StoryMapJS (Blog Post 6)
StoryMapJS
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| StoryMapJS Interface. (n.d.). Retrieved from [link] |
StoryMapJS is a free online story mapping tool. The intention behind the story mapping tool is that students will be able to ‘tell a story’ that follows the outline of the map and/or timeline, fleshed out by more in-depth slides that add additional detail. This is a really fun example about Arya’s journey in Game of Thrones (based on the books…)
How to use the Tool
The site is free, but requires that the user sign in using his Google account (students likely already have a Google account in order to use the Chromebook platform). Using the site is fairly simple – from the homepage, the user simply clicks on the ‘Create a Map’ link, signs into his Google account and is able to move to the mapping tool. Essentially, the user is able to create a map or timeline (or combination of the two), with slides that correspond to various points – dates/places, etc. on the map/timeline. This is a very clear tutorial with an easy-to-understand breakdown of how to use the tool in its basic form. Commonsense Media points out the support from the site itself in terms of use is somewhat lacking, but there are many tutorials (see below) available, so an interested educator or student would likely be able to figure out how to answer any questions fairly easily.
Additional Tech Options
The site is user-friendly and students should be able to use the platform as it is presented, but particularly motivated students may be interested in using gigapixels in order to add very large or detailed images to their story map. See this article for a tutorial of gigapixel use. In addition, educators that want to encourage students to expand their coding experience or students that have advanced coding skills can engage with the tool in a more advanced capacity. StoryMapJS gives a description of how to use these advanced features, and this site gives some additional tips.
Use in the Classroom
This is a great tool for use in the classroom because the student is able to create a timeline, etc. that presents an order in which the viewer is supposed to view the timeline. The viewer will see the map on one side of the screen, while on the other side of the screen corresponds to the selected point on the map – images, descriptive text, etc. With this tool, the viewer sees this additional information in the order the creator has directed, thereby following the timeline presented rather than skipping back and forth. CampusPress has a helpful review of the tool, as well as some other similar tools (of which I think StoryMapJS is by far the most impressive). Teachers can likely think of many ways to incorporate timelines and storymaps into their classroom, but TeachersFirst gives some helpful examples – others might be a map of westward expansion in the United States, mapping animal or human evolution and/or movement across continents, a timeline of WWI, etc. This is also a great tool for encouraging the use of coding and/or more involved technical tools like the gigapixel use mentioned above.
Note for Teachers
Knightlab has a number of free online tools for storylines, storymaps, timelines, addition of audio to projects, video, etc. – all great tools for educators and reasonably easy to use.
Hi Libby,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post as I had not heard of StoryMapJS before. After reading your post, I can see where this would be a great technology tool for creating timelines or story maps for multiple content areas, and provides a different format for students to share their work. I occasionally have my students create timelines, and will be having my students research the Mars rovers soon. While I normally have my students write an autobiography from the perspective of one of the Mars rovers, using StoryMapJS would be a great way for students to showcase their learning, as well. Thanks for sharing.
~Shanon Ashley
Shanon, I thought this was such a cool tool! It seems like it would be fun for kids to use - particularly high school or middle school students. I can even think back to college assignments I completed in undergrad and how this would have been a helpful tool back then (although I don't know if the technology existed to implement it).
DeleteWhere was this when I was using books like "The Watson's Go to Birmingham 1963" to combine English and Social Studies?! We attempted to do this on paper, but our results were not even close to this dynamic! I can't wait to show this tool to the teachers at my school.
ReplyDeleteCatherine, right?! I can't believe how many cool tech options are available now compared to when I was in school. Although it's hard to know they exist unless you come across a blog post or someone you know mentions it - I guess that is something to keep in mind as the librarian. Teachers don't really have time to be searching around the internet for various tech tools, so the librarian could do blog posts like this so that teachers are aware of things like that that might engage students more than the typical assignments (and also prepare them for digital life in the workplace).
DeleteStoryMap JS sounds pretty neat. This is the first I have heard of this tool, and the video makes me think it is a pretty user friendly tool. I am currently teaching about immigrants traveling from eastern and southern Europe to the United States and then coming to Ellis Island. Students are about to begin this week creating their own story and timeline. Next year I may have to consider using this tool as part of the project. Thanks for ideas! - Jill Farr
ReplyDeleteAs a former history teacher, I am in love with this tool. I had never heard of it before, but after watching the video that you posted in your blog, I will definitely be sharing this tool with other teachers at my school. What a great way for the students to be able to visualize location and distance between places and events. Even though the video guy went pretty quickly, it doesn't seem that difficult to use. I believe hunting and saving pictures ahead of time would make it go even more quickly. Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteI love that this exists. I can only imagine how great it would be for civics/history/social studies/geography teachers. As a former English major, though--the example with Arya from Game of Thrones was particularly inspiring, and I love the idea of having students use this with literature to either immerse themselves in the setting or to map out complicated story lines. So cool.
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