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Selasa, 15 Agustus 2006

EasyBib: Automatic Bibliography Composer

EasyBib: Free Automatic Bibliography Composer - MLA and APA formatting

Most college students take at least one, and often a couple of English classes before they get into my geography classes. So, you would think (or at least I would) that they would know how to create bibliographic references for the more formal papers that require. However, I am amazed how many have no clue on how to write a reference -- and I am actually very liberal in terms of the format I will accept.

Well, here is a tool that I am now linking to in my classes. It leads students through the information they need to know to create a proper reference, and then actually creates it for them in MLA format. (APA format requires upgrading to a paid version of the service.)

My guess is that after they have used this tool a few times they will figure out how to do themselves, which is probably the faster way to do it.

Kamis, 03 Agustus 2006

Quikmaps.com - Maps for the Masses

Quikmaps.com - Maps for the Masses

This site is online mapping made easy. It is limited to points and lines, but looks like a nice tool to get students to think spatially about locations and connections.

Quickmaps.com allows you to "Draw pictures and label things on a google map using simple clicks and drags." This is Fun! It is still in beta, and the "draw Lines" tool did not work for me in Firefox, but the "scribble" line drawing tool did work. This is a neat way to draw the maps that you want - to your house, to the party, and to the beach!

I have not tried these other options yet, but according to the website, once you have drawn your maps you can:
"Blog it! - Post the map on your blog or website. Quikmaps hosts your map, so you don't need to sign up for a 'google maps api key', or anything like that. All you need is a blog.
Send it! - Don't have a blog? Want to email a map? No problem -- just send a link to your quik map.
Change it! - Quikmaps hosts your maps, so you can come back and edit them whenever you want. After you save your changes, your maps will update themselves.
Google Earth it! - See your quikmap in 3D with Google Earth."

NEW: Use A Map.com is another online mapping tool that you might want to check out. They describe themselves as: "A free service that provides you with a map that has a short URL, for example useamap.com/ourplace which is easy to remember and share with others."

{A version of this posting also appears on my Geography for Travelers blog}