Dipity+Timeline

Dipity is a tool that allows you to construct an interactive timeline.

The **strengths** of this tool are that it is very easy to use, supports youtube clips, rss feeds, audio files, personal images and so on, and looks great! It can be used for any scale (from centuries to times of the day), and can even be used for planning future events.

The **weaknesses** that I found when using dipity with Grade 10, were that the students had trouble collaborating on their work (they were supposed to work in groups, but had to sign in as the same user if they wanted to edit the same timeline - I am sure we could have sorted this out with a bit more investigation), and submitting their work, (as it is interactive they can't just print it off or attach it).

There were in fact quite a few **solutions** to that problem though. I created a Facebook Group for the class (all the students already had Facebook) which worked very well, as students could share and comment on the various timelines. Though they could have simply emailed me the URL, or embedded the timelines in a wiki, blog, or I think linked to a Project page on 'It's learning'.

Worked Example This piece of work was part of a Unit on 20th Century Russia. I didn't want to dwell too long on the Cold War period, so wanted a summary task that would get the students to consider the main events and interpret their significance in a lively and creative way.

Open the document below to read the brief given to the students:

The students really enjoyed the activity, and their timelines showed that they were able to select and interpret sources that they would not normally use. The activity accommodated students with different learning styles as it did not rely on the written word. media type="custom" key="4822345"

media type="custom" key="4822375"


 * A few ideas for using dipity in the classroom**:
 * Investigations into change (e.g. science, music, history, geography)
 * Daily Routines for Language development
 * A planning and evaluation tool
 * Making a Reflection Journal


 * //Feel free to add to the list or discuss further ideas, strengths and weaknesses and so on through the discussion forum accessed via the tab at the top of this page.//**