How I Use It
While 2-5 are the recommended grades for Timeline, I have found it most beneficial for first graders learning the concept of sequencing and organizing in a linear manner. Students used the app to retell a story - they were able to take and include pictures from picture books that guided them in their retelling. The app allows for points to be moved once created - this manipulation is great for students as they first learn about timelines. While the app is straight forward, I wish that students were able to access the camera through the app. Instead, they must take pictures from the camera and then insert into the timeline. I have also used the app as a planning tool for writing. Students then printed the finished product to work from when drafting. Fourth graders used the app to keep a timeline of historical events during social studies. The timeline provided a great visual for students to understand the time relationship between events. It could also be used in math to place numbers on a number line.
This is an easy to use app that can help young students organize and sequence lineally. Users create an avatar and are allowed to save, revisit, and modify their work. This is a great feature for long term use; however, students must be using the same device which can be challenging when used with shared devices. Projects can be e-mailed to teachers or saved to the camera roll and exported to other applications. Timeline is a valuable tool when having students include photos in a timeline and the ability to move timeline points is great for those beginning to learn about timelines. However, beyond these features the app offers little more than using paper and pencil. No customization features are available and completed student work is nearly identical in appearance. There are instances that I find this app useful - specifically when student work includes pictures; however, I prefer to use versatile apps that can be modified for different learning experiences.