When I was in third grade, my family and I moved during a snow storm from upstate New York to Corpus Christi, Texas. It was quite a culture and weather shock! Just imagine doing your Christmas shopping in shorts and a t-shirt! However, I really enjoyed living there, but eventually moved away in the fall of my fifth grade year. I will never forget the fact that they didn't teach American history. Instead, they taught Texas history! Give me a date and I'll tell you its significance to Texas...1836, 1845, etc. anyone?
I smile at it now, but memorizing dates was not a very fun task. Drawing a timeline was one of the best ways that I could learn the information. My classmates and I would often grab a piece of construction paper to draw out a timeline and populate it with dates of significance. Do you remember those days?
Timelines are still effective for understanding the sequence and significance of certain dates, but the tools have changed. Tools like
TimeToast are giving teachers and students the ability to create a simple timeline that is easy to create. Its simple interface give students the ability to quickly add dates, provide a brief description, and add pictures. I really like the unique feature to switch between the timeline view (traditional timeline) or go to the text view (chart). The timeline view is filled with dots that represent each date. Students can click on a date dot and even expand the event title for a more descriptive analysis of the event. The text view create an organized chart that gives an event title, description, date, and even picture.
You can search through existing timelines or you can create a brand new one. Try this easy to use timeline out and let me know what you think. Also, please let me know of other timeline sites that you have already tried.
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