"Map Skills" and "Higher-Order Thinking"

14.  Demographics and Deception

 The article explains how "a visual map is so immediate and powerful, we rarely question it." One of the reasons for this pertains to how our brain processes visual stimuli. In the article, it explains, "On the right side of our brain, we process visual information and analyze words and numbers on the left." The best explanation as to why visual text is quicker and more efficient than words and numbers is due to the fact that when we look at a map, we see the information and don't need to necessarily interpret or analyze data; "it looks finished and there is no analysis necessary." There are certain factors that will make a map enticing (although, having the right data is most essential). Color and hue are important factors as well - the darker and more vibrant it is - the better. Reds and blues are the most vibrant colors, thus, the most effective.

 In the article, it states that the "most beneficial" or useful tool on the map is the scale. The key on the map will hold any information that is needed to best understand the means to navigate. Scales have to be linear and logarithmic. Although confusing to most people, the logarithmic style can distinguish between very small and very big things." It also helps when there is a lot of data to present. The more common scale would be the linear. It is used more often and is more "intuitive than the logarithmic."

 The article also mentions the lawsuit - that was eventually dismissed - in which AT&T claimed Verizon was using deliberate deception to attract users. The viewer was drawn to the area instead of the population. The data was not as strong as the visual impression that overpowered it.

 In the article, it credits Mark Newman with the "solution of using a computer algorithm to create a cartogram, which would display how the regions' size is not proportional to it’s land area, but to it’s importance in the data being communicated."

Overall, the article was an interesting read.

Here are a few "map-related suggestions" that the article provides to help students figure out what they don’t know about maps:

1. Use lots and lots of maps. Use as many maps, and as many different kinds of maps, as you possibly can. Maps are all over the internet; you can find a map showing just about anything. (The links throughout this edition will give you some ideas.)
2. Use bad maps. If you teach a subject where this is remotely appropriate, look for examples of bad maps (and other bad visuals) in the news and take a few minutes to analyze them as a class. (Try to avoid complete cynicism, though. It’s easy to start thinking that everybody is lying to you, when most often, the mapmakers and graphic designers just didn’t have the time or resources to think the problem through and execute it carefully.)
3. Use maps up front. Let students wrestle with maps on their own, before they read a related text. That way, they’ll be forced to interpret the map for themselves.
4. Role-playing. Try to think of a real-world use for any given map and ask students to put themselves in the position of someone trying to use it. I mentioned, above, a map of Chinese economic production. In that case, suppose you were the CEO of an American company looking to build a factory in China. Where should you put it? Does this map give you what you need to know? What else would you need to know, and where could you find it?

16. High-Tech Maps: Education or Eye Candy?

 Well, I have to admit, I am a Google addict. I use Google for pretty much EVERYTHING. I don't think that there is a single greater technology available to people. Best of all, it's FREE!

 Now, I have used Google Earth before, and it is pretty amazing. This article really explores the web-based program a great deal, and I found some of the information about utility to be of the utmost interest while other research-based findings to be rather lackluster.

 For instance, there was a study performed in 1997 to address the question of, "Are 'interactive' maps and tools like Google Earth more effective than print?" According to the 2 week study, there is no solid evidence to support either side. So, the research findings were not successful. Thus, the focus was not so much on research, but instead application.

 I found the tutorial information and tips on the various ways of using Google Earth to be very insightful, and perhaps if I was teaching geography, it would be heavenly! However, that's not to say that I can't find uses in the English/LAL classroom, because the setting of a story is a big part of literature, and there is perhaps no better way to navigate the natural world than by doing it via Google Earth.

 Furthermore, the article also gets into Google Maps - not as cool, lesson plans, and the cost-benefit analysis of using Google Earth. I think David Walbert is a Google addict as well. Overall, I enjoyed the article, but it did not really provide me with too much information that I didn't already know.