TImeline JS - Looking at something in a linear fashion.

Being a history guy, timelines have been the bread and butter of many a history project for me in school (elementary, middle, high, college....).  The hard part was always finding the information (before Google and Wikipedia) and finding pictures/items that would work on the timeline itself.  The hardest part was making the timeline.  I am artistically straight line challenged.  Those of us who suffer from ASLC, have to work very hard in not only making the straight line for the timeline, but also the little lines that tell the amazing information we have gathered.

What if I told you that you could make an interactive timeline that not only had the data, but could also include multimedia......and could be accessed anywhere (and collaborate with your peers or students)?  What if I told you all you need is access to a google drive account...well....here it is!

Northwestern University has made this an open source program.

Step 1:       Go to the website:  http://timeline.knightlab.com/

You will see a page that will look like this.

It will show you how to use the template, copy it to your google drive, and start entering the information.

I have included a short intro video that talks about the program and how to use it.

Lesson ideas:

• Veteran's Day is Tuesday.  Have the students enter data on America's wars and conflicts in our history.  Include dates, pictures, and other information that would support their research..
• In our Kansas History class we will be finding information on people involved in Kansas History.  The students will be making a movie with Moviemaker (Thanks Rachel M.!) and then we will load the video and other data on youtube, and then later on a class timeline.  

Don't feel like you need to reinvent the wheel.  This will help you collaborate with peers, students, and even others in different countries!

Do not hesitate to email me with questions or if you need some help with this.