Class 11: Curate and Brainstorm with Mind Maps

Curate and Brainstorm With Mind Maps

You might remember our second class – “Teaching in the Digital Era”. It explored the skills we need to be “digitally literate in the modern world.”

  • Find, decode and critically evaluate information
  • Curate, store and responsibly share information

Today we will look at some tools to help you curate, store and share content in the form of a digital collection or mind map. Kind of like Pinterest? We’ll look at five curating / mind mapping apps. All are easy-to-use and popular with teachers and students who want to organize digital content in a visual layout.

I have added a link to a how to for each app, but I want you to be able to experience the learning curve of a new user.  That means you may need to search for more support material to learn how to use. For example: you’ll have to figure out how to add content in an app or get an embed code for a finished collection. (You can always Google it or use the app’s help feature). And remember if an app is tough to use, its the app’s fault.

Here are the apps arranged from most full-featured to least. All have a free option and you will find a link to a how-to for each app.

  • Padlet – app that enables users to create an online bulletin board to display information on any topic. It has many options for types of information that can be collected. It’s great for curating information – either individually or with others. How to
  • Webjets – allows you managing any kind of information with ease. Place cards freely, or group them at the speed of thought. Any content collected from the web automagically turns into an interactive card. How to
  • Wakelet – Save your favorite content from across the web. Articles, videos, blogs, tweets, songs and more – bookmark anything you find online in two clicks. Arrange your bookmarks into stunning collections. Add images, text and organize however you like to build stories from your content. How to
  • Popplet – In the classroom and at home, students use Popplet for learning. Used as a mind-map, Popplet helps students think and learn visually. Students can capture facts, thoughts, and images and learn to create relationships between them. How to
  • Bubbl.us – A Bubbl.us mind map is a graphical representation of ideas and concepts. It’s a visual thinking tool for structuring information, helping you to better understand, remember and generate new ideas. How-to
ASSIGNMENT: EVALUATE A MIND MAPPING TOOL | MindMaps 20-A11

You should try at least two apps and decide which you like better.

Feel free to team up with one other student if you want to collaborate. One of you can do a post and I will assign you both as authors.

For inspiration:  Here’s some examples from last year.
Note: we did the comparative part in class.

  • Decide what your criteria are – for example ease of use, or collaboration features.
  • Write a review that details why you preferred that app.
  • Include an example of something you created using each app. It could be the same content for comparison sake. Decide if the app provides an embed code to use with HTML snippets or take a screenshot and use it as hyperlink (we did the latter with Google sites lesson 6.)
  • Include at least one idea you have for using your “fave” with students – either to deliver content to students of for them to use the app to curate their own content.

Class 6: Curate and Brainstorm with Mind Maps

We’ll look at three curating / mind mapping apps – Padlet, Popplet and Bubbl.us. All are easy-to-use and popular with teachers and students who want to organize digital content in a visual layout. We will also work in teams to review the apps for use in the classroom.

The session will begin with a brainstorming exercise designed to develop some app evaluation criteria. Students will be organized into teams and assigned one of three apps. There will not be any instruction on how to use the apps – we want students to be able to experience the learning curve for a new user.

For example: you’ll have to figure out how to collaborate in an app or get an embed code for a finished mind map. (You can always Google it or use the app’s help feature). And remember if an app is tough to use, its the app’s fault.

More on each app

  • Padlet – app that enables users to create an online bulletin board to display information on any topic. It has many options for types of information that can be collected. It’s great for curating information – either individually or with others.
  • Popplet – In the classroom and at home, students use Popplet for learning. Used as a mind-map, Popplet helps students think and learn visually. Students can capture facts, thoughts, and images and learn to create relationships between them.
  • Bubbl.us – A Bubbl.us mind map is a graphical representation of ideas and concepts. It’s a visual thinking tool for structuring information, helping you to better understand, remember and generate new ideas.

For inspiration:  Are You a Curator or a Dumper? and “30 creative ways to use Padlet for teachers and students”
Padlet gallery

Assignment 6: Use and evaluate a mind mapping tool | Posts 19-A6

Student will pick one or more apps and develop a blog post. Here’s some ideas for writing prompts

  • Review of one app. Or comparative review of multiple apps.
  • How to tips for using an app.
  • Lesson idea based on an app / mind mapping.
  • How mind mapping skills can benefit the learner.
  • Another great idea you have for a prompt.

Your post should include an embedded example of something you made using one of the apps. All three apps provide options for team editing and sharing your final product via an embed code.

Class 7: Foster Student Engagement in the 1:1 Classroom

Today we’ll look at a variety of tools to support student engagement in the 1:1 classroom. While we realize not all classrooms have devices for every student, it is the direction we’re headed. To help simulate the experience, we’ll have the iPad cart.

Ben will introduce Padlet – an app that enables users to create an online bulletin board to display information on any topic. It has many options for types of information that can be collected. It’s great for curating information – either individually or with others.

Before we move into the work phase of class, Peter will share some ideas on good curation of content. For more read: Are You a Curator or a Dumper?

Assignment: DUE TUESDAY March 6 | Completed Work

Students should create a free Padlet account and use it to create a padlet which they will embed in this week’s post.

For inspiration:

“30 creative ways to use Padlet for teachers and students”
Padlet gallery

Here’s a few options:

Organizing:  Student can work alone to create or in teams to create a padlet.  Once created the padlet can be a finished product or serve as an invite for the rest of our class to contribute to their padlet.

Content ideas:

  • Ideas / resources for leveraging 1:1 in their course or grade level.
  • Ed tech resources for a topic of their choice
  • A padlet that serves as the basis of a learning activity with their students.
  • A fun padlet for the whole class to contribute to.

Students should embed the Padlet in a post that explains the intent, audience and purpose. If you intend for your classmates to contribute, you should post their padlet by Sunday eve (March 4) and send an invite to the rest of the class.

Image source: Wokandapix/ Pixabay via Adobe Spark

Class 1: What do you want to learn about edtech?

edtech - what do you want to learn?

Image credit: Jason Michael Mac Keyboard

First off we’ll explore our ED 424 goals and foundations.

For our intro we will explore the question “What do you want to learn about edtech?” We’ll split into four groups and each use a different means of collecting collaboration to gather input on the question – CogglePadlet, a shared Google doc, and an “old school” poster board. Later, each group will present their findings and we will discuss both responses and how the different tools helped or hindered our progress.

Next we will all get logged into our new WordPress account. Students will get a quick overview and be pointed to our YouTube playlist.

Homework

Task 1:  For your first blog post write a reflection on your use of edtech and where you hope to go with it. The post is due by midnight Sunday Jan 22. Read student responses here.

For specific prompts consider some of these (just some ideas starters, you don’t have to write about all of them):

  • What’s my current use of edtech tools in my placement?
  • How does the “tech landscape” of my current placement impact my use of edtech in the classroom?
  • How do the tech skills / demographics of my students impact my use of edtech in the classroom?
  • What are my personal uses of edtech tools to learn and network as an educator?
  • Where do I want to be in my use of edtech tools in 3 years?
  • What are you hoping for in this edtech pilot?

Task 2: Before our 1/26 class, comment on at least 3 student posts. It’s a conversation, not simply a “nice job.”

Student brainstorms completed in class – first 3 enlarge with click

Coggle Brainstorm 1

Coggle Brainstorm 2

Coggle Brainstorm 3