Mapwing is a Web 2.0 tool for building, sharing and exploring virtual tours. Their website says, "Use Mapwing to turn your digital photos into virtual tours that include interactive maps, images, and comments. Then, share your virtual tours with friends, clients, or the entire world."
Below is a screen shot of a virtual tour of my tech office (yes... it's messy...er... I mean...creatively cluttered.)
I liked Mapwing because it's created totally online and, therefore, platform independent. (PCs and Macs have equal access to the software.) So, how could you use it in a classroom setting? Here are some actual tours along with some other suggestions:
Lenny's Digestive System - a map of the digestive system, complete with a photo "tour"
Catcher in the Rye Map - shows various places described in the book that the main character visits
Anne Frank House - a map of her house with photos
A Walk with Charlie - a map of a child's neighborhood with points of interest shown in photos
Map "tour" of a classroom
Digital Fractions - a map of pie graph fractions accompanied by photos showing those fractions
Famous Dams - US map with photos pinpointing the location of various dams
Zucchini the Ribbon Snake - shows a "map" of the snake eating a fish and its progression inside the snake
Timeline - create a timeline of events with accompanying photos
Click here for a virtual tour of my tech office that I created in about 15 minutes.
All you need are digital photos and a computer with internet access. Mapwing is free! You'll want to read the brief tutorial on how to take the photos for your map before creating the tour.
Let me know if you try it out! http://www.mapwing.com
