Metro Map Creator is a great tool to use and can produce pretty impressive results, if you and your children persevere with what can be an initially tricky interface. My Year 5 students have used the site to create a visual representation of their lives. Some pointers are below:
1. Get children to spend some time thinking of categories and examples before they get to the computer. The interface is initially tricky and it saves them time having to think what they need to add to the map - all their focus can be on learning to create.
In our example, the children had to think of a minimum of 5 areas of their life - school, sport, hobbies, family, friends, TV etc. Then 5 examples in each topic. So that would be twenty five ideas for the map - twenty five 'stations' in their life.
If they are having to think too hard about what to add to a topic, maybe it's the wrong topic, I say to them...
As for the child copying their neighbour's ideas...
2. Bottom-right of the website is the main toolbar. It is best to explain how this will be their 'best friend' during the project:
One of the main buttons to be aware of, as in many applications, is the Undo button. Stress this to the children, as you probably do anyway. Clear the example that loads on startup by pressing 'New'.
3. Saving is best talked about near the beginning, unless you like a mad panic at the end of the session.
If you are not finishing in one session (and to do a detailed map requires a number of lessons in my experience) the children have to copy the code as above, and then save into a text editor, MS Word, or as in our case, email themselves the code.
This option has the added advantage that the children can carry on developing their maps at home. When they carry on next lesson they 'Open' from the toolbar and paste in their code from the save location.
4. Adding stations. It is useful to share a number of underground maps with your class before the creation process begins, especially if you live in a city without such a system. We looked at London, Lisbon and New York - all nice and local to Brunei...(!)
Choose a colour for your first line - in my case the category headings are indicated on the red line, and have 'Mega Station' selected - the largest possible size dot for the map. The medium-sized dots are an 'Interchange' station (the subjects on the purple line for example), and the smallest blue stations are selected as 'Dot' as seen below in the 'Add Stations' menu:
5. Text direction. This can be a bugbear for your children as placement of the station names is sometimes tricky. But with use of the 'Undo' button, all will be fine. Remind children to press the correct text direction so the name of the station is not obscured by the line itself:
6. Creating new lines. Make sure the children press 'Create Route' for each new line and then select which colour they would like it to be. When adding and deleting stations, make sure they are clicked onto the correct line in the 'Draw Route' option:
Some professional results are being developed at the time of writing this post; as this is the first time I have used this in the primary classroom I have no finished products yet.
However if you have got this far you and your class(es) will certainly able to develop some impressive maps. Happy cartographic endeavours!