eStory - A New Multimedia Timeline Creation Tool

Whenever I see a new timeline creation tool appear on the Internet, I can't resist giving it a try. So when eStory appeared on Product Hunt a few days ago, I had to sign-up and test it out. 

eStory is a free tool that you can use to quickly create multimedia timelines. There are some great aspects of it and a few that I'd like to see improved. eStory timelines are image and text based. At this time there doesn't appear to be a way to include videos in the timeline. That's a limiting aspect of eStory, but it also makes the creation process quicker. eStory includes an integrated image search tool which makes it quick and easy to find images to use in your timelines. However, it doesn't appear to give image attribution or even a link to the image source. That's a problem that needs to be addressed. 

To create a timeline on eStory you'll have to create an account using your email address or by connecting your Google account. After that step you'll give your timeline a title and choose a cover image for your timeline. Then you can add some recommended readings to your timeline before starting to create events on your timeline. Each event on your timeline is created by adding a date, an event title, an event description, and an event cover image. Event descriptions are limited to 280 characters. When you've added all of your events you can publish your timeline publicly or keep it private. Publishing options include sharing a direct URL for your timeline or using the provided embed code to post your timeline in a web page. 

Applications for Education
eStory has a couple of issues that I'd like to see addressed before I'll fully recommend it for classroom use. Those are the lack of image attribution and the lack of support for video. If those items are addressed, eStory could be a good tool for students to use to make multimedia timelines.

Winter Scavenger Hunts and Bingo

The sun is shining longer in the northern hemisphere these days. We're really starting to notice here in Maine where the sun is still shining when we're having supper. That means it's slightly warmer in the afternoon and we have more time to play outside after school. In other words, it's perfect for going on winter scavenger hunts!

Let's Go on a Winter Scavenger Hunt is the title of a new SciShow Kids video about the neat things we can find outside in the winter. It also gives a short explanation of why we don't see some animals and plants during the winter. Watch the video here or as embedded below. 

After watching the video your students might want to go on a winter scavenger hunt. Give them things to look and a way to keep track of them by using winter bingo boards. In this video I demonstrate how you can use Google Sheets to create outdoor bingo boards.