Using Story Maps to Inform and Inspire Your Audience

Explore a Map of Story Maps   Story MapsStory maps combine interactive maps and multimedia content into elegant user experiences. They make it easy for you to harness the power of maps to tell your stories. 

Browse a selection of story maps created by the story-telling community and by Esri. You can filter the gallery by app, topic and author, or explore an interactive map of location-specific story maps created by Esri and the community.

Story maps use geography as a means of organizing and presenting information. They tell the story of a place, event, issue, trend, or pattern in a geographic context. They combine interactive maps with other rich content – text, photos, video, and audio – within user experiences that are basic and intuitive.

Story maps are lightweight, open-source web applications. They combine web maps created using ArcGIS Online, Esri’s cloud-based mapping system, with multimedia content – text, photos, video, and audio – to let you tell stories about the world. Start by browsing our list of applications to choose what type of story you want to tell.

Browse the Story Map Apps

Paying Attention to the Golf Balls

This is an old story, but it still rings true and worthy of being looked at again.

When things in your life seem , almost too much to handle,When 24 Hours in a day is not enough, Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class. And had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students, if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open Areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was
full. The students responded with a unanimous ‘yes.’ The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

‘Now,’ said the professor, as the laughter subsided, ‘I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things – family, children, health, Friends, and Favorite passions – Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, Your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else –The small stuff. ‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ He continued, ‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.

The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, You will never have room for the things that are important to you.
So… Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play With your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

‘Take care of the golf balls first — The things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.’ One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. ‘I’m glad you asked’. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.’

Digital Storytelling In The Classroom

From Microsoft

The ancient tradition of storytelling meets the digital age.
When students create a movie or interactive slideshow to tell their story, learning becomes personal.
With digital storytelling, students can:
  • Improve their writing.
  • Show creativity.
  • Have a voice.

Digital storytelling projects lend themselves well to portfolio assessment.

And

Download the Digital Storytelling e-book

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