10 Easy Steps to Completing an

Excel Interactive Map Project

Part I: Gathering Resources 1. Right Click on desktop to create a new folder for map topic – select New>Folder and label the folder with your topic name by typing in the blue label area.

2. Gather resources into one folder. Collect related web research from Gale/Grolier & other sites with info for comments (copy into a Word document with description, write out comments, and gather URLs/link description, for later copying/pasting into comment space). Locate, download and save in folder the video, images/graphics from United Learning or other videostreaming resources, Pics4Learning, Google, etc. Find a map of your geographical location or large chart/diagram of your topic.. For students projects you may want to make some areas of research mandatory. It is important that they complete their research and write descriptions in their own words before going to Excel. Copying and pasting information directly from websites or Encarta should be discouraged.

3. Save background map picture at 400 X 600 pixels (or roughly approx. 4” x 6”). (Smaller pictures will not contain enough details. If it’s too large it may not all be visible.) If you don’t have Adobe Photoshop, Tech4Learning ImageBlender, or similar editing program, picture can be resized in a Word document – right click on inserted picture, select “Size” from the tab menu, make sure “Lock Aspect Ratio” is checked, and resize to approximately 400 x 600 pixels. Before inserting map, set cell size to approximately 1.5 pixels, very narrow, to make it easier for students to insert comments all over the map.

Part II: The Project

4. Format Background: Select Format>Sheet>Background and place the map you have saved from your folder into the background of your spreadsheet. Making the cells smaller will allow students to place their comments more accurately. To select all of the cells at once, click the space located at the top right corner between 1 and !. Click Format>Columnn>Width and set the column width to 1.5. Insert the background map from your folder into the spreadsheet by clicking Format>Sheet>Background TIP: Click on Tools>Options and go to the “View” tab. Uncheck the boxes in front of “Gridlines” and “Horizontal Scrollbar” & 5. Select all the cells around one map (in several steps), to the “Vertical Scrollbar” to remove these from your right and to the bottom, to black out surrounding cells map page. containing multiple maps to make it look like only one image on the screen. Select cells, click on paint bucket (drop down arrow to right), select black.

6. Add researched descriptions/comments by clicking Insert>Comment and typing in description. - Label Map with key places using info gathered from Grolier/Gale & other web resources. (Note: To see all comments, click on View>Comments.)

7. Copy & paste material created in word processing documents – to edit comment boxes (bold, color, resize comment box, etc.) “right click” on red arrow to open comment menu. (Note: To format line & fill color of text & comment boxes, double click on the outline of the text box or comment box and select “Colors and Lines” from the tab menus. )

8. Insert>Image or >Symbol from drawing tool bar for connecting to hyperlinks (rotate, color, resize, etc to make manageable).

9. Insert>Hyperlink to related sites. URL can be copied and pasted into hyperlink box, or you can “browse” to find another file to which to link your map. To add a descriptor of the hyperlinked file that will pop up as the user scrolls over the symbol, type in description in “Screen Tool Tips” box.

10. Insert text boxes for important information/labels such as Name, Title of Project, Map Key, etc. These can be edited for color, size, fill, alignment, etc. by right-clicking on the outer edge of the text box.

Links to presentation, additional handouts,, and map templates available at http://cemat.lisd.k12.mi.us/web/MACUL2004/handouts04.pdf.

©Lenawee Intermediate School District 2003 May be reproduced for educational use. Sue Summerford, Educational Technology Coordinator [email protected]; 517-265-1605 Revised February 18, 2004