The video I posted earlier this week that demonstrated how to use Canva to create timelines sparked a couple of reader emails about other options for making timelines. Specifically, one reader was looking for tools that would support video playback and one was looking for a tool that didn’t require students to have email accounts. Here are free tools to address both of those needs.

Tools for Creating Timelines That Include Video
I couldn’t create this post without mentioning Timeline JS. Timeline JS has been my go-to recommendation for years. With Timeline JS students can create timelines that include pictures, videos, maps, audio files, text, and hyperlinks. And because the creation work is done inside of Google Sheets, Timeline JS can be used as a collaborative timeline creation tool. Watch my video to see how it works.

If Timeline JS seems a bit too complicated for your students, Flippity.net offers another way to create a multimedia timeline through a Google Spreadsheet. Simply fill in the blanks in Flippity’s template to create a multimedia timeline. In the following video I demonstrate how it works.

Google Slides and PowerPoint both offer templates for making timelines. Using those templates you can create a timeline that includes text, links, images, and video. One of my most-watched videos in the last year is this one about making timelines in Google Slides.

No Registration Required Timeline Creation Tool
If your students don’t have email addresses or you simply don’t want to have yet another account name and password for them to keep track of, consider using Read Write Think’s free timeline creation tool. It doesn’t support the inclusion of video, but it is easy to use and saves in a variety of formats. Watch this video to see how it works.

In Case You Missed It

At the beginning of this post I mentioned my video about using Canva to create timelines. Here’s that video.