Duhduhduduhn!  I just completed the first map test!  And it took me way too long.  The test was (although very long) pretty cool.  I must say, I learned a lot.  For the first time all semester, I finally have some clue as to where all that we have been learning is–and let me tell you, by knowing where it is, I feel like I have a better grasp on what it is, too.
The test covered a large range of topics from routes explored, to current events, to geographic terrain and borderlines.  It required a lot of looking at the map and not just memorizing where each place is, but understanding the geographic pattern of terrain.  That said, I had to look at the map a lot just to be sure.  I found interactive websites the most helpful–there was one that took us through Marco Polo’s route and one site that had a map that showed not only the routes of explorers, but also the religious belief of each region, the language primarily used, etc.  I also did many extensive google searches.  Wikipedia and Google Maps became my best friend.
It was really cool to see what’s already out there (mapping wise).  There are some neat maps I found on China made with  Google Maps and Timemaps.  The Timemap I found seemed a little clunky.  There were many dates, but the organization of them all was not quite clear.  I think that when my team builds our Storymap, we should be weary about how many slides we include.  Also, it kind of makes me want to set a window of time that our project is focused on (maybe over a 200 year span?).
I also wanted there to be more pictures.  On Friday, we had another tech lab with Tierney about Shared Shelf.  Of course I had heard of Shared Shelf, but I had never used it before.  It seems pretty straightforward and simple.  The only thing that bums me out is that I now have to take an extra step to put any picture in my blog–which makes me not want to put any pictures in my blog.  See, I’m already doing it.  I’ll get over it at some point, I’m sure.
My team hasn’t met for a few days now.  We’ve all been overwhelmed with work and the current events going on in Charlotte.  So long as we get back on the horse this coming week, I think we will be just fine.
Till then…