Timetoast

I love this website! Timetoast is a tool to create timelines, which people have used to make and share timelines on all sorts of different topics. As you roll your mouse over, it automatically shows the relevant events - one event per black dot. The little "+" sign allows you to open the event to view more information including pictures and text. You can create a free account to make and share your own timelines.

I think this would be fantastic in the classroom. It would be a great visual representation of historical events (I don't know about you, but I always struggled with timelines at school because the page was too small). Since you can expand events, there's all sorts of applications like mini essays - why not collaborate and have each student work on a different event?

Students could document the important events in their lives, even adding photos. Obviously, as this is public domain, personal photos should not be used and care should be taken not to reveal identifying information.

One application I think would be really fun would be for the students to create future timelines for themselves. These could be real goals for older students, or fantasy futures for the littlies. Who wouldn't want to be an astronaut when they were 5?!

Links:
Timetoast