I was
pleased when I came across Meograph during my quest to pull together digital storytelling tools and resources. It's claim is four dimensional storytelling that "combines maps, timelines, links, and
multimedia to tell stories in context of where and when.” As with any online
information, it is important to note the date that this post is
written. This is particularly true
because as I write, Meograph is in beta.
It seems to have tons of potential, and I love the concept in education!
Get past the
demo if you are a K-12 educator. It
has some interesting examples, but may not be appropriate for K-12. Sign up and give it a try. Watch this how-to video to get an overview.
I created this Meograph in more than a few minutes, but that is often
the case the first time around. If I
were to attempt this again, I’d assume it would be much quicker with better results. Here are some
things I learned along the way that may save you time if you make one yourself.
View Meograph on Google Earth mode in Chrome for more fun. Click on the orange "see more" tabs to view the
links that are available. In order to get the
slides to stay in the intended order, you need to be specific with the
date/time. The narration lasts 10
seconds. I couldn’t get Salar de Uyuni
correctly placed on the map, but I thought it was kind of funny how Google
Earth placed it because it really is an off the map type of place. Shortly after I published this post, the Meograph team kindly informed me that there is an option to put the exact latitude and longitude in, which could make a good geography lesson.
Right now, there are two options available for privacy, publishing or not publishing. YouTube is the only way to embed videos, and
at this point in history this could be an unfortunate deterant for K-12 (an
entirely different important topic). It's in beta; what can I say, it is one worth trying and following. It sounds like their team has some ideas for expanding it for educational use.
Met Ed
Again, there is amazing potential in this site and its basic
concept. Maps meet multimedia, digital
storytelling and basically any content area + creativity = seize the tech
integration moment. About any concept
that includes two or more locations could be used. This particularly seems relevant for ESOL,
English, Social Studies, and any project that involves mapping a person, event,
or process. I can imagine adult ESOL classes
mapping their stories. A science class
could write a biography or trace the origins of a discovery. Etc. As with any project like this planning such as storyboarding and researching, practice, editing, and adequate time are a few important elements.
Happy Meographing!
