I feel a little intimidated by anything called a “mind mapping tool.” To get familiar with these tools, I decided to try out Popplet. This app is essentially a way to create graphic organizers on an electronic device. For education, this can be a tool that helps students create organizers to visualize their learning and connect concepts. I didn’t sign up for an account. But I did use their trial space to design my own mind-map. Right now, the iPad full version of Popplet is currently available for free for a limited time.
Going through a quick Popplet tutorial, it’s clear that the sky is the limit. To create a new bubble or “Popple” you just double click. You can fill in the bubble with words, images, or draw inside of it. Then you can pick the color of the bubble and easily connect it to others. It’s like you’re drawing a concept map on paper, but on the computer or device. It’s easy to organize everything the way that you would like it and customize your map for your own needs. Students that are comfortable drawing instead of writing, will like the option to draw. Instead of following a graphic organizer that’s pre-made, a student can make one that helps them effectively learn.
I decided to use Popplet to outline a paper I have yet to start working on. This helped me visualize the topics I wanted to talk about and the details that I wanted to include. I planned the paragraph order and connected concepts from one paragraph to the other. Using this tool was incredibly easily and actually fun. I enjoyed customizing colors so each paragraph I outlined had its own color. I also liked that I could change the background color to something that worked for me. Before I started creating, I was actually afraid that I would create something wrong. How would I know that I was doing it right? I went to the Popplet Twitter to look through some ideas. But upon searching, I found that when it comes to creating a mind map, there is no right or wrong. This is a way for someone to visualize a project in the way that works for them.
Looking through other’s Popplet’s, I got ideas for what else this app can do. An educator can make a mapping game and have students match correct concepts, or match vocabulary to their correct definitions. Students could draw their own ideas about vocabulary words. Students can also brainstorm and come up with ideas or plan a group project. It’s even possible to link websites. After, a user can present their mind maps. You can also export the mind map as a PDF or jpeg.
Visual learners will definitely love this tool. I can see this working in many classes. English teachers can make concept maps of different parts of speech. Students can connect words with correct suffixes. Or, they can even make concept maps of novel characters with their traits, actions, and connections to other characters. Social studies teachers can use this to help students understand and organize information about historical events or time periods. Science teachers can use it to connect concepts across topics, or use it as a visual guide to lab directions. The simplicity of this app will work for elementary or middle school students to high school students.
In the library, this could be a great tool for an inquiry project. Students can make a Popplet board of the ideas they know and connect those to ideas that they want to know more about. They can organize what they’ve learned, or even the search strategies they’ve used if they’re researching. It would be great to see students make maps of themselves or someone notable for a biography project, or even information they’ve learned about an author, or a state they’re researching. In elementary and high school libraries this app could be fun, and really help all learners connect topics and concepts in the ways that work for them.
Gabrielle Weiss Blog 