How to Create a Story Map Without Google Maps

Summary

In this informative video, Richard Burn demonstrates how to create a story map using StorymapJS, a tool that allows users to mark locations and share narratives without relying on Google Maps or Google Earth. The tutorial covers the basics of setting up a map, uploading media, customizing markers and background colors, and adding slides to build an engaging, location-based story. Richard emphasizes the flexibility of StorymapJS, highlighting the ability to embed various types of media and customize the story map to fit one's narrative. The video concludes with instructions on sharing and publishing the completed project, encouraging viewers to explore this creative way of storytelling.

Takeaways

• 🌐 Utilize StorymapJS to create a story map without Google Maps or Google Earth.
• 🔍 Start by visiting the website storymap.nightlab.pro to access the tool.
• 🎨 Customize the appearance of your story map with different markers and background colors.
• 🖼️ Upload a cover image to represent the overall theme of your story map.
• 📌 Add placmarks to the map by searching for specific locations or manually adjusting their positions.
• 📝 Include a headline and description for each placmark to provide context and information.
• 🖼️ Attach relevant images or media to each placmark to enhance the storytelling.
• 🌐 Adjust the zoom level of the map to focus on specific areas or details.
• 🔄 Limit the number of placmarks to 20 for optimal playback experience, although more can be added.
• 🔗 Share your story map with others through a unique link or by embedding it into a website.
• ✍️ Always review and edit your story map to ensure accuracy and coherence in the final product.

Q & A

What is StoryMap JS and where can it be found?

StoryMap JS is a tool used to create interactive story maps without the need for Google Maps or Google Earth. It can be found at the website storymap.knightlab.com.

How does one start creating a story map in StoryMap JS?

To start creating a story map in StoryMap JS, click on 'Make a StoryMap' and then 'Create a new map'.

Can you create a story map focused on a specific location in StoryMap JS?

Yes, you can create a story map focused on a specific location. For example, the video mentions creating a story map centered around Maine.

What type of media can you add to your StoryMap JS cover?

You can upload an image from your computer to serve as the cover image for your story map in StoryMap JS.

Is it possible to customize the appearance of your StoryMap JS project?

Yes, you can customize your StoryMap JS project by changing marker options and the background color of the map.

How can you add additional slides to your story map?

You can add additional slides to your story map by going back into edit mode, searching for a place, and then uploading images and information related to that place.

Can you embed or hyperlink media in your StoryMap JS placemarks?

Yes, you can either embed media, like a YouTube video, into your placemarks or hyperlink to an item you wish to appear in the placemark.

How many items can you ideally add to your story map according to StoryMap JS recommendations?

While you can add more than 20 items to your story map, StoryMap JS recommends limiting it to 20 for ease of playback.

How do you share your StoryMap JS project with others?

To share your StoryMap JS project, click the share button in the upper right-hand corner to get a link that you can give to others.

Can you revisit and edit your StoryMap JS projects at a later time?

Yes, you can always go back and edit your StoryMap JS projects by selecting them from 'My Maps' section.

Outlines

00:00

🗺️ Introduction to Storymap JS

In this video segment, Richard Burn introduces viewers to the process of creating a story map without the need for Google Maps or Google Earth. He presents Storymap JS, a tool found at storymap.nightlab.com, which allows users to create a series of slides with placmarks on a map. Richard demonstrates how to create a new map, select media, upload a cover image, and customize the map's appearance by changing marker options and background colors. He emphasizes the flexibility of the tool, which can be applied to any location, and proceeds to focus on creating a map of places to see in his local area of Maine.

05:01

📌 Adding Slides and Media to the Storymap

This paragraph details the process of adding slides and media to the story map. Richard Burn guides the viewer through searching for a location, adjusting the placmark, and adding a headline and image for each slide. He also explains how to add captions and credits, change the background color, and customize marker options. Richard further discusses the possibility of embedding media, such as YouTube videos, and hyperlinking within the placmarks. He encourages viewers to ensure their map is accurately placed before publishing and shares options for sharing the completed project through a link or embedding it into other websites.

Keywords

💡story map

A story map is a multimedia presentation that combines geographic information with narrative content, images, and other media to tell a story or convey information in a spatial context. In the video, the creation of a story map is the central activity, where the user is guided through the process of using StoryMap JS to create a map showcasing places of interest in Maine.

💡StoryMap JS

StoryMap JS is an open-source tool used for creating interactive story maps. It allows users to add markers, images, text, and other media to a map to create a narrative that can be shared and viewed by others. In the video, the presenter uses StoryMap JS to demonstrate how to create a story map without relying on Google Maps or Google Earth.

💡plamarks

Plamarks, or placemarks, are markers placed on a map to represent a specific location tied to a story or information being shared. In the video, the creator places several placmarks across the map to highlight different points of interest in Maine, such as Main Street Rangely and the Handable Hamlin House.

💡cover image

A cover image is a visual representation or thumbnail used to represent the overall content or theme of a story map. In the context of the video, the creator uploads an image to serve as the cover for the story map, providing a first impression of the 'Places to See in Maine' narrative.

💡media

Media refers to various types of content such as images, videos, audio, and text used to enhance and support the narrative of a story map. The video script describes how the creator selects and uploads different media, like images and captions, to provide context and information for each placmark on the map.

💡slides

Slides are individual sections or panels in a story map that present a specific part of the narrative. The video explains how to add slides to the story map, each containing a placmark, an image, and descriptive text, to create a sequential and engaging story.

💡upload

Uploading in the context of the video refers to the process of adding content such as images, videos, or other media to the story map. The creator demonstrates how to upload various media to enhance the story map, including a cover image and images for each placmark.

💡edit

Editing in the video pertains to the process of modifying or adjusting the elements within the story map, such as the position of placmarks, the background color, and the content of slides. The creator explains how to edit these elements to fine-tune the story map's appearance and content.

💡share

Sharing a story map involves making it accessible to others by providing a link or embedding code. The video describes how to share the completed story map with others, allowing them to view the narrative and interact with the map.

💡Rangely

Rangely is a town in Maine mentioned in the video as the location for the first placmark on the story map. The creator uses Rangely to demonstrate how to add a placmark and customize the presentation of the location on the map.

💡Handable Hamlin House

The Handable Hamlin House is a specific place of interest highlighted in the video's story map. It serves as an example of how to add detailed information, images, and context to a placmark, enriching the narrative of the story map.

Highlights

Introduction to creating a story map without Google Maps or Google Earth

Use of the tool StoryMapJS for map creation

Preview of the StoryMapJS interface and capabilities

Creating a new map and selecting a location focus (Maine in this example)

Uploading a cover image and titling the story map

Changing marker options and background color for customization

Adding the first slide with a place mark and relevant image upload

Adjusting the place mark location for accuracy

Adding a headline, description, and image credit for the place mark

Option to change background color and marker options for each slide

Previewing the progress of the story map

Adding subsequent slides and repeating the process

Embedding media or hyperlinking within the place marker

Adjusting the location of the second slide (Handable Hamlin House)

Recommendation to limit the story map to 20 items for ease of playback

Sharing the project through a link and embedding options

Access to edit previously created projects at any time

Transcripts

hi I'm Richard burn in this video I'm

going to show you how to create a story

map without having to use Google Maps or

Google Earth let's go ahead and take a

look at how to do this the tool that

we're going to use is called storymap JS

you'll find it at story map. nightlab

domcom and you can take a little preview

here and see what it looks like you can

make lots of plac marks across a map and

and you'll play it back as a series of

slides just like this one so let's take

a look at how you can make it just click

make a story map and create a

new map and I'm going to call this

one places to see in Maine now you can

make it a worldwide story map if you

like but for this one I'm going to keep

keep it just to my neighborhood here in

Maine so let's go ahead and now create

it and I want to start by selecting some

media and I'm going to upload an image

that I have

here and I'm going to just choose a file

and select a file from my computer and

I'm going to now upload that image this

image is going to be my cover image for

my entire story I'm going to give it a

title

of places to see in

Maine and I might write something

like these are

interesting places to see when you come

for a

visit these places

are great in the winter win and the

summer as well as spring and fall now if

I want to change my marker option I

can do so and if I want to change my

background color from the default kind

of gray scale I might change it out and

make it kind of a greenish

color like that

one hit close and now we can preview

it so far this is what my map looks like

not very exciting so let's go back into

edit and let's add our first actual

slide and to do this let's search for a

place and I'm going to search for I'm

going to start by going to Main

Street Rangely

main now I know from having been to

Rangely many times myself that this is

not where I want my place Mark to be I

want it to be a little bit further down

the road so it matches up to my image so

I'm just going to click and move it down

the road a little bit I want it to be

there and now I'm going to put in my

headline I'm going to call

it Main Street Rangely

Main

when you are

here you are halfway between the

Equator and North

Pole and I'm going to upload an image

now that goes along with that placemark

and there it

is I'm going to save that file

as Main Street

Rangely

and upload

it now I can put in a credit in a

caption if I want to the credit is me

and I put in a caption and say this is a

sign that

stands where a restaurant used to

be and again we can change out the

background color around that if we want

I'm going to leave it at the default and

you can change the marker options if you

want to upload a custom image to use for

your marker you can do so I'm going to

close that one out leave it as is and

save it as our work in progress and

preview

it and see what it looks like and we can

now see there's our marker and there's

our picture and our little caption as

well let's add another slide so go back

into edit let's add another slide and

we'll just repeat the process I'm going

to upload another

image and I want to pull that out of a

different folder that I have on my

desktop and let's find that one my main

story map folder there it is and I'm

going to

upload this picture right

here

and once uploaded let's give it a

title the handable Hamlin

house I put a little

description now you may have noticed you

can also embed media into this place

marker or this marker so if you want to

you can get the embed code for a YouTube

video and place it in there or you can

alternatively simply

hyperlink into an item that you want to

see appear in that

placemark but for now I'm happy with

that but I need to have a location for

it before I publish it

so I want to go to handable Hamlin

Drive

and I want to place that on the map now

I can zoom in a little bit more if I

want maybe I'll zoom in a little more

detail make sure I have it exactly where

I want it and it turns out that it did a

pretty darn good job placing it exactly

where I wanted it that time let's save

it and once again we can preview

it and we can see how that place Mark

appears now if I want to share this

project simply click the share button in

the upper right hand

corner and you can give that link to

anybody who you want to have view your

story map now you can add up to

20 items to your story map in fact you

can add even more than that but but

story

map recommends trying to limit it to 20

so it can actually take more but they

recommend limiting it to 20

for the ease of playback you can see

there you can get an embed code if you

want to embed it into another website or

page you can do so with that provided

code and make sure we save it one more

time and take a look at our other

options once we go back to my maps you

can always go back in and look at any of

your projects do you want to go back in

and edit so that's how you can create a

story map

without having to use Google Maps or

Google Earth as always for more things

like this please subscribe to my YouTube

channel