How to Include Google Maps in Your Google Documents and Canva Documents

Canva's new documents tool has a bunch of great features that I highlighted in a video last month. One of those features is the ability to embed just about anything into the body of your document. In the demonstration that I gave last month I embedded videos and presentations. You can also embed Google Maps into the body of your Canva documents. As you can see in the video at the bottom of this post, the map is fully functional when it is embedded into the document. 

Google Documents has a feature called Smart Chips that lets you include live previews of Google Maps in the body of your document. When you use the Google Maps Smart Chip the map that you include is previewed when you hover your mouse over the word associated with the place you've mapped. Clicking through the preview lets you see a full size version of the Google Map. How to use this feature is explained in the first part of the video that is embedded below. 

Video - How to Include Google Maps in Your Documents

Applications for Education
Of the two options that I featured in the video above, the option to include maps in Canva Documents is the better one. Including interactive maps in the body of the document could be a great addition to reference materials and study guides that your students or you create for geography lessons.

How to Collaborate on Canva Documents

The new Canva Documents tool has a lot of great features for teachers and students. Not the least of which is the ability to collaborate on documents and designs. 

The collaboration feature on Canva Documents enables you to invite anyone to work with you as a full editor or commenter on any document that you create from scratch or create from a template. Those who you invite to collaborate with you can add comments and suggestions into the margins of your documents. 

Much like Google Docs and the online version of Word, Canva documents has a revision history that you can view to see the changes you and your collaborators have made to your documents. 

Watch the video below to learn how to use the collaboration feature in Canva Documents. 

Video - How to Collaborate on Canva Documents. 

Applications for Education
Much like in Google Documents, the revision history in Canva Documents could prove to save a lot of frustration and confusion when students are working together for the first time. Being able to quickly view versions of the document can end arguments about who did what or who contributed the most.

Try using one of Canva's note-taking templates to have students work together to record notes and observations during a science lab or similar group activity. 

My Five Favorite Features of Canva Documents

A couple of weeks ago Canva opened the public beta of their new Documents tool. I've previously highlighted Docs to Slideshow conversion tool within it and the AI writing feature within Canva Docs. Those are two of my favorite features of Canva Docs. 

In this new video I highlight some other great features including the ability to insert your existing projects into your documents and the ability to embed Google Maps into your Canva Documents. 

Video - My Five Favorite Features of Canva Documents

Applications for Education
Inserting previously creating slideshows, videos, and maps into a document could be a convenient way for students to create small collections of examples of their best work throughout a semester. The same publishing tools that you find for all Canva projects are available in Canva Documents. That means your students could publish their documents as simple web pages that showcase examples of their best work.