Dipity Interactive Timeline Guide
Uploaded by
Maxwell SmartDipity Interactive Timeline Guide
Uploaded by
Maxwell SmartDipity Tutorial
Description:
• Dipity
is
a
free
and
easy-‐to-‐use,
online
program
for
making
interactive,
multimedia
timelines.
• It
allows
anyone
to
upload
video,
audio,
and
images
with
the
interest
of
making
timelines
that
are
more
dynamic
and
visually
compelling.
Getting
Started:
1) Sign
up
for
a
free
account
at
[Link]
After
clicking
on
the
“Sign
In”
button
at
the
top
right
of
the
screen,
you
will
need
to
provide
an
e-‐
mail
address,
username,
and
password.
Timeline
Description
and
Permission
Settings:
2)
Once
you
have
signed
up
for
an
account,
click
on
the
“Create
a
Timeline”
button
on
the
top
navigation
bar.
This
will
take
you
to
a
screen
that
prompts
you
to
enter
information
about
your
timeline,
including
your
timeline’s
title
(“Topic
Name”),
a
short
description,
and
the
permission
and
privacy
settings
for
your
project.
This
last
item
is
very
important
to
consider
when
publishing
content
produced
by
young
children.
a. If
you
wish
to
keep
the
timeline
visible
only
to
your
class,
click
the
bubble
marked
“Private.”
b. If
you
wish
to
share
the
timeline
with
specific
people
(i.e.
parents,
other
teachers),
click
the
bubble
marked
“The
Following
People”
and
enter
the
e-‐mail
addresses
of
those
who
you
want
to
share
the
timeline
with,
separated
by
commas.
You
can
also
set
the
degree
of
control
the
user
has
over
viewing,
adding
to,
or
editing
your
timeline.
a. In
the
pull-‐down
menu,
if
you
click
“Can
View,”
the
user
can
only
view
your
timeline.
b. If
you
click
“Can
Contribute,”
the
user
can
contribute
new
events
to
the
timeline
(more
on
this
later).
c.
If
you
click
“Can
Edit,”
the
user
can
edit
existing
events.
After
you
are
done
filling
out
the
user
preferences,
click
on
the
yellow
“Continue
to
Add
Events”
button
in
the
bottom
right
screen.
Advanced
Settings:
3) One
of
the
coolest
things
about
Dipity
is
that
it
allows
you
to
toggle
between
different
frameworks
of
time.
For
instance,
your
timeline
could
span
merely
one
day
or
five
thousand
years
depending
on
what
you
choose
as
your
“Default
Zoom.”
Choose
whatever
time
span
is
appropriate
for
your
project
from
the
“Default
Zoom”
drop
down
menu.
4) On
this
page,
you
can
also
choose
the
date
that
you
want
the
timeline
to
center
on
when
it
first
loads
for
the
viewer.
If
you
do
not
set
this
“Center
on
Date”
function,
the
timeline
will
automatically
center
on
today’s
date.
5) You
can
also
enter
any
tags
that
you
want
associated
with
your
timeline.
This
is
useful
if
your
project
is
public
and
you
want
it
to
be
searchable
from
the
Dipity
user
search
engine.
6) Finally,
you
can
choose
from
a
number
of
background
colors
and
visual
themes
under
the
“Themes”
radio
button.
When
you
are
done
with
all
of
these
items,
click
on
the
green
“Save
and
View
Timeline”
button
in
the
bottom
right
corner
of
the
screen.
Adding
and
Editing
Events:
7) This
will
bring
you
to
the
main
Dipity
timeline
screen.
Right
now,
the
timeline
only
has
one
event,
“Dipity
Timeline
Created,
”
but
this
will
disappear
once
you
create
your
first
event.
To
do
so,
click
on
the
yellow
“Add
an
Event”
button
in
the
upper
left
of
the
screen
(circled
red
in
the
image
above).
8) This
will
prompt
an
“Add
an
Event”
pop-‐up
box
to
appear.
Here
is
where
you
will
add
descriptions
and
media
for
each
event
in
your
timeline.
Most
of
the
fields
just
prompt
you
to
enter
in
the
appropriate
text,
but
the
“Date”
field
requires
specific
formatting.
If
you
are
entering
a
specific
day,
be
sure
to
use
the
month’s
three-‐letter
abbreviation,
followed
by
the
day
of
the
month
and
a
comma.
For
an
event
spanning
two
dates,
use
the
word
“to”
to
connect
them.
Other
features
of
this
screen
include:
a) Clicking
on
the
upload
button
will
allow
you
to
upload
a
picture
from
your
hard
drive.
b) Entering
a
URL
into
the
“Link”
field
will
make
a
link
appear
in
the
event
description.
c) “Location”
allows
you
to
enter
the
spatial
coordinates
of
an
event
to
place
it
on
a
Google
Map,
but
this
feature
is
only
available
in
the
“Premium”
(not
free)
version
of
Dipity.
d) “Video
URL”
allows
you
to
embed
a
video
from
Youtube
directly
into
your
timeline.
Just
copy
and
paste
the
URL.
9) After
clicking
on
the
green
“Save”
button
in
the
lower
right
hand
corner,
you
will
see
the
finished
event
on
the
timeline!
And
when
the
user
clicks
on
the
event
in
the
timeline,
they
will
see
an
information
box
much
like
this.
10)
Add
as
many
events
as
you
want
to
complete
your
timeline!
If
you
wish
to
edit
or
delete
an
event
you
created,
just
click
on
the
green
“Edit”
or
“Delete”
buttons
in
the
upper
right
corner
of
the
screen.
Sharing
and
Embedding:
11)Dipity
allows
you
a
variety
of
ways
to
share
your
timeline
through
social
media
platforms.
Click
on
one
of
the
social
media
icons
(i.e.
Facebook,
Twitter,
Digg)
to
post
the
link
to
your
Dipity
timeline
on
your
account
in
one
or
more
of
these
platforms.
12)Built
in
Flash,
Dipity
is
embeddable
in
most
websites.
Just
click
on
the
“Embed”
link
in
the
upper
right
hand
corner
of
the
main
timeline
window,
copy
the
embed
code
that
appears
in
the
pop-‐up
window,
and
paste
it
into
any
backend
HTML
editor.
Here
is
an
example
from
the
popular
blogging
platform
Wordpress.
More
Questions:
13)
If
you
are
still
in
need
of
assistance,
check
out
the
“Help”
button
at
the
bottom
of
the
Dipity
homepage.
It
provides
a
very
helpful
list
of
FAQs.
Common questions
Powered by AIDipity is beneficial for creating multimedia timelines due to its ease of use and the ability to upload various media types such as video, audio, and images, making timelines dynamic and visually compelling . It also offers customizable timeline frameworks, allowing users to choose the time span and center date, personalize themes, and adjust privacy settings to manage visibility and user interaction . Additionally, it supports sharing and embedding timelines through social media platforms and websites, enhancing accessibility and reach .
To create a timeline event on Dipity, users start by clicking the 'Add an Event' button, filling in an 'Add an Event' pop-up with text descriptions, and uploading media like images or video URLs . This process allows educators to leverage various educational strategies, such as project-based learning, where students could compile historical events or scientific processes by conducting research and uploading relevant multimedia content. This interactive method can enhance critical thinking and narrative skills, allowing students to construct comprehensive presentations while engaging with the content creatively .
Dipity provides detailed privacy and permission settings, which are crucial when creating content involving young children. Users can make timelines private, restricting access to a classroom environment, or they can specify individuals by entering their email addresses to control who can view, contribute to, or edit the timeline . This is important as it protects children’s information and ensures compliance with privacy regulations. It also allows educators to maintain a controlled and safe digital environment for educational activities .
Dipity's user interface empowers educators by providing options to adjust the visual and narrative elements of timelines. It offers customizable themes and color backgrounds, letting educators tailor the visual presentation to fit the tone or subject of the timeline . The ability to add descriptive text, multimedia content, and user-set timelines enhances narrative elements, allowing educators to create compelling visual stories that can captivate and educate students. Such customization enables timelines that reflect specific educational goals or thematic focuses .
An advantage of using Dipity's location feature is that it enhances the spatial context of events by integrating them with Google Maps, which is especially beneficial in educational settings to visualize historical or geographical subjects. However, a limitation is that this feature is only available in the premium version, restricting access for users of the free version . This can limit the tool's utility for budget-conscious users or educational institutions and may discourage broader adoption despite its potential for enriching timeline interactivity .
Dipity's embedding feature allows instructors to integrate timelines directly into learning management systems or educational blogs, such as those on WordPress, through the use of simple embed codes . This capability can significantly enrich online teaching methods by providing students with interactive and visually appealing resources within their primary learning platforms. It enables seamless access to timeline content and encourages students to engage with temporal data interactively. However, embedding requires basic HTML knowledge, which may pose a barrier for some educators not familiar with web technologies .
Dipity supports the inclusion of external and interactive content by allowing users to upload images, embed YouTube videos, and add URLs within timeline events . This multimedia integration enriches timelines by providing diverse content types, making presentations more engaging and informative. It allows users to create comprehensive timelines that incorporate various perspectives and media formats, which enhances the learning experience and retains viewer interest . The interactive nature of multimedia content can also stimulate deeper engagement with the material, increasing educational impact.
Dipity facilitates the easy sharing of timelines through social media integration and embeddability on websites, by using social media icons and embed codes . This functionality promotes collaborative educational efforts by allowing educators and students to share their timelines widely with peers, promoting knowledge exchange and feedback. Shared timelines can be integrated into collaborative digital projects, enhancing student interaction and collective learning. Educators can also share timelines with parents to provide insights into classroom activities and learning progress .
The privacy settings in Dipity significantly enhance the security of online educational resources by allowing creators to manage access to the timelines through options such as 'Private' timelines, visibility to selected individuals via email, and varied user permissions (view, contribute, edit). These features protect sensitive educational content from unauthorized access, aligning with best practices in digital security. However, proper setting and management are crucial, as misconfigured permissions could inadvertently expose educational resources, necessitating that educators possess adequate understanding of digital privacy tools to safeguard student data and projects .
Dipity's feature for toggling between different time spans enhances its flexibility, making it a versatile tool for various educational purposes. By allowing timelines to span from a single day to thousands of years, it can be adapted for projects ranging from short-term classroom activities to comprehensive historical analyses . This flexibility supports educators in customizing timelines to suit curriculum needs and student projects, fostering creativity and engagement. However, such flexibility requires careful planning to ensure timelines remain clear and meaningful, which can be challenging for beginners .