How can I use Popplet as a Mind mapping tool?

If one could enter a teacher’s brain and segregate all that they think about, one would probably find that the bulk of their mind space is occupied thinking of how they can organize their ideas and bits of information in a simple way. How do they keep track of the various connections between the information on their mind and present it to their students in the best and most effective manner? The finer details of this issue are always what consumes the bulk of their time while adding exceptional quality to lessons.

As a teacher, you may have wished for a ‘mental sticky note’ to keep track of all your responsibilities. The good news for 21^st century teachers is that new and increasingly-improved tools are regularly introduced on the World Wide Web. Popplet is one among these tools that simplify and assist the teaching-learning process and can be used dynamically to enhance the quality of your teaching.

What is Popplet?

It is a virtual platform that can be described as a visual thinking and presentation tool, through which ideas and information can be organized into a graphic map helping users to visualize connections. Basically, it is like a virtual pin board that you can fill using the provided tools. Users create a free account with Popplet and then can proceed to creating ‘popplets’, which can be filled with their ideas on a certain topic. Anything from lesson-planning resources to student research can be turned into a popplet, offering teachers and students many possibilities for classroom application. A Popplet can be shared on a class website, sent via e-mail, or shared on a social networking website. Also, users can add collaborators to their Popplet, which means that students, colleagues, or friends can be given access to add their ideas and other information to the Popplet in the form of a web.

How does it work?

You can think of a popplet as your blank canvas, on this you add multiple popples – which are like speech bubbles, boxes of text, videos, pictures, links or drawings. Each popple has a line on each side to drag and connect to other popples. You may have up to five popplets at a time.

This brainstorming and presenting tool can be used in many creative ways by teachers and students alike. Let’s take a look at some ways in which students can use Popplet:

•  Note-Taking: With the ability to add links and upload videos, students can use it as a creative note-taking app that can help collate new ideas and organize concepts into categories.
• Collaboration: During group research or projects, students can collaborate using Popplet to share their ideas and findings, whether at school or at home.
• Recording: Students can map out experiments and record findings during research.
• Revision: Undertaking subject revision can become much easier and more interactive.

The possibilities of using Popplet for creative instruction are many for teachers too. Here’s a list of ways to get you started in using this tool.

•  Homework and assignment: Print it, or use it online.
•  Feedback: Using the comment option for commenting on generated ideas/ boxes.
•  For addressing visual learners: The web-chart format of Popplet is very helpful in explaining the link between pieces of information to visual learners. It can help make instant connections in the mind without consuming much time to process the information.
•  Introducing or presenting new topics or planning a unit can be done in a more natural non-linear fashion.
•  Scrapbook/School or class photo albums/Posters: people can be exported as JPG or PDF files and you can also print it.
•  Organizing: Mind map is also a great way to organize thoughts from a brainstorming session.
•  Summarizing: Students can summarize ideas from a book or an essay they read in the classroom, teachers can also present the main ideas of a lesson.
•  Storytelling: Timelines with multimedia can be used to tell stories.
•  Beyond the classroom: Students can share their work with parents or other students from another country in real-time.
•  Project Based Learning: Popplet can be used for group work, with the add user option, multiple space for many users, and the ability to add elements like pictures, text and videos will be an effective platform for project based learning.
• Creative thinking tool: The expandable workspace can be used to trigger creative thinking, recording class notes, or the generated ideas in a brainstorming session.
•  Learning a new language: With its combination of pictures, words and line features, Mind map is helpful to learn a language because it utilizes both sides of the brain effectively.
•  Presenting historical events: The timeline option with the lines and multimedia can be used to create a historical model for an event.
• Create an e – portfolio: It can offer a quick look at one’s abilities and achievements. An added advantage is that making changes is very easy.
• Create templates of graphic organizers, timelines, or storyboards that students can use.
•  For formal presentations: Display historical timelines, hierarchical social systems, and other forms of organization that historians often rely on for their work.

Discuss Here: How do you use mind mapping in the classroom?