How to use Digital Timelines In your Classroom Ask a Tech Teacher 2
Digital Timelines in Class Vocabulary Problem solving Common Core Call-out Color block Embed Handles Layering Nanoogo Overflow Panel Perspective Plagiarism Publisher Rubric Screenshot Timeline Washout Watermark Time 90 minutes I can t write on timeline (insert text box) Color block doesn t show (use layering) I can t save to online tool without an account (take a screenshot) I can t find timeline tool (Google name) I started project in lab and want to work on it in classroom, but I can t find it (did you save to your digital portfolio?) I can t find embed (look for share/publish/embed somewhere on screen) I need to edit timeline (how do you do that?) NETS-S Standards 2a, 4c, 6b Essential Question CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.3,6 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.6-9 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.1,3-5,7 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.11-5,7 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.1-4 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.1,2,4 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.4 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.2,3,6-10 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2,3,5-7 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2,3,5-7 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2,3,5-7 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.1,3,4 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.1,3,4 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.1,3,4 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.1,3,4 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.4.2,4 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.2,4 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.2,4 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.2,4 Grade 4-7 How can creating a visual representation of events enhance understanding of sequence? Overview Summary Students create a timeline related to a topic as part of sharing affect, purpose, and impact of events on bigger picture. Big Ideas Organize ideas visually for better understanding of big picture and individual events. Materials Nanoogo, DTP software, online timeline tools, spreadsheet program, extra completed timelines Teacher Preparation If you ve taught this lesson before and have resources collected, do a quick Google search to see if anything new has arrived you want to know about and should share with students. Consider co-teaching with subject-specific teacher. Have sample timelines from last year s students. Remind students to bring timelines to class. 3
Have class accounts set up where required for online tools. Be prepared to discuss laws regarding use of online images and internet safety. Something happen you weren t prepared for? No worries. Common Core is about critical thinking and problem solving. Show students how you fix the emergency without a meltdown. Steps Required skill level: Understand online research,. tools, and safe use of online data. Before beginning, put backchannel device onto Smartscreen (Today s Meet, Socrative, Padlet, class Twitter account, GAFE form page) to track student comments throughout class. Show students how to access it if necessary. Learning events in chronologic order is a challenge for students. Common Core addresses that: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences. Timelines are graphical representations of a sequence of events over a period of time. Researching and creating timelines appeals to students' visual, mathematic, and kinesthetic intelligences. This timeline can be created in: Desktop Publishing (Publisher) Nanoogo Online timeline tool Spreadsheet program Pre-sell this project by creating a class timeline on an inquiry topic--a book being read, historic events, or class activities (like holidays, birthdays, field trips, project due dates). Post it to class wiki, website, blog, or on classroom wall. Update daily. It won t be long before students are checking to see what was added, making their own for all students, putting events in order helps them to understand the overall development of a particular event Anonymous Teacher suggestions, and are eager to create their own. Students work with a partner to create a timeline that recounts events leading up to a particular point (tied into class inquiry). Research topic and gather ten sequential dates of events with several sentences explaining importance of each. Include one image, audio, or video for each date (this will vary depending upon timeline tool student uses). Keep a list of sources. Project can be a summative assessment or preassessment to determine what students know. Wherever students acquire information, they should assess credibility and accuracy. Each timeline includes criteria from rubric (Figure 22 and see sample at end of lesson) as well as: Student name Title Five-ten sequential events with dates A one-to-two sentence summation of each event 4
Watermark background that captures topic (optional see Figure 23a) 3-5 pictures to support events (if no watermark) (see Figure 23b) Glossary of domain-specific words (optional) Attractive color, layout, formatting Events may be drawn from research, class discussions, evidentiary reading, or conversations with experts. Where necessary, students cite sources. Before searching online for images, review proper internet use of Figure 1 Assessment for timeline images. When students finish timeline, look it over with a neighbor to be sure it s 1) organized, 2) writing conventions are accurate, 3) alignment is correct, 4) required items are included, 5) message is clear. Compare against grading rubric (see end of lesson and Figure 22) to be sure required pieces included. Edit as needed. Save, print, publish, share, embed as required. Upload to student digital portfolio as well as student/class blog, wiki, website. Have students present their timeline using SmartScreen. Drill down to videos and/or links to provide detail for dates and events. Speak clearly, at an easily understood pace and a volume that can be heard throughout room. Give students time to visit classmate projects. Add comments and kudos to support work. Review and demonstrate each tool listed below as well as your favorites or have a student do so. Project examples below include 1) Figure 23a: a comparison of events in time and events in a student s life, 2) Figure 23b: temporal history of revolutions, 3) Figure 24 and 25: the space race, 5) Figure 26a: a family tree, and 6) Figure 26b: history of a California mission. Desktop Publishing Open Publisher on SmartScreen. What is Publisher? What is a desktop publishing program? What would you use it for? Why not word processing? PowerPoint? A spreadsheet program? Project an example of timeline template on Smartscreen so students can work at their own pace (see Figure 23a and 23b for examples). 5
Add thick timeline that bisects page(s). Use shift key to keep line straight. Add a call-out. Resize, then copy-paste a callout for each date. Pull call-out tail to touch timeline. Fill in call-out for each event in chronologic sequence. Do not copy-paste info from internet that would be plagiarism. Rephrase in age-appropriate words. Keep bubbles brief, concise, pithy. This is a good time to discuss plagiarism. Lawful use of text and images should be covered as a class four-five times in elementary school. When done, students work with partner to compare their project to checklist at end of lesson. Remind students: Every time they use computers, practice keyboarding skills. Embed completed project into student blog via screenshot or embed code (if available). Figure 2a and 23b Timelines created in Publisher Nanoogo Discuss using online tools for projects especially if students have little exposure to this. Is it safe? How do they save? How do they share with others? Remind students that online tools can be used from school, home, a friend s house, library, even grandma s. Bring up a themed article appropriate to class inquiry. We ll use an online tool called Nanoogo to visually display understanding of article. Open Nanoogo. Show students how to toggle between Nanoogo and article. Share an example of project (like Figure 24) so students can work at their own pace. Add a title and tags to identify topic and class. Using Shapes, add a line in middle for timeline. Using article for reference, add as many text boxes as required to summarize events (like call-outs in DTP). Don t worry if they re not in order. They re easy to move. Resize text to fit and pick font. Drag events into chronologic order. Then, use Shapes to add a line that points event to timeline. Add stars to highlight important events. Add at least three pictures that relate to article. Upload required images to My Stuff and then drag-drop to canvas. Resize to fit available space. Students can work in groups to complete project. Display grading rubric (see example at end of lesson) on Smartscreen so students can verify all requirements are fulfilled--grammar and spelling, formatting, editing, layout. Be sure main ideas are clear and well developed. All facts are accurate, relevant, and appropriate. Detail are descriptive. Media reinforce text, and both text and images convey same message. As a whole, all media enhance central ideas. Embed completed project into student blog via screenshot. 6
When satisfied, 1) publish to Nanoogo account and 2) take a screen shot and mail to you (as teacher). No printing. Remind students: Every time they use computers, practice keyboarding skills. Figure 3 Timeline created with Nanoogo (online tool) Online Timeline Tool Discuss using web tools especially if they have little exposure to this. Is it safe? How do they save? How do they share with others? Remind students that online tools can be used from school, home, a friend s house, the local library, even their grandma s house. Timelines can be created using free web-based tools like: TimeToast Dipity Tiki-toki or another of your choice. Some require an online account. Some allow video embeds. All make it easy to set up and add events. Share timelines created by prior students so current students better understand expectations. Create a sample timeline so students can see how it works (see Figure 25). Organize students into groups and give them time to experiment with alternatives and make a selection. The one you consider perfect may not work for them. Whichever they pick is fine. The goal is to self-teach a tool and create a timeline fulfilling requirements. Have each group create a timeline with ten events and images/videos, using appropriate facts and descriptive details to support theme. Put each event in its correct chronologic order. Check grammar and spelling, formatting, editing, layout. Be sure main ideas are clear. All facts should be accurate, relevant, and appropriate. Media should reinforce text, and both text and images should convey the same message. As a whole, all media should enhance theme 7
When timeline is completed, use embed code to publish it to student blog, wiki or website. Remind students: Every time they use computers, practice keyboarding skills. Figure 4 Timeline created with another online tool Spreadsheet Timeline This is a favorite with students because it s quick, easy, and uses a tool they already know how to use (Excel, Sheets, Numbers). It doesn t use an internet tool, so is a great project those days when your internet is down. Open spreadsheet program used at your school (Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers, Open Office, or other) on SmartScreen. What is a spreadsheet program? Why use this program for a timeline instead of a word processing program? A Presentation program? Demonstrate how easy it is to line up project elements by grid lines (see Figure 26b for an example). Does this seem easier than other tools? Have each group of students create a timeline with about ten events and images, using appropriate facts and relevant details to support theme. Drag each event to its correct order. See Figure 26a and 26b for examples. Check grammar and spelling, formatting, editing, layout. Be sure main ideas are clear. All facts should be accurate. Media should reinforce text, and both text and images should convey the same message. As a whole, all media should enhance central idea. Remind students: Every time they use computers, practice keyboarding skills. Save to student digital portfolio. Publish/share/print as required. Add completed project into student blog/website/wiki with a screenshot. If you are using Google Sheets, find the embed code (under Publish ) and add timeline to student blog/website. An alternative: Students create a genealogic timeline a family tree (see Figure 26a). Place an image in the spreadsheet background of a tree; add family names in an inverted pyramid. Students will probably want to prepare for this by getting a list of relatives from parents. 8
Figure 5a and 26b Genealogic timeline and family tree both created with spreadsheet program When students finish, ask them what digital tools were used today (Hint: software, internet, online tools). How did technology accomplish goals better than other approaches? If students have blogs or online journals, reflect on what they learned in this lesson. As you teach, incorporate domain-specific language into lesson. Throughout class, check for understanding. Remind students to transfer knowledge to classroom or home. Expect students to solve problems as independently as possible. Problems at beginning of lesson are the most common students face during lesson. Expect students to make decisions that follow class rules. A note: Every chance you get, use technology to facilitate teaching. Lead by example. Students will follow your good example. They want to use tech. Don t discourage them! Extension: Use an online spreadsheet tool like EditGrid or Zoho Docs. Assign a student to enter timeline project dates into online calendar. Have students collect all events in a history unit being studied. Post them to SmartScreen as a list and have students create a timeline showing their chronologic order. Use as a formative or summative assessment of class inquiry. Use as a formative or summative assessment of technology skills. More Information: Lesson questions? Go to Ask a Tech Teacher Full digital citizenship curriculum for K-8 here 9
Relevant Pieces Grammar and Spelling Beginning 1 Project includes some of required elements, but not all categories or all information There are numerous grammar and spelling errors, most of which should have been caught with a simple edit process Grading Rubric Developing 2 Project includes all categories, but not all required elements in each There are substantive grammar and spelling errors, indicating creators did not perform a final once-over before submitting Accomplished 3 Project includes most of required elements. Those skipped seem to be because they were forgotten, not that creators lacked knowledge to complete Grammar errors are limited to those that indicate creators may not have known how to correct them. There are no obvious spelling errors Exemplary 4 Project includes all required elements title, tags, highlight of what s important, events, pics, timeline, source, vocabulary, pleasant layout There are no grammar and spelling errors which could have been caught by an edit program and/or that should be known by student Score Subject Matter Knowledge Creators often misstated events. There is no effort to rephrase events in age-appropriate vocabulary (meaning, students seemed to copypaste from website). Relevant vocabulary words not included Creators sometimes misstate events and show nominal understanding of their impact on inquiry topic. There is some effort to decode vocabulary using normal rules. Source may not be included There are minimal errors in relaying events. Pictures overall apply to events. Students show gradeappropriate critical thinking skills and an ability to use available resources when necessary There are no errors in timeline events. Vocabulary is appropriate to student reading level. Pictures match events. Students show above-grade critical thinking skills Technical Knowledge There is insufficient knowledge of design process and other technology required to complete required elements. Citations are missing or erroneous. Design layout is chaotic making it difficult to understand the timeline intent Creators seem to struggle with technology and design process, but show an effort to figure out how to deliver required elements. Consistency of design layout is spotty with insufficient attention to details Creators seem to understand the required technology and design process necessary to create the timeline, even those entailing selfteaching. Design is pleasing, and an organized presentation of ideas Layout is consistent and all design elements at grade level. Creators demonstrate a deep and thorough understanding of all technology and the chosen tool design process as required to create a masterful and professional project 10
Assessment Pick what works for your grade level Can students transfer learning to life? Did student join class conversations? Work well in a group? Did student safely and effectively use the internet (where required)? Did student use academic and domain-specific language, as well as correct language conventions, when speaking to class, classmates and you? Did student understand the juxtaposition of technology and education? Did student use backchannel device when necessary? Did student use correct keyboarding while typing? Did student transfer knowledge from other lessons? Did student try to solve problems (tech and otherwise) independently before requesting assistance from classmates and/or you? Is student engaged, making a best effort to accomplish lesson goals? Did student include all required elements in timeline? Did student include various forms of media in their timeline (where possible)? Did timeline include chronologic events, summary of occurrences, and correct dates? Did student complete timeline and share it with classmates? Was student a risk-taker, curious about new technology (i.e., backchannel devices, note-taking tools, timeline tool)? Did student understand that digital tools used were alternatives to paperand-pencil used other times? While investigating, did student enjoy the experience? Other. 11
Other Singles from Structured Learning 15 Web Tools in 15 Days Blogging Brainstorming Bridge Building Debate Digital Book Reports Digital Note-taking Digital Quick Stories Digital Quick Writes Digital Timelines Gamification Genius Hour Google Apps Internet Search and Research Khan Academy Service Learning Write an Ebook Write with Twitter 12
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