I thought both the Timeline and StoryMap tools were very easy to use because they both gave clear directions. I never used StoryMap JS before but I used Google Maps in my History 298 class. These two maps tools are very similar as far as the content you can enter but in my opinion the display of StoryMap is clearer. The map I created shows the places I went on a study abroad trip two summers ago. All of the pictures are ones I took on the trip.
I have used Timeline JS before in my History 298 class and think it is a great way to display dates visually. Since I am both a History and Art History major, I particularly like that images and media can be add to clarify what happen on that date. I used the UMW timeline template from google docs and I thought it worked well. The only problem that I had was that if I want something in italics it does not show up in italics. The timeline I created for this project is a timeline of my work experience and education. For our Civil War soldier diary project it would be nice to have a timeline of events or even a timeline of particular entries that are of significance.
I setup an account on Freedly and subscribed to my classmates sites as well as the blogs of Katherine D. Harris and Amanda L. French.
StoryMap
Timeline
