Hi! I’m Pete Ramsey, one of the Reference and Instruction librarians at Langsdale Library, and I also teach the Information Literacy (IDIS 110) course in first-year student learning communities.
For your consideration: Dipity.com
In my non-librarian role as a professor, I’m always looking for new and intriguing online tools for student projects. Dipity.com is one very interesting tool that recently came to my attention.
What is Dipity?
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| A dipity timeline with Seattle Times news articles on the Boeing 787 |
Dipity is a timeline building tool that is free online (or you can pay for a premium account). A user can find sources from around the internet and import them into Dipity. Links show up on a timeline with an attractive picture and short title. Once posted, each link can be annotated as desired. Once a timeline has been created a user can share it with others, either publicly or with a select group via email. When sharing, viewers can be given permission to contribute, making this a powerful collaborative tool.
How might Dipity be used for a class?
I could see students building a Dipity timeline–either as an individual or team project–for any topic that can be arranged chronologically. The import tools are powerful and intuitive, and the final display is easy on the eyes. For kicks (or for an in-class presentation), a user can click the tab just above the timeline to display in “Flipbook” style, with each event on the timeline showing up one-by-one.
Looking at a few Dipity timelines during student presentations would certainly be easier on the eyes than the usual “Death by PowerPoint.” Try it, you’ll like it!
This looks like a great tool! Although I have heard, from a fairly credible source, that "power point doesn't HAVE to suck."
This looks like a great tool! Although I have heard, from a fairly credible source, that "PowerPoint doesn't HAVE to suck."