The Story of the “Undercover Mapper”

Over almost two and a half decades, the authors of this book have taught in the classroom, conducted teacher professional development events around the country and globally, and written volumes of curriculum. It seems that no matter how simple the online mapping tools have become, there has always been the need to take learners on an exploration of the geospatial technology tools they will learn. At the same time, work with elementary pre-service educators, reminded us that when introducing new technology skills in elementary, students at that level need to play and experiment with the tools before learning new content.

With both of those factors in mind, Undercover Mapping #1 was developed to take the learner on an informal and fun tour of the tools needed to complete the Elementary GeoInquiries. These activities were tested by elementary teachers and their students and they were a resounding success. After some tweaks and minor revisions, Undercover Mapper #2 came along to take students on another adventure while gently ramping up the tool difficulty. Each activity ends with a fascinating “scavenger hunt” of amazing and fun features on the Earth. Take an adventure around the ArcGIS Online tools before diving into the Esri GeoInquiries collections and become an.Undercover Mapper!

Currently, you can go on an Undercover Mapper adventure in MapMaker, MapViewer, or Map Viewer Classic. Find a version that aligns with the activities and lessons you’re doing next with students.  They’ll have experience with the tools that they’re about to use. Happy mapping!