Author: Jake Cohen (Page 2 of 2)

(This resource guide was originally crafted by ITF Maggie Galvan and later updated by ITF Jake Cohen, based on a guide created by CCNY ITFs Logan McBride and John Sorrentino).

Maps Marker Pro is a WordPress plugin that allows you to create a map with marked locations. For each of these locations, you can create content such as text, photos, links, etc.

You’ll use the two map-making functions—layers and markers—of Maps Marker together. The following tutorial will lay out the basic steps of making a map, which we covered together in class demonstration.

First, begin by going to the Dashboard

Layers: Delineating the Territory of Your Map

1. Add New. To start, you’ll need to create a layer for your chosen neighborhood. Click “Add new layer” in the submenu.
2. Name It & Find It. Give your layer your last name. Then search for “New York” in the “Location” field. The field should auto-complete your search.
3. Find Your View. You’ll then want to zoom in and drag the pin around to find a map view that shows most of the places we’ll be visiting this semester. Your default view can change later as your geography expands. For starters, use the island of Manhattan, from around 125th st. to the southern tip. Try out zoom level 12 (specified to the left of the map).
4. Publish It. When you’re satisfied with your layer, click the green publish button at the top of this editor area. If you click “List all layers” in the Maps Marker submenu, you’ll now see your layer listed along with the rest.

This layer is now the base map on which you’ll put all of your markers throughout the semester.

Markers: Identifying the Places You’ve Visited

1. Add New. Now you need to populate your map with specific points. This is where the markers function comes in. Click “Add new marker” in the submenu to get started.
2. Name It. You’re now in the markers editing area, which has a similar feel to the layers area, but there’s a lot more here to be done! Start off, as you did with your layer, by giving your marker a meaningful name. It should probably be specific to where you observed your lion.
3. Find It. Search for the location of your marker by address or other means (cf. step #2 in layers). If you use the search box, Maps Marker will suggest a location for your marker. You can move this marker simply by clicking inside the map area. You may want to change to zoom level 15 or closer to make sure you’ve got your marker in the right place. Search using your museum name.
4. Assign Layer. Next, look to the left of the map where you’ll find, right under the zoom mechanism, a drop-down menu where you can specify your layer. Click this drop-down and select the layer with your last name. You can select multiple layers – so please ALSO select the assignment title (e.g. “Lions”).
5. Choose an Icon. Now it’s time to scroll down the page and see all the fun you can have with your marker. Right under the map, you’ll see the standard blue marker that’s being used to mark out your location in the map above. Next to that, you’ll see a link that says “show more icons.” Click it, and a whole host of other icons will become available. I’ve uploaded a Lion icon for you – you can add another one if you like!
6. Add Text, Etc. The next area is a text editor similar to the one you use when publishing posts in ePortfolios. Like in the post editor, you can add a wide variety of content and media here. You should add your image from your Blog Post #1, and if you like, you can add some of the text as well. These windows work just like an ePortfolios post, so you can add images, other media, links, and you can format the font. 
7. Publish It. Click publish on the bottom of this editing screen to add your marker to the layer.
8. Rinse, Repeat, Check. Repeat the above steps to add additional markers. If you view a layer (through the “List all layers” submenu), you’ll see any markers assigned to that layer in the editing area for the layer. You can also check that your marker is correctly assigned to a layer by going to the “List all markers” submenu, finding your marker, and checking the layer column.

Here is how to create a blog post (using the Lions assignment as an example):

Go to the “Dashboard” for our course site

Then click on “Posts”>”Add New”

The next step is SUPER IMPORTANT: Select the appropriate category. Scroll down on the right and choose one of the Blog Post numbers. If you do not do this, we won’t see the post and you won’t receive credit.

Give your post a title. Don’t include your name or just “Blog Post 1.” Come up with something interesting. Then write your post into the content area. To add a photo, choose “Add Media,” and then you can upload  a photo from your laptop. To get a photo from your phone to your laptop, you can either email it to yourself, or if you have an iPhone, you can use “AirDrop.”

It is best to compose your post directly in ePortfolios, rather than copying and pasting from Microsoft Word. If you do compose elsewhere and copy/paste into the post, switch to “text” instead of “visual” first. This will avoid weird formatting issues.

Save your post a number of times throughout the process, otherwise you’ll lose it.

When you are finished, double check that you have selected the correct category.

Then click the green “Publish” button.

If you have questions, email Jake.