Creating a School Memory Book
If you think about it, many of our childhood and teenhood memories are related to school. Even our young adult life, for most of us, relate to academia. School is where we meet some of our closest friends, some of whom we remain close to for life. School memories are filled with joy, self-discovery, growing pains, and fondness. We learn some of the most important life lessons during our school years, especially during high school and college. Some of your might have even met your now-life partner in school.
Yes, the academics is important, of course. However, some of the greatest lessons we learn in our lifetime are the ones not in textbooks, chalkboards and lectures. That's why the memories of our school years, rather than just school itself, is worth keeping close to our heart, even if you're already deep into adulthood. Back in the day, we might record and keep our school memories in photo albums, both the physical and online kind, or in yearbooks. Nowadays, teens and college students post every aspect of their life on social media, especially on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (which is owned by Facebook). Sure, Facebook is a decent place to upload and share pics with family. However, you should know some of the dangers lurking in the social media sphere, especially platforms like Facebook.
However, I would like to make a case for why an online memory book is a better place to publish, store, and share your precious memories. A digital or online memory book is a kind of scrapbook or photo album that securely archives photos, videos, audio, and text. All of these various media are presented online in a dedicated web page that is much more safe than social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram.
An online memory book is essentially just the digitized version of a traditional, physical scrapbook that your grandma loves to organize. Instead of using messy adhesives or flimsy photo album paper, you use an online memory book the way you would use a blogging platform, or even a social media account. The difference is, an online memory book is more dynamic in terms of incorporating various types of media like photos and videos.
You can easily upload, edit, and publish all forms of visual media as well as good old text. Another major difference between an online memory book and a traditional memory book is that the former is easier to share since it's on the internet. Your photos and videos of friends, classmates, and favorite moments at school could easily get buried in a social media page, especially if you're the type who posts constantly. A memory book will be more special than that, because it will focus mostly on that certain period of your life, if you choose to make it a school theme.
With an online memory book, you will have ultimate control over privacy settings. With an online memory book, such as a Memories page, it's up to you on who is allowed to view your precious memories. This not only eliminate random online trolls and creepy strangers, but will also protect your data from hackers and malware. As you can see there are numerous benefits to an online Memories page. Read on and we'll show you how to get started on making one.
Memories Page
You can create a Memories page that will not only securely host all of the wonderful school memories that you've accumulated from the time you were in kindergarten up to your college graduation, and even post-graduate studies. After all, we are students for life in the school of life. Don't think your "school days" have to end with your youth. Nowadays, more and more adults are going back to school because online classes are more prevalent than a decade ago.
A Memories page will also allow you to share a multimedia form of your academic history with others. For instance, you can begin by showing your first day of school as a toddler and then show the different memorable events and accomplishments throughout your time as a student. You can use a Memories page to collaborate with close friends and loved ones, so that everyone gets a chance to tell their own memories with you.
A Memories page is the perfect option to host digitized photos if you have a bunch of Polaroid photos, which has had a resurgence in popularity recently. Other features of a Memories page include data protection, customizable privacy settings, and a user-friendly design editor. The Memories page can also become an interactive family tree, which is a better option than other ancestry platforms because a Memories page is more user-friendly and has a better navigation panel for editors. So, you have that option in the future if you want to expand your memory book to include your own kids when they start school. That way, you'll be able to show your studious, intelligent family in their own journeys through academia. For example, you can show your husband's own personal history and memories, as well as your parents' and children's accomplishments.
A Memories page will is a reminder of the importance of creating memories with family, and that it is important to not only record your family history but to preserve it for the future generation.
So, how do you create a memory book for your school memories? Here are some of the steps in creating an online school memory book .
1. Collect Memories
First things first, gather the materials you would like to include in your school memory book, such as photo and video files. Remember, this is not your grandma's old-fashioned scrapbook, although you're making this memory book in the spirit of that tradition. Don't be afraid to get creative and think outside the box. For example, add GIFs, VR videos, 3D pictures, and play around with creative filters. An online memory book will allow you more creative freedom since you won't be limited by physical dimensions of objects. For instance, you can't fit a graduation poster or artwork into a traditional memory book, but you can upload and share a high-resolution photo of it in an online memory book.
Collect any film photos, graduation pamphlets, paper ephemera like high school football game tickets, and greeting cards and scan them. If you were featured in a local newspaper, that is something definitely worthy and unique to include in your school memory book. Other memorabilia include ticket stubs, such as a concert you went to in high school with friends, or maybe old plane tickets when you went abroad for a school trip or exchange program. Perhaps it's a play your went to for school, or a memorable movie you watched with friends back when going to the cinema was still a thing (before Netflix became the norm). You can even scan dried flowers from graduation bouquets. Read our guide on digitizing memories here.
Think like a museum curator. What "artifacts" from your life would you like to display in your family museum? By viewing your online memory book like a digital museum of your family history, because that's what it essentially is, you'll be able to come up with creative ways to tell stories.
2. Choose a Web Host
One of the most important aspects of the memory book is where it should be hosted on the web, particularly one that is secure and has a user-friendly content management system. There are many choices out there in the market. Of course, you can simply post photos and videos on Instagram, Facebook, or a blog. However, keep in mind that there are many downsides to posting on social media and even a trusted blog like WordPress. One example is data privacy concerns. Many major social media platforms like Facebook have had years of controversy over data privacy, and privacy in general. With a dedicated and secure web host for your online memory book, like a Memories page, your data will be safe and protected.
3. Make Creative Layouts
As we said earlier, the memory book is not just any old-fashioned scrapbook. You have the freedom to get creative not only with the content you choose, but with the layout design as well. The layout editor online is very user-friendly. No need to be a web design guru. You can go with a clean minimalist style to direct focus to the content itself, or you can make complex collages to tell a unique story about family members or special events from the past.
The important thing to keep in mind is that each piece of content, whether a photograph, video or audio recording, should shine as if they're the superstar. This means you should avoid overlapping materials too much if you're trying to make a multimedia story on your page. In order to tell a coherent story, the sentences must be clear. So, visualize the story you want to tell before arranging the content on to the pages.
4. Tell Your Story
Once you've figured out your layout, think about how you want to present your school memories. Earlier, we suggested making your memory book into a timeline in which you make the narrative in chronological order. You don't have to include every miniscule detail in your school memory book, but just the most memorable moments, like group photos with your close friends and classmates, or your high school and college graduation photos. Be sure to incorporate media other than photos, such as videos, moving pictures like GIFs, and even standalone audio. Back in the day, me and my friends used to record ourselves freestyle rapping or singing songs with a guitar late at night. They were embarrassing, for sure, but they are still awesome memories worth cherishing and laughing about with friends as adults. My point is: stimulate different parts of the senses. That way, you don't just end up with a boring photo gallery.
One way to tell a life narrative is to arrange photos like a timeline, showing their childhood pictures first. Include depictions of their major accomplishments like a graduation photo, as well as interesting milestones in their life, such as military photos or wedding anniversaries.
5. Collaborate or Create a Group Memory Book
Since your school memory book is on the web, collaboration is easier than ever. Ask former classmates your were close to and friends to contribute to the online memory book. This way, they can share their own personal memories. This will give everyone a multi-perspective view of your school days, especially since they were a part of it. In fact, this school memory book can be a group memory book. You can easily assign different administrators and allow members into your private Memories page.
You can even take this further by creating a memory book for your whole class. It can be a cool online version of a class reunion, especially in this time of social distancing and lockdowns.
6. Publish and Share
Once everything is organized, edited, and finalized, you can now publish your school memory book for the world (or just your loved ones and close friends) to see! The great thing about an online memory book is that it's easy to share, and looks beautiful on a large computer or TV screen. However, each Memories page is also designed to be optimized for mobile layouts. So, anyone can view your wonderful memories and, in turn, share them with others as well.
