Chris'+Web+2.0+Connections

=**A Review of UMapper Tool:**=

You can use it to have students (and perhaps teachers) map key areas.

I decided to use it to map where the United Nations Security Council Countries are Located. Ever wonder where Azerbaijan is?



I found that it's greatest strengths lay with the ease that Students could use it to plot information about various nations. The software is based on Google Maps which many students are already intimately familiar with. Students can also import items like photos or even shot clips about the various conflicts in the region. This tool is incredibly flexible and is worthy of being included in every Social Studies, History, Geography, Civics and Government teacher's tool kit.

Another nice feature of this tool is that you are able to zoom in to the various sub-districts, states and provinces of each country. Because of the Google Maps base, students can gain a more reasonable and detailed idea about how geography influences culture and history. I like it a lot.

In terms of Literacy projects this would be perfect for a class project in writing a brochure, a RAFT project (Role, Audience, Format and Topic) or a multi-genre project. A student could come up with a project in which different security members debate an issue and use this tool to illustrate it. Ideas from **__Content-Area Writing__**, by Harvey Daniels, Steven Zemelman and Nancy Steineke, published by Heinemann of Portsmouth, NH 2007

Here is the link where you can find this wonderful tool:

http://www.umapper.com/

Several versions are available and I chose to use the free version. More detailed versions are available for those with the money. If it is good enough for National Geographic, then it is good enough for me!