I am a Global Studies teacher in Minnesota and this year we received a state license for using ArcGIS. I have had no formal training, but taught myself how to use ArcGIS Online and have been using it with students. Through much trial and error, I created a map for students to use that had all the country polygons and embedded the 2013 CIA World Factbook data for students to access. I even included several columns of blank data, so students could input their own data through the year. (We currently have them researching and adding GDP per capita and government types, so they can visually see the data. We also have them add symbols to an economic layer, so they can see the main resources and industries.) To be honest, I made the map last July with the demo version of the desktop program and I don't remember how I did it, hehehe. I give this information purely as background to my question.
Since I have had no training, this question might be seem silly to expert users, but I am intrigued by some of the story maps and wonder how advanced one needs to be in order to make one, say similar to the Crimean Conflict ( http://storymaps.esri.com/stories/2014/crimea/ ). I am willing to seek out permission from my district for training, but I need to have an idea of what kind of training I will need.
Your insights would be greatly appreciated, as any sort of training like this will require me to have get clearance from my school district at the end of this school year or early in the next. (Training money tends to be swallowed very quickly.)
I hope this is helpful. Glad you are interested in story maps and since I don't check this forum very often, feel free to email me on jkerski at esri.com
--Joseph
Since I have had no training, this question might be seem silly to expert users, but I am intrigued by some of the story maps and wonder how advanced one needs to be in order to make one, say similar to the Crimean Conflict ( http://storymaps.esri.com/stories/2014/crimea/ ). I am willing to seek out permission from my district for training, but I need to have an idea of what kind of training I will need.
Your insights would be greatly appreciated, as any sort of training like this will require me to have get clearance from my school district at the end of this school year or early in the next. (Training money tends to be swallowed very quickly.)
The Crimea Story Map was created with the Side Accordion template.
To make a side accordion, you first create each of the ArcGIS web maps that your story map will be showing (one for each tab on the left hand side). Then you download the Side Accordion template source files, modify one of them in a text editor to make it reference each of your web maps, and then you copy the source files into the file structure of a public web site or web server you have access to. For example this might be a step you can do yourself, or it might be something that an IT admin person who maintains, say, your institution's website, will do for you. (Your web maps and the data they use don't get copied over: those live in Esri's cloud still..all you are installing onto your website or web server are the source files for the Side Accordion app that will reference those maps and data). At that point your story map will be live on the web and everything will just work.
The Side Accordion is one of the story map application templates that is only available as a download. There are other story map applications: Map Tour, Tabbed Viewer, and Swipe, that are available hosted in Esri's cloud and available as downloads. See this page for more details: storymaps.arcgis.com/en/app-list/
