Edumaps

edumaps
FAQ - Häufige Fragen Freie Mediathek
de
DE
EN
ES
FR
IT
RU
Map exportieren

Chapter 1: Ready in 20 Minutes: My First Teaching Map

Edumaps

Orientation

1

Welcome: Your first teaching map

  • In this pinboard, you will create your first teaching map in Edumaps step by step.
  • After about 20 minutes, you will have:
    • created a new map
    • set a title and subtitle
    • selected a suitable format
    • adjusted the background and font
    • edited your first columns and boxes
    • saved and checked the map
  • Tip: It is best to work directly in Edumaps at the same time.
  • ⚙ start
0
2

Orientation after login

  • After logging in, you first see your personal workspace. On a computer, the sidebar is on the left.
  • There you will find the most important areas:
  • • Dashboard: This is where you see current notes, new activities or recently used content.
  • • My Maps: This is where maps are stored that you created yourself or that have been permanently assigned to you.
  • • Folders: Folders help you collect several maps, for example for a subject, a class, a teaching unit or a training course.
  • • Received: This is where you find maps and folders that other people have shared with you.
  • • Notifications: At the top right, you see notices about new shares, comments or activities.
  • Important: A shared map is not automatically stored under “My Maps”. If another teacher shares a map with you, you will usually first find it under “Received” or via the notification.
  • Tip: If you want to use a shared map regularly later, place it in a suitable folder.
0
3

What is a map?

  • A map is a visual workspace for teaching and organization.
  • You can use it, for example, to:
    • collect materials
    • provide assignments
    • create weekly plans
    • organize links and media
    • collect student contributions
    • make lesson steps visible
  • A map/pinboard usually consists of columns and boxes.
0
4

Example for this exercise

  • For this introduction, we will create an example teaching map on the topic: “Countries in Europe”
  • Possible subtitle: “Materials and tasks for Grade 7”
  • Of course, you can also use your own topic, for example:
    • analyzing fairy tales
    • reviewing fractions
    • pets in primary science
    • introduction to the French Revolution
    • German weekly plan
0

Create a map

5

Create a new map

  • How to start:
    1. Open Edumaps.
    2. Click “Create map”.
    3. Select “New map”.
    4. Use “Quick start” for the introduction.
  • Quick start automatically creates a simple map with three columns and three empty boxes. This is ideal if you do not want to start completely from scratch.
0
6

Quick start, empty map or template?

  • There are several ways to create a map.
  • 1. Quick start
  • Good for getting started. Edumaps automatically creates a simple basic structure.
  • 2. Empty map
  • Good if you want to build everything yourself.
  • 3. Template catalog
  • Good if you want to copy and adapt existing examples.
  •  
  • For this exercise we recommend: Quick start.
0
7

Set title and subtitle

  • Give your map a clear title.
  • Example: “Countries in Europe”
  • A subtitle helps explain the purpose of the map.
  • Examples:
    • Materials and tasks for Grade 7
    • Introduction to the topic of Europe
    • Teaching material for geography
    • Group work on European countries
  • Tip: The title should be short. The subtitle may explain more precisely what the map is about.
0

Design the map

8

Choose a suitable map format

  • Choose a format that fits your teaching goal.
  • Pinboard:
  • Good for collections of materials, tasks, links, images and lesson building blocks.
  • Timeline:
  • Good for chronological processes, sequences and lesson phases.
  • Sticker wall:
  • Good for free arrangement, brainstorming, collecting ideas and creative tasks.
  • Gallery:
  • Good for many images, photos or media contributions.
  •  
  • For this first teaching map we recommend: Pinboard.
0
9

Select a background

  • A background makes the map more appealing, but it should not distract from the content.
  • Options:
    • select a ready-made background image
    • use your own color
    • upload your own image
    • blur the background
  • Tip: Make sure everything remains easy to read. If the background is very busy, use the “blur” option or a simple color.
0
10

Font and readability

  • The font should be easy to read.
  • Pay particular attention to:
    • sufficient contrast
    • a calm background
    • fonts that are not too playful
    • clear headings
  • For primary school or reading support, especially readable fonts can be helpful.
  • Tip: Design is important, but the content must always remain the focus.
0
11

Add tags

  • Tags are keywords for your map. They help you find content again later.
  • Examples of tags:
    • geography
    • grade-7
    • europe
    • material-collection
    • teaching
    • group-work
  • Why tags are useful: If you have many maps, you can later filter by tags and find your maps faster.
0

Build the structure

12

Understand columns

  • Columns give your map a clear structure.
  • For the example map “Countries in Europe”, the columns could be called:
    1. Introduction
    2. Materials
    3. Tasks
    4. Results
  • Or:
    1. Western Europe
    2. Northern Europe
    3. Southern Europe
    4. Eastern Europe
  • Tip: Use a small number of clear columns. Too many columns make the map confusing.
0
13

Understand boxes

  • Boxes are the individual content building blocks of your map.
  • A box can contain, for example:
    • text
    • link
    • image
    • video
    • file
    • assignment
    • comment area
    • audio
    • checklist
  • Examples:
    • Assignment: Research a country in Europe.
    • Link: Map of Europe
    • File: Worksheet as PDF
    • Image: Flags of European countries
0
14

Edit the first box

  • Open an existing box or create a new box.
  • For example, insert this assignment:
  • Assignment:
    Choose a country in Europe. Research its capital, language, population and one special feature. Write down your results in bullet points.
  • Additional task:
    Add an image or a flag if you like.
  • Tip: A good box has a clear heading and a short instruction.
0
15

A simple teaching structure

  • Your first map could be structured like this:
  • Column “Introduction”
    • What do you already know about Europe?
    • Short quiz or impulse image
  • Column “Materials”
    • Map of Europe
    • Explainer video
    • Worksheet
  • Column “Tasks”
    • Research a country
    • Create a fact sheet
    • Compare results
  • Column “Results”
    • Student contributions
    • Presentations
    • shared collection
0

Finish

16

Save and check the map

  • Before using the map:
    1. Save the map.
    2. Open the map once in normal view.
    3. Check the title, columns and boxes.
    4. Test important links.
    5. Check that everything is easy to read.
  • Tip: Deliberately switch between editing and viewing. This lets you see the map from the users’ perspective.
0
17

Do not publish yet

  • For this first exercise, the map does not need to be public yet.
  • Remember: A new map is initially not public on the internet.
  • Later you can decide whether you want to:
    • use the map only yourself
    • share it by link
    • share it with students
    • share it with colleagues
    • release it for your own school
    • publish it on the internet
  • Sharing is explained in a separate chapter.
0
18

Mini task: Your first map

  • Now create your own first teaching map.
  • Task:
    1. Choose a teaching topic.
    2. Create a new map with Quick start.
    3. Set title and subtitle.
    4. Select the “Pinboard” format.
    5. Adjust background and font.
    6. Add 2 to 4 tags.
    7. Give the columns meaningful names.
    8. Create or edit at least 3 boxes.
    9. Save and test the map.
  • Goal:
    The map does not have to be perfect. What matters is that you have understood the basic structure.
0
19

Common beginner mistakes

  • Avoid these typical mistakes:
    • Too much content at once: Start with only a few boxes.
    • Unclear headings: Each box should be understandable immediately.
    • Too busy background: Readability is more important than decoration.
    • No tags: Tags help you find things again later.
    • Not tested: Open the map once as students or colleagues would see it.
0
20

Done

  • You have now created the foundation for your first teaching map.
  • You can now:
    • start a new map
    • distinguish between Quick start, empty map and template
    • set title and subtitle
    • choose a map format
    • adjust background and font
    • add tags
    • edit columns and boxes
    • save and check the map
0