Featured: 1-7-2014 ChronoZoom

ChronoZoom is a free, open source timeline tool that allows teachers and students to create powerful interactive timelines that reveal new perspectives on history.

 

 

Unlike conventional timelines, ChronoZoom allows you to zoom in and out between a timeline that covers decades and one that covers billions of years. View Big History in a whole new way. Browsing through history on ChronoZoom lets you explore an array of historical data including articles, images, video, and audio.

 

 

ChronoZoom can help put historical events in perspective. There is a tendency to think of time solely in linear, sequential terms, thus hiding the scope of the breadth of time. If you use ChronoZoom to zoom from the Industrial Revolution all the way back to the Big Bang, you can see how that depth provides an entirely new way to visualize time and history. 

 

 Watch ChronoZoom: A Timeline for Big History

 

A great many resources have already been created in ChronoZoom. The timelines, exhibits, and tours have been created by authors from many disciplines, and express unusual and compelling views of history.

 

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

COD - 3/22/2012 - TimeSearch [History]

 

TimeSearch is a search engine devised for anyone interested in history. The raw material of TimeSearch is events of any kind, whenever they may have happened.

By delivering events in the form of timelines, TimeSearch introduces the element of serendipitous discovery. Unlike a conventional search engine where you need to have some idea of what you are looking for, with TimeSearch you only need to indicate broad areas or themes that interest you and at what period in time.

A previously unknown event may be just the thing you were looking for. TimeSearch currently has nearly 10,000 events in its timelines and it is growing. Search results come with links for related text searches, images, links, and/or maps for each event in the timeline.

TimeSearch was developed by Bamber Gascoigne and Ian Henghes, who are fellow directors of the educational website HistoryWorld.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

 

Is a "Wandering Mind" a Bad Thing?

 

I get some of my best ideas when I wake up early and can lie in bed for a time and just let my mind roam freely. I've been this way for as long as I can remember. Are you like this? When do you get your best ideas?

Yesterday, I read a very interesting TIME magazine piece by Annie Murphy Paul, "Why Morning Routines Are Creativity Killers" that explained why this happens. Murphy cites research that suggests "that imaginative insights are most likely to come to us when we’re groggy and unfocused. The mental processes that inhibit distracting or irrelevant thoughts are at their weakest in these moments, allowing unexpected and sometimes inspired connections to be made."

She points out that this research seems to indicate the discursive attentional focus of sleepy people may cause them to subconsciously broaden their search of their personal knowledge base, thus leading to an increase in creative problem solving.

You can, and should, read the entire article here.

I wonder if there are implications here regarding the effect that working with a background distraction, such as music softly playing or the ambient noises of a coffee shop, may stimulate creativity in certain individuals. Personally, I seem to be more creative in circumstances like those than I am when working in a totally quiet environment. And, if so, what does this mean for teaching and learning?

BTW, I have enjoyed many of  Annie Murphy Paul's TIME articles and would strongly recommend you consider following her on Twitter at @anniemurphypaul.

 

Catch of the Day - Timeline Tools - 11 Dec 09

Today's bountiful catch features five online timeline tools

TimeGlider

TimeGlider is a tool for seeing the past and planning the future. On-line, interactive and collaborative timelines can be created quickly by anyone. Being web-based, TimeGlider lets you collaborate and share easily. TimeGlider's basic version is free with two levels of paid service available.

TimeRime

TimeRime has developed a web application, which allows you to view, create, share and compare interactive timelines. The subjects of the timelines can be anything which relates to time. The TimeRime timelines can be interactive and multimedia with text, music, YouTube videos, etc. Basic services are free with an ad-free, closed paid educational account available.

Dipity

Dipity allows you to easily build and share interactive timelines which may include a wide variety of multimedia content such as Flickr images and YouTube videos. Dipity timelines can be viewed in four distinct ways: Timeline, List View, Flipbook, or Map View. Dipity is free to use.

Timetoast


Timetoast allows you to create interactive timelines which you can share anywhere on the web. Timetoast timelines can include images, links, and other content. It's completely free. (Timetoast does not support Internet Explorer 6.)

Kronomy

Kronomy is a place to generate interactive timelines and share them with the world. It allows you to create timelines with all relevant media together in an interactive and 3D view. They can be easily exported to other social networks, blogs or sites.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

First Course Deadlines

Here are the tentative deadlines for progressing through the first CFF Embedded Learning course. To complete a unit you must score 70% or more on the objective quiz, respond to my discussion item and to at least two of your classmates' items. No one will be released to the next unit until at least three people have successfully completed the current unit.

What Time Is It In ??????

What Time Is It? will let you know the current time just about anywhere on the globe.

For locations in the US and Canada, simply type in the city and state. For international locations, select the country from the list and type in the city's name.

Click the What Time Is It? button and you'll see a clean, easy-to-read display of the current time in the location of your choice.