A Time Line with TimeToast

This week, my students engaged in an exciting activity where they created a timeline about the life of someone they admire. This activity aimed to enhance their research and presentation skills while reinforcing their understanding of chronological order.

Learning Objectives

The primary goals of this activity were:

• To develop students’ ability to research and organize biographical information.

• To improve their writing skills by summarizing key events concisely.

• To enhance the use of digital tools for presenting information.

• To use the vocabulary and grammar studied in the unit. 

Advantages of Using TimeToast

TimeToast proved to be an excellent tool for this activity. This tool allowed the students create and edit timelines easily. Moreover, the tool provides a clear visual representation of the events in the life of a person, helping them understand some concepts better.

It has also been a different way to work on the writing skill in class. I used to provide them a structure to follow and words or connectors to use. Then, they just wrote an essay with a certain length.  With this tool, they have worked on this skill in a motivating way as they had to look for the infomration, then summarize it and they could add all they wanted. It took more time than usual, but it worth it. 

Steps to Set Up the Activity

1. Introduction: I introduced the concept of a timeline and showed examples of timelines. Also, I explained them how to use it.

2. Research Phase: Students selected a person they admire and researched key life events.

3. Drafting: They created a rough draft of their timeline on paper to organize information they found.

4. Digital Creation: Students used TimeToast to transfer their drafts into a digital format.

5. Presentation: Each student presented share their timeline into the Moodle of the group with a link for its correction.

Challenges and Solutions

Some students initially struggled with using the tool, particularly when arranging events in chronological order. To address this, I provided a step-by-step demonstration and created a short tutorial. Additionally, some students had trouble summarizing long pieces of information as they tried to put all the infomation into their works.

Student Reactions

The students were enthusiastic about using a different instrument to work on writing. Many enjoyed the visual aspect of the tool and found it satisfying to see their work come together in an interactive format. 

Improvements for Next Time

Next time, I would:

• Provide more structured examples to help those struggling with summarization.

• Encourage peer review so students can give each other feedback before finalizing their timelines.

How TimeToast Helped Achieve Learning Objectives

1. Improved Organization: The clear structure of TimeToast helped students logically arrange events, reinforcing their understanding of chronology.

2. Enhanced Engagement: The interactive and visual elements of the tool kept students motivated and involved.

3. Developed Digital Skills: Using an online platform for their work prepared students for future digital projects and presentations.

Overall, this activity was a great success, and I look forward to refining it further in future lessons!

Example of a timeline made by a student