Naturally, I forgot to include the URL for my timeline. Here it is: http://webdrive.service.emory.edu/users/bcroxal/www/hemingway%20timeline.html Brian
General List <[email protected]> writes: >Dear all, > >To follow up on my comments yesterday, I have started playing with a simple >timeline modeled on the one David Huynh pointed out at [ >http://people.csail.mit.edu/dfhuynh/projects/timeline-exhibit/timeline-exhibit.html >]http://people.csail.mit.edu/dfhuynh/projects/timeline-exhibit/timeline-exhibit.html. >My timeline is hastily thrown together, but successfully uses a Google >spreadsheet to create the events (some notable things from Hemingway's life, >for example). > >There are a few things that I have not been able to do, however. > >1. I have only been able to assign years to the events. I have tried >formatting dates in the various formats: MMM DD YYY; DD MMM YYYY; YYYY MMM DD; >YYYY M DD; YYYY-MMM-DD; YYYY-M-DD (three Ms represent letters for months, one >M represents a number for month). The items would not appear on the timeline >when formatted with anything except the year first. If the dates were linked >by a hyphen, the events did not appear. When the year was listed first and no >hyphens were used, then the dates appeared. However, it was plain that the >month and date information did not change the placement of the events (this >was easier to see when I changed the value of intervalUnit: >Timeline.DateTime.Value to represent days and months). Is it possible to use >exact dates when exporting from Google Spreadsheets? > >2. I was unable to reduce the number of bands from three to two--despite my >attempts to replace the sections of the script with the examples found on the >Timeline tutorial (which produces a 2-band timeline). Where can I control >this? How could I add a fourth band? > >3. I hoped that I would be able to change the colors of various events by >including a {type} field. This doesn't appear to have worked. Is there a way >to do this? > >4. Can I display the filters on the top of the page, like other Exhibits? Can >I display more information in the pop-up bubble than simply that which comes >in the "description" field? > >5. When including images within the descriptions, is there an easy way to >resize the images (apart from downloading the image, resizing it myself, and >saving it to my own directory)? In other words, can Exhibit resize on the fly? > >6. What determines the height, level, or y-axis of individual events? In other >words, why do I have WWI, In Our Time, To Have and Have Not, and Nobel Prize >in Literature showing up on one line rather than using the full range of the >timeline? David's timeline with art seems to use more of the timeline, so can >I control this? > >There's a start. I realize that the answer to some of these questions might be >to implement the project more fully within Exhibit rather than in this >half-Exhibit, half-Timeline solution (or at least, that's what I'm >understanding it to be). I also realize that I may be asking very simple or >very difficult questions. > >I appreciate the help thus far and any continued input. >Thanks, >Brian >-------------------------------- >Brian Croxall >English Department >Emory University >302-N Callaway >Atlanta, Georgia 30322 >[ mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] >404.630.5271 > >General List <[ mailto:[email protected] [EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: >Dear Jon, David Karger, David Huynh, et al., > >Thank you very much for your comments. I'm excited to see that others are >interested in using Timeline in the same way that I am. David Karger, I've >looked some at Exhibit previous to your comment, but I've gone back now and am >seeing how I could use it to implement the Timeline in a way that I want. I at >first was resistant to using it as it just has more information and options >than I am really interested in using in the class, but more options is not >necessarily a bad thing. > >To answer some of David Huynh's questions to help us focus on specifics: I'm >not using Timeline in my classes, but I anticipate using it in classes that >range from 15-30 students. I have two different visions for using Timeline: > > > >1. Survey courses. The first is within I have toyed with the idea of having >groups work on their own timelines, but what I think is more likely is that I >will ask students to work on a common timeline throughout the semester. For >example, I could assign one student in a survey course to map the output of a >novelist we are reading. Another student would get another novelist. Another >student would get political events for a particular region/nation for a >decade. Another student gets the next decade. Still other students get to work >on the histories of technology, visual arts, etc. So the students would be >working on one timeline (perhaps with multiple bands?). They would perhaps be >working at the same time, but they would not necessarily be editing one >another's data. (Of course, I would like to have the students have the ability >to edit one another's in case they get something wrong. Or perhaps this needs >to be linked out to further discussion via MediaWiki. I think I need to do >some searching around here to find out how I integrate this into my >Timeline/Exhibit.) > >2. For individual texts. Many novels I teach--and almost all of the hypertext >fiction--use very convoluted chronologies that can be difficult for students >to follow. Think of something like Slaughterhouse-Five. Here I could see my >assigning students to track individual chapters of the novel, but I think it >is more likely that the class would collectively build a timeline. I would >want the students to have the opportunity to edit one another's work or at >least be able to link from the Timeline to a wiki/discussion board environment >where we could have a conversation about what choices are being made in the >timeline. > >I appreciate the example of the Timeline created within Google Documents, >David. I will have to experiment with this to see if I can do it myself. I >assume that, as with other Exhibits, I could make as many fields in the >spreadsheet as I like for the data? > >Here's what I would like to know (at this point): > > >1. How do I include wiki functionality within a Timeline/Exhibit? >2. How could I use several Google spreadsheets with one Timeline? >If these topics have been answered elsewhere, please feel free to nudge me in >a direction and I will look for myself. > >I appreciate all the comments thus far. >Brian >-------------------------------- >Brian Croxall >English Department >Emory University >302-N Callaway >Atlanta, Georgia 30322 >[ mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] >404.630.5271 > >General List <[ mailto:[email protected] [EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: >Jon, Brian, et al., > >Thank you for your messages. I'd like to understand your usage scenarios >a little bit better. How many students are in your classes, and are they >supposed to work on a common timeline at the same time or at different >times, or on different timelines? I ask these questions because I think >Google Docs and wikis support different styles/degrees of collaboration: >Google Docs supports few users working simultaneously while wikis >support many users working at different times. > >I've created an exhibit with a timeline > >[ >http://people.csail.mit.edu/dfhuynh/projects/timeline-exhibit/timeline-exhibit.html >]http://people.csail.mit.edu/dfhuynh/projects/timeline-exhibit/timeline-exhibit.html >that takes its data from a Google spreadsheet > [ http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pLvsUS-CftHoFiglckykELw >]http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pLvsUS-CftHoFiglckykELw > >The exhibit does use a bit of Javascript to create a custom timeline. >This is only necessary if you do want a custom timeline (e.g., with >decorators) rather than the usual 2-band timeline. I presume that as >instructors you can create the HTML files yourself and then allow your >students to edit the Google spreadsheets. > >Note that by using Exhibit rather than just Timeline, you get a lot of >advanced features, including text search. > >There is also the possibility of feeding a single exhibit several Google >spreadsheets. The students can be divided into different groups, each >taking care of a different aspect of the project. Their data comes >together automatically whenever each group publishes its spreadsheet. > >You can also provide a wiki page URL for each item in the exhibit where >further discussion on that item can be carried out. > >Please let me know how far this gets you. Of course, it's only a >temporary solution--I understand that you don't want any coding at all. > >David > > >Jon Crump wrote: >> David Karger, David Huynh, Brian Croxall, et alii, >> >> This is something I'd like too. I've been trying this as an experiment on >> my history classes to help my students visualize the chronological context >> of the events they're reading about. I first provided templates for a >> timeline html file and source xml file and asked them to create and >> maintain their own timeline. The variety of technical difficulties that >> ensued (platforms, editors, varying technical savvy), has made this >> unproductive. So we've resorted to the unhappy expedient of using a {code} >> block in a wiki page for collaborative editing of a common source.xml file >> which I then periodically upload (via cut and paste) to a class web >> directory. Part of the point of the exercise has been to get them >> comfortable with a simple xml scheme since such file formats have become >> ubiquitous even in the humanities. >> >> This works, but is not altogether satisfactory. A collaborative tool that >> is reflected dynamically in the timeline would be ideal. I'm excited by >> progress on wibbit and timeline's integration with mediaWiki through the >> wiki-url and wiki-section source-file attributes; however, my institution >> uses the Sakai CLE, and the wiki component in Sakai won't support wibbit >> any time soon. I suspect that the Sakai wiki could be hacked to allow it >> to provide a source file directly to the timeline via a url, but that's >> quite beyond my programming skills for the moment. >> >> The reason I've invested some effort into making this work is that I'm >> trying to convey to my students what "interactive" might *really* mean to >> students of history. Timelines, as a way of visualizing data, are actually >> of limited use -- just as visual representations of RDF graphs beyond a >> certain very small size aren't very helpful. Something like the BBC's >> flash timeline >> <[ http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/timelines/british/index.shtml >]http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/timelines/british/index.shtml>, >> for example, looks really nitzy, eye candy and all, and it claims to be >> interactive, which it is, in the sense that you can move the timeline >> around and get stuff to pop up etc. But in an important sense it's static: >> you can't interact with the DATA. The advantage of Simile's timeline is >> that the relatively simple and open access data format encourages the user >> to mess about with the data itself - try different sets of events, edit >> and expand the text content, create or abandon links to other information. >> (you can tell I'm a fan). >> >> What's lacking, for my immediate purposes, is what Brian is looking for >> too: >> >> >>>> a tool that would allow multiple users to edit the data set and that >>>> would dynamically update the timeline >>>> >> >> A wiki would seem ideal, or google-like editing of a plain xml file. The >> pedagogical advantages seem clear. >> >> Just thinking out loud here, but if anyone has some practical suggestions, >> more than a few would be grateful I think. >> >> Jon Crump >> [ mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> [ mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >> On Thu, 18 Oct 2007, David Karger wrote: >> >> >>> Brian, if you are a cut and paste coder, I think you might be a lot >>> happier using the "exhibit" system which wraps timeline. It lets you >>> specify the timeline you want using plain html, and lets you specify the >>> data in a more-human readable "json" format. check out >>> [ http://simile.mit.edu/exhibit ]http://simile.mit.edu/exhibit >>> >>> Brian L. Croxall wrote: >>> >>>> Hi all, >>>> >>>> I've been fooling around with Timeline for the last week, trying to >>>> understand how the various functions work. This isn't easy for a cut >>>> and paste coder teaching in an English department. I would like to use >>>> Timeline in classes for students to collaboratively represent >>>> historical events in a time period or to chart the events of a single >>>> novel. >>>> >>>> As such, I am trying to figure out how to get the XML from a tool that >>>> would allow multiple users to edit the data set and that would >>>> dynamically update the timeline (i.e., Sally logs in to Google >>>> Spreadsheets, adds a date and description to the proper fields, and >>>> the timeline updates itself automatically from the published >>>> spreadsheet). Is it possible to do something like this with Google >>>> Documents or something like ZOHO? >>>> >>>> I've been working some with Exhibit, following David Huynh's >>>> instructions for Google Spreadsheets, and trying to adapt them for >>>> Timeline. I haven't yet been successful, however. >>>> >>>> Any advice will be very welcome. Thank you, >>>> Brian Croxall >>>> >> _______________________________________________ >> General mailing list >> [ mailto:[email protected] [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> [ http://simile.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/general >]http://simile.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/general >> > >_______________________________________________ >General mailing list >[ mailto:[email protected] [EMAIL PROTECTED] >[ http://simile.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/general >]http://simile.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/general > > _______________________________________________ >General mailing list >[ mailto:[email protected] [EMAIL PROTECTED] >[ http://simile.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/general >]http://simile.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/general > > _______________________________________________ >General mailing list >[email protected] >http://simile.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/general
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