Toolbox
Place-based learning can be facilitated by various technological tools. This section of the website provides a place to become acquainted with tools that can help explore place and space.
Mapping the Borderlands
Mapping the Borderlands is a research and teaching collaboration supported by a grant from the University of Arizona Center for Digital Humanities that brings together students in borderland regions. Students can share digital photos and artifacts on a map that connects borders, emphasizing data-intensive, digital storytelling.
Leaflet
Leaflet is an open-source JavaScript library for creating interactive maps on the web. It’s one of the most widely used mapping libraries and offers a flexible, lightweight, and customizable solution for embedding maps in websites or web applications.
Google Earth Creation Tools My Maps
My Maps by Google Earth is a user-friendly web-based tool developed by Google that allows individuals and organizations to create custom maps for a variety of purposes. It’s a versatile tool where users can add points of interest, lines, shapes, and text to a map, making it ideal for a wide range of applications, from personal travel planning to collaborative project mapping.
Mentira
Mentira uses AR, place-based, mobile game designed with over 50 pages of dialogue for Spanish learners.
Padlet
Padlet is an online tool that allows users to create digital boards where they can easily collaborate, share ideas, and organize information in a visual and interactive way. Padlet’s mapping tool provides a template that you can use to add multimedia markers to your map or you can use the search tool to have a marker added to a specific location. Markers can embed pictures, videos, text, links, audio, and even documents to the markers on your map.
Google Maps
Google Maps is a widely used web mapping service developed by Google. It provides a variety of mapping and location-based services, including directions, navigation, local business information, and geographic data visualization.
ZeeMaps
ZeeMaps is a web-based mapping platform that allows users to create interactive and customizable maps for various purposes. It’s known for its user-friendly interface and is suitable for individuals, businesses, and organizations looking to visualize and share location-based data
Nearpod
Nearpod incorporates VR images, videos, and other forms of media into activities that involve games and quizzes, as well as discussion forums and collaboration boards.
Siftr
Siftr, by Field Day, is a tool designed to help users create and share interactive, map-based experiences. It’s particularly useful for educators, community organizers, researchers, and anyone interested in crowd-sourcing data, stories, or observations related to specific locations or topics. Siftr enables users to build customized maps with interactive elements.
Story Maps (ArcGIS)
Story Maps, developed by Esri as part of their ArcGIS platform, are interactive and multimedia-rich web applications designed for telling engaging and informative stories through the use of maps, images, videos, and text. They provide an effective way to convey complex geographic information and narratives to a wide audience.
GeoGuessr
GeoGuessr uses google map street view to create a multiplayer guessing game by dropping pins onto a world map. The oint system is based on accuracy.
StoryMap
Knight Lab’s StoryMapJS is a user-friendly digital storytelling tool designed to help individuals and organizations create interactive and visually engaging narratives. It’s particularly well-suited for those looking to craft compelling stories with a geographical component.
Neatline
Neatline is a digital humanities tool and platform designed to create interactive, spatially-oriented narratives and exhibits. Neatline allows users to build maps, timelines, and interactive exhibits that combine text, images, and geographic information to create immersive digital storytelling experiences.
Conversifi
Conversifi is a Synchronous virtual exchange tool with Spanish speakers around the world. Students can select from a variety of topics/responses, or utilize an open-ended session to converse freely.
360 Schools
360 Schools houses 360 pictures and videos designed specifically for educators. It’s compatible with google classroom (the most frequently used “LMS” for K-12)
Simple Game Creation Tools
These tools do not require any sort of computer programming knowledge, they do however require time to develop.