs, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
❖Jane Gressang, Ph.D., jane-gressang@uiowa.edu
❖Molly Kelley, M.A., molly-kelley@uiowa.edu
❖Sarah E. Lowen, M.A., sarah-e-lowen@uiowa.edu
Link to our slides
http://tinyurl.com/meledmaps

23. References
Benson, P. (2013, September). Learner Autonomy. TESOL Quarterly, 47(4).
Dam, L. (2012, November). Empowering-Educating Students to Become Lifelong Learners. Workshop
presented at the TESOL International Symposium, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Ismail, N. & Yusof, M.A. (2012, December). Using Language Learning Contracts as a Strategy to Promote
Learner Autonomy among ESL Learners. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 66.
Nunan , D. (1989). "Designing tasks for the communicative classroom." Cambridge, UK: Cambridge
University Press.
Sheppard, B. (2015, October). Balanced listening instruction. TESOL Connections. Retrieved from
http://newsmanager.commpartners.com/tesolc/issues/2015-10-01/3.html