Timeline Builder App by Knowledge Quest–A Schoolhouse Crew Review

I always say, “If you need help with something technology related, ask a teenager.” When I installed the Timeline Builder App for IPad by Knowledge Quest to use and review, I went straight to my teenagers.  As it turns out, I didn’t need them at all to figure out how to use this app.  They looked it over and showed me how user-friendly it was to operate, and we took off!

To begin using the Timeline Builder App, the first thing I tried was working through a sample timeline.  I plunged in without really reading all of the tips, and it took me a little while to figure things out.  Then, I decided to read the tips in the ‘about’ tab so I could really take advantage of the features of the app.  Wow, it’s amazing what we learn when we read directions!  My kids thought it was sooooooo funny!  They are really intuitive with apps, Timeline Builder being no exception.  I need a road map.  Fortunately, this app is a very intuitive functioning app, and it has a road map.  We were all happy.  There is even a short video on the Knowledge Quest website which walks you through the amazing features of the app.

     We have never really used timelines in our homeschooling adventure.  I always thought they took up too much room, or used too much time, or really weren’t necessary.  Using Timeline Builder, I have found out these things are not true.  We started out by turning off the background music. That is simple to toggle off and on with a little speaker icon that you tap.  Then, whoever was working on a timeline at the time, would choose a background.  There are many backgrounds from which to choose and you can select your favorite with a simple tap.  Next, we would name our timeline and select the date range for it.  That’s it, really!  The timeline is set up and you are ready to add events.  To add events to the timeline, you simply click ‘New Event,’ type in what you are adding, select a picture to correspond with it either from the camera roll on your IPad or from an external link to Wiki, add facts / comments either of your own words or from a Wiki link, and, Voila! – you have an event on the timeline.  You can add as many events as you like in whatever time period you choose.  You can zoom in and out on events, you can double-tap on an event to expand it and read about it, and, if your IPad is connected to the internet through wi-fi or 3g, you can even e-mail the timeline!  Your timeline will be a work in progress that you save and can continue to add to as needed.  We have been having a lot of fun with this!  It can be used for a genealogy, a literature timeline, an art timeline, a historical timeline, a science timeline, the possibilities are endless. Best of all, these timelines don’t take up any space on your wall or on your school table. 

     My kids have all been using the app for different projects.  A couple have been working on history timelines (American History up to the Civil War), and one has been working on a school years timeline because he is about to graduate.  When it is totally done, he is going to let me post it.  He is doing a great job.  His is a little more time consuming because all of the pictures I have of him are on my computer, not on my IPad.  So, I am having to transfer all of the photos to Facebook and then copy them onto my camera roll on my IPad.  We all enjoy using camera roll pictures a little better than the Wiki pictures, just because they are easier to get to.  Using Wiki pics takes you out of the app and then you have to come back to it.  Re-sizing the pictures to make sure they show up correctly took a little learning curve for me, not for the kids.  Again, if I don’t get something I just give it to them.  My 13 year old showed me how to resize pictures and it is really simple.

     All in all, the Timeline Builder App is something that I envision using for a long time to come in our homeschooling.  We are really enjoying it and I am seeing a lot of educational benefits to creating and using timelines.  It seems like the kids are retaining more facts and understanding how they fit together much better by using this app.  I am sold!

     The Timeline Builder App is available from the Knowledge Quest website through a link to the App Store for $6.99 regularly.  It is actually on sale right now for $4.99 – a great price for such a versatile app. It can be used by anyone who is able to work the IPad and the app on their own – like kids age 10+ – but can definitely be used by younger kids with parental supervision and assistance.  It’s fun for us big kids (adults), too!

     My friends on the Schoolhouse Review Crew have been using the Timeline Builder App as well as another fun, interactive product from Knowledge Quest.  To read their reviews, click on the linky below.