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Post by anxiousmom on Sept 3, 2015 19:33:50 GMT
How are your map reading skills? How are your kids map reading skills? Can you/they dig out a paper map and figure out a route that is the quickest? The easiest? The most scenic? Can you/they get around without using your phone or a gps unit?
I just had a funny experience with my kid on our drive to Georgia. He used his google map and allowed the map function to plan our route. I dug out paper maps and figured out a different way. We had a lengthy discussion about his way vs. mine, which would be faster, which would be easier, etc. He claims that his way was the 'best' because that is the way the gps in the app said go. I said that driving experience was a big part of it as well, and knowing which routes to take from been there/done that knowledge is a big factor as well.
But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was more of a fundamental difference-while he had basic knowledge of map reading skills, but when it came time to put it into practical application he was really unsure. He said that his phone would get him through. Turns out there was more than one dead zone and the paper map came in handy so he got a quick lesson in why you don't complete dismiss the old school methods.
So I wonder, what about you and yours? Do you still use paper? or a gps app/device of some sort? a combination of the two?
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Post by mikklynn on Sept 3, 2015 19:39:56 GMT
We use a combination. I generally use Google maps on my phone, but we keep maps of a few states in our vehicle. Sometimes I go "old school" and print out a MapQuest map  |
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Deleted
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Jun 1, 2024 8:02:55 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2015 19:40:27 GMT
I'm very good at map reading. I grew up camping, hiking, fishing and out in the hinterlands of the northwest and had to know how to read maps and use a compass. We still do a lot of backcountry stuff, and GPS is not very reliable there, so we always travel with paper maps for that reason. We use navigation on our phone most of the time (because paper maps certainly can never tell you about road construction or heavy traffic ahead), but we have the paper ones handy. DS is great with maps for identifying locations, cardinal directions between locations, etc., but he's only 7 so I don't really expect him to be able to navigate yet  He will definitely learn as he grows, though. It's an important skill IMO, unless you always stay near cities. |
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The Birdhouse Lady
Drama Llama
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Post by The Birdhouse Lady on Sept 3, 2015 19:42:10 GMT
I never was good at reading a map and I am guilty of using google maps on my phone to help me find things. I do like that through google maps you are told where to turn an so forth.
Now, if I was out in the middle of nowhere I would hope that I could figure out how to find my way with a map but, in all honesty I would probably be in deep weeds!
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Post by marzbar71 on Sept 3, 2015 19:44:14 GMT
I have my MA in Geography and worked as a cartographer for over 15 years. Yeah, I'm pretty good with maps. LOL
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2015 19:57:38 GMT
I haven't looked at a paper map for years. (although I do love them)
Up until April, I would use Google maps to find addresses of unfamiliar places and would often print out directions.
In April, I got a new car with navigation. While I've used it a few times, I typically still pull up Google maps to take a quick look to get a general sense of where I'm heading.
I'm not sure my kids would do well with an old paper map, but I'm pretty sure they'd do okay with a printed AAA triptik and be able to help the driver navigate. |
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Post by anxiousmom on Sept 3, 2015 19:58:25 GMT
I have my MA in Geography and worked as a cartographer for over 15 years. Yeah, I'm pretty good with maps. LOL What a cool job!! How in the world did you end up in cartography? What exactly did you do? I would love to hear about it, I don't know a single person who is in that field. I know a couple of people who have MA's in Urban Planning, but that is as close as I can get.  |
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valleyview
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by valleyview on Sept 3, 2015 20:01:25 GMT
We use both. As I age, there is certainly a lot to be said for the zoom feature in Google, but paper maps still have their place. It's nice to spread one out and choose a route.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Sept 3, 2015 20:01:42 GMT
I'll admit that I'm terrible with paper maps and always have been.
GPS is a life saver for me.
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Post by marzbar71 on Sept 3, 2015 20:04:34 GMT
anxiousmom - Both my BA and MA were in Geography. I interned at a National Monument in Arizona and my thesis was about Land Use for Olympic Host Cities. I worked for a small map company for about a year, then I started working for Rand McNally. I worked on all kinds of projects - world maps, globes, US maps, wall maps for schools, atlases, etc. Now I work for another publishing company but not doing maps anymore. I do miss the projects I worked on, but I still have lots of friends that work there.
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Post by anxiousmom on Sept 3, 2015 20:06:49 GMT
anxiousmom - Both my BA and MA were in Geography. I interned at a National Monument in Arizona and my thesis was about Land Use for Olympic Host Cities. I worked for a small map company for about a year, then I started working for Rand McNally. I worked on all kinds of projects - world maps, globes, US maps, wall maps for schools, atlases, etc. Now I work for another publishing company but not doing maps anymore. I do miss the projects I worked on, but I still have lots of friends that work there. I am officially fascinated!! What a very cool job to have been involved in!! |
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Post by maryland on Sept 3, 2015 20:23:59 GMT
In elem. school we learned the states song (states in alphabetical order). Best song I ever learned!
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Post by annabella on Sept 3, 2015 20:26:36 GMT
I use ubers a lot and find that the drivers heavily rely on their gps vs taxi drivers who don't use it. I will politely tell the driver that they are taking a longer detour and they get argumentative with me saying their gps told them to go that way. Well zoom out! You will see there are many ways you can get somewhere, but only if you see the big map picture then you really see which way is the direct route.
I'm at a point now when I get very irritated with young people who can't figure out how to drive without a gps. I feel gps really handicaps people. Sure it's useful, but if you always need it it's a handicap. I still like printing out mapquest maps, then having to look at your surroundings.
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Post by FLA SummerBaby on Sept 3, 2015 20:27:13 GMT
Combo of both -- I am a good map-reader and wanted my DD to also develop that ability. When she first started driving, I taught her how to figure out general directions (like E v. W) without any aids. That being said, she is quite a fan of Google maps on the phone giving verbal directions. But I agree that it is important to know both. Cell phones do occasionally not work (dead zones, battery, etc.)
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akathy
What's For Dinner?
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Post by akathy on Sept 3, 2015 20:50:43 GMT
I've got very good map reading skills. My late DH and I took many, many driving trips. He drove and I navigated. We've been to all the states and capitals except Alaska and most of those trips were by car.
Our rule was that we had to spend at least one night in the state to be able to put it on the "been there" list.
I really don't have a clue how my girls' map reading skills are. They both use apps on their phones though.
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georgiapea
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Post by georgiapea on Sept 3, 2015 20:57:35 GMT
I love a GPS for actual driving, but enjoy plotting my way with paper maps. From where I live the GPS sends me north to Atlanta anytime I travel east. We sometimes use the GPS to go from town to town without putting in the final destination to avoid the Atlanta thing. It's actually quicker to go that way due to the high speed highways used, but we enjoy the slower pace of going through various small towns.
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Post by lisacharlotte on Sept 3, 2015 20:58:05 GMT
I like physical maps. When I move to a new city I always use a paper city map at first. I'm a visual learner and I always have a large city map in my head for reference.
Omaha has to be one of the easiest cities to navigate. Just using an address you know basically where it is. With a few exceptions we are a big grid with numbered streets running N-S starting at the river and named streets running E-W. We have a major E-W road that defines if you are north or south.
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Post by melanell on Sept 3, 2015 21:42:43 GMT
I use maps. I like to pic up a map and get a general overview of an entire area. It makes me feel like I know it. Plus, with the exception of very long trips, I like to try to avoid busier roads and heavier traffic, even if it means spending a bit longer driving. And a map is a great way to quickly spot alternate routes when I am tired of the stop & go congestion of the main roads.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2015 21:43:53 GMT
I only use paper maps. I had an unfortunate experience with GPS when I moved to Missouri involving a 10' U-Haul and an auto hauler. I will not trust GPS again.
Last month I took a four day road trip through Iowa, including an obscure scenic byway, using maps and guidebooks. Even though, at one point, I did end up in the wrong place, I was never lost. I knew where I was and how to get back on track.
With the GPS, once it got me off track, it was unable to correct its mistakes. Where it sent me could have, potentially, been a disaster.
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Post by Ramona on Sept 3, 2015 21:49:27 GMT
I like paper maps and print out driving directions with MapQuest when going somewhere new. Paper maps are useful to find alternate routes, ever been stuck on the interstate?. Once I "know" the way, I use landscapes to get there.
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anniebeth24
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by anniebeth24 on Sept 3, 2015 21:53:58 GMT
We recently had to purchase a paper map at a Canadian gas station because we found out that we didn't have International Maps on our gps system. Didn't even think about it until we crossed the border at Niagara Falls.
Haven't used a real map in a very long time - it was kind of fun, except for the craziness of folding it back up!
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He will definitely learn as he grows, though. It's an important skill IMO, unless you always stay near cities. 
