Throughout
my own education I have considered myself a “visual learner”. I always
found mind-maps and diagrams very useful because I could remember the
information by displaying it in a visual format.
If you want to read about mind mapping, click HERE
There
are many online mind maps makers but Popplet is one of the simplest.
Watch this video to have a better idea of this online tool:
Watch this video to have a better idea of this online tool:
Adavantages:
- The site is clean and simple. Ideal to use with children
- Popplet gives you the possibility of organising and synthesising information in more sophisticated ways than if it is just a list of information on a page.
- Popplet inspires creativity because its colours and interface.
- It is very easy to upload images (or grab them from Flickr) and add video.
- You can turn a PowerPoint into a Popplet.
- One of Popplet's best features is the fact that it is easy to share and collaborate. You can invite people to collaborate, send a link or copy some simple HTML and embed my Popplet in a blog, wiki or website. In Popplet, sharing allows users to make their popplet public and viewable by anyone via a URL link, whether they are a popplet user or not.
- Viewing
finished Popplet is also very straightforward. A single mouse click
allows users to zoom in on an area of the graphic they’d like to examine
in more detail.
Disadvantages:
Too many things are missing:- variety of shapes
- abilities to group popplets, bend connections or manipulate where connections are attached to the Popplet
- a spell checker and the “standard” word correction engine
- Students cannot use the same account to work in different compuers.
Possible Activities
- Brainstorming
- Group work in the classroom
- Alternative to PowerPoint
- Revision
Example:
9-year-old kids using the book Kids' Box 3 were revising vocabulary related to family and present continous verb tense. First, they revised the vocabulary in class, then they went to the computer room to explore the tool. Finally, they created these two Popplets:
Comments
Hugs, Nelba