XTimeline

     I  recently came across a website called "Xtimeline" that I think can be a really useful technological tool for Social Studies students. This website allows users to create multimedia timelines that can include text, images, and videos. With all of these aspects, students can create there own historical timeline rather than just reading them in the textbook. Not only will this allow students to be more interactive with the information but they can also become more creative when presenting there timeline. In the Social Studies class creativity is never a main priority for teachers, and that can sometimes affect how the students learn the information. Boring, factual information can be transformed into interesting and interactive information with "XTimeline" and the things it offers.
     Students will have the opportunity to learn the information the way they feel most comfortable. If a student learns better visually then they will have a chance to use images to remember people, places, and dates.  The website that presents "XTimeline" is free and easy but does require an account. I think to make it safest for students, I would have the account under my information but allow my students to use this one account. I think for the classroom it would be best to have groups create timelines together. For example, if I were to be doing a lesson on the Civil Rights Movement, I would split the class into groups and have each group focus on one specific event that took place. These events could be the March on Washington, the Freedom Riders, the Sit-Ins, and the Little Rock Nine. Each group would take these events and create a timeline explaining what happened leading up to this event, what happened at the event, and what occurred after the event to affect the entire movement. I think that by breaking up the entire movement into separate timelines, students can get a better sense of what actually happened in each event that made the entire movement successful. I also think these "XTimelines" can be useful as study guides at the end of the unit. Because the students are creating these timelines, it may make more sense to the students how each event is broken down. Hopefully these kinds of tools become more popular in the social studies class since it is not only incorporating technology but also creativity in the social studies class as well.