Storymap JS
StoryMapJS is a free tool to help you tell stories on the web that highlight the locations of a series of events.
- Pros – simple interface; lots of options to customize the design of the map; easy to embed in a website or blog
- Cons – not built for collaborative editing (multiple students editing at the same time); requires a Google account
Example Project
This storymap was created by Taive Muenzberg for Dario Del Puppo’s Spring 2021 Reading the Italian Landscape class at Trinity College. Click here to view the map in another window.
Get Started
- How to Make a Story Map – Post on Trinity’s Ed Tech Blog
- Make a StoryMap – Instructions on the StoryMap website
- Introduction to Knight Lab’s StoryMap – YouTube video from NULab
HistoryPin
HistoryPin is a free tool that allows users to place pins on map. Each pin can incorporate a photo, video recording, sound clip, or piece of text. The pins can be grouped together in a collection or arranged in a step-by-step tour.
- Pros – allows collaborative editing and crowdsourcing (so the public can contribute to a collection or tour); easy to embed in a website or blog
- Cons – fewer formatting and design options
Example Project
This HistoryPin collection was created by the students in Sarah Bilston’s Spring 2020 Victorian Short Fiction class at Trinity College. Click here to view the collection in another window.
Get Started
- How-To Guides – Short instructional videos on the HistoryPin website
- FAQ – Frequently asked questions on the HistoryPin website
Clio
Clio is an educational website and mobile application that guides the public to thousands of historical and cultural sites throughout the United States. Clio picks up a user’s location and shows them historical and cultural sites near them. Users can also perform their own searches by location or name.
- Pros – mobile application makes public history accessible to a broader audience; allows collaborative editing and crowdsourcing
- Cons – cannot be embedded on a website or blog; only locations in the United States can be mapped
Example Project
This Clio tour was created by the students in Mary Mahoney’s Fall 2019 Imagining Digital Humanities class at Trinity College. Click here to view the tour in another window.
Get Started
- Instructional Guides – Handouts and video tutorials on the Clio website
- How to Create an Entry – Instructions on the Clio website
- How to Create a Tour – Instructions on the Clio website
Leaflet Map Templates
Leaflet Map Templates offers several code templates based on Leaflet, a powerful open-source library for displaying interactive maps on desktop or mobile devices.
Get Started:
- Dougherty, Jack, and Ilya Ilyankou. “Chapter 12 Leaflet Map Templates | Hands-on Data Visualization.” Handsondataviz.org, 13 May 2021, handsondataviz.org/leaflet.html. Accessed 24 May 2021.