This is a StoryMap
Scroll through this StoryMap to learn more about leveraging them in your next online class.
Overview
StoryMaps get their name from their ability to tell stories with custom maps. While their maps are impressive, StoryMaps have a wide variety of additional tools to increase interactivtiy and engagement.
In this next section, we will walk through StoryMap's formats and features. Be thinking about what features you would like to include in your course. If there's a feature you're interested in but don't see here, check with your instructional designer.
Formats & Features
Webpage Format
Content can appear as a simple webpage like this. Notice how the text stretches across your computer screen.
SideCar Format
Content can also appear as a sidecar. Notice how the screen is split into two distinct sections.
Sections can have text, video, audio, interactive graphics, or maps.
On the other half of this sidecar is a map.
Embedded Websites
If you don't want students exiting your StoryMap through a hyperlink, you can embed the website. This way, students can read the article or appreciate the images without opening a new tab.
Monarch butterfly, facts and photos
Images
Let's say rather than using an article's images, you collected your own. Images can be displayed alone, in galleries, or as swipes.
Swipes
Swipes allow students to directly compare two images via a sliding bar. They can be used to see the impacts of climate change, compare two visual models, or spot the differences in a catepillar and emerging butterfly.
Timeline
Maybe you would rather create a timeline of a catepillar's journey into a butterfly. Storymaps can do that too.
Egg
Monarch butterflies look for milkweed to lay their eggs.
Larvae
The larvae, or caterpillar, eat milkweed and become toxic to birds.
Pupa
After about ten days, the chrysalis becomes. . .
Adult
a butterfly.
Maps
Maps can tell a story, like the migration of the Monarch butterfly, or allow your students to explore a new part of the world.
Talk with your instructional designs to learn more about what's possible.
H5P
The last feature that we'll cover here is by far the most adaptable: H5P.
H5P allows your instructional designer to make and embed interactive features such as images with clickable icons, videos with questions and commentary, quiz questions, flashcards, and more. Below is an example of H5P quiz.
Monarch Butterfly Quiz - H5P.com
StoryMaps Across Disciplines
Storymaps can be used to share content, kick-start discussions, and introduce ideas across a wide array of disciplines.
When you see a StoryMap you want to explore, click on the StoryMap to the left and scroll.
Art
Science
Business
Family Studies
Music
Dance
Architecture & Engineering Design
History
The Template
Now that you have a better idea of what's possible, it's time to create your own using a template. Templates allow instructional designers to easily add features and formats that will make your instructional content pop while saving you the time of creating the StoryMap yourself.
Below, the left side of the screen shows an example of what a completed template looks like in Word. The right side shows what that template looks like as a Storymap. StoryMaps can be long or short, simple or complex.
Pay attention to the [bracketed] heading tags and bolded feature tags. Tags come before the text that will appear in your StoryMap. Heading tags help your instructional designer delineate your content into clear sections. Feature tags ensure that designers format your StoryMap for easy navigation.
Download
Download your own copy of the template to get started creating your outline. If you need a reminder, the quick key at the top of the template lists StoryMap's most common features.
As you go along, replace the instructions with your content. Add as many [bracketed] heading and bolded feature tags as you need to adequately convey your information. Be sure to reach out to your instructional designer with any questions.
