Cool Mind Map Graphic Organizers

Students who are visual learners often work well with graphic organizers. Google Chrome has a cool App called "Mind Map" that would be well worth using with students IF they have access to Google Chrome as a web browser. But, since not all students have Google Chrome, I found two sites that work just as well for Free.

Bubbl.us and Mindomo.com are two tools I recently used in my classroom and Examples are below. The mind map can be used in a multitude of ways. I used it for students to compare characters and how they are developed, while in the future I could easily ask students to use it to brainstorm ideas for writing, chart parts of a story, or show connections to fiction and history.

The Cool

Both sites are free

• Bubble.us allows you to download an embed code to add your mind map to a website
• Mindomo will allow you to download a Jpeg or png photo file of your mind map

The Mediocre

• Bubble.us may be blocked by web filters and it takes a while to load sometimes.
• Both require log in

Examples:

Mindomo

Bubble.us

Online Collaboration

Problem, how do you provide an online place for your students to privately collaborate or participate in discussions any time of the day or night? This is a question I and my colleagues have been asking a lot lately.

I have actually found some great sites for this. However, they come in different packages. One that is great for polls and hosting discussions is CollaborizeClassroom.com. This site allows you to set up a free account and then students can request access by going to a unique link to your "classroom." Check out the "Cool" for Collaborize Classroom below.

The other two sites that I found are a little less like structured conversations, but still would be useful for online collaborating. The first is Stixy.com; Stixy generates a cork board and virtual sticky notes that can be used for notes, literature circles and other endless class activities. A site similar to Stixy is Corkboard.me/simple which also generates a cork board and sticky notes as well.

The Cool:

CollaborizeClassroom

• Free, but requires an account set up with a working email address
  
• Set up and moderate discussion threads in a private environment.
• Generate Polls
• Vote on your favorite comment or post

Stixy

• Free, but requires an account set up with a working email address
• Share a cork board space with virtual sticky notes
• Upload and share photos, documents and create "To Do" lists

Coarkboard.me/Simple

• Free
• Share a cork board space with virtual sticky notes
• Upload and share photos, documents and create "To Do" lists

Mediocre


CollaborizeClassroom

• Students will need a working email address to access it and log in.

Stixy

• Students will need a working email address to access it and log in.
• Students would need to share a link to their cork board or the teacher would need to start it and share the link with students so that the teacher could moderate.
  

Coarkboard.me/Simple

• Students will need a working email address to access it and log in.
• Students would need to share a link to their cork board or the teacher would need to start it and share the link with students so that the teacher could moderate.
• Sometimes takes a while to load.