Batch Geo and Google Form–Good First Day Activity
This activity could be a good get-acquainted activity for new students. A Google Form can be created, data collected in the spreadsheet view and then data entered into BatchGeo creating an annotated map.
Resources / Things you’ll need:
• A Google account for the teacher (students will NOT need accounts)
• A Google form/spreadsheet to gather the data
• The BatchGeo tool to map the data http://www.batchgeo.com
1. Go to http://docs.google.com
2. Pull down the “Create New” button and choose “Form.”
3. Add a title and some questions similar to these:
– Name
– City
– State or Country
– Interesting Fact
Note – You could find out: where students were born; the farthest they’ve ever traveled; their favorite vacation spot; if they could live anywhere in the world; etc.
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4. Send students to the blue URL at the bottom of the form-creation page.
Note – You can use TinyUrl.com to shorten the address! -
5. Give students time to fill out the form.
Copying the Data:
1.Go to the spreadsheet that collected the form data.
– From the form-editor window, pull down the “See Responses” button and choose “Spreadsheet.”
OR
– Go to the Google Docs homepage (docs.google.com) and click the link with the title of your form.
2.Click and drag to select the data (including the column headers).
3.Copy the selected data.
– Control + C (Win)
– Command + C (Mac)
Creating the Map:
1. Go to BatchGeo. http://www.batchgeo.com
2. Paste the data into the provided area.
– Control + V (Win)
– Command + V (Mac)
3. Click the “Map Now” button.
4. Click a placemark on the map to reveal the student’s name and interesting fact.
5. Click the Save & Continue button. (Optional)
6. Enter a name for your map and enter your email address. (Optional)
7. You will receive an email that contains a URL and embed code for your map. Then you can easily share it with others! (Optional)