Graphic+Organizers+and+Concept+Maps

//Concept map of how a Mexican and Spanish Tortilla differ and are used //
==

== Facts about earth popplet - a concept map that mixes images and text

The theory says....
Meaningful Learning: A Collaborative Literature Review of Concept Mapping The Theory Underlying Concept Maps and How to Construct and Use Them

Paper-based
We have brainstormed on the board, on paper, with sticky notes. We have used to graphic organizers in paper format, such as these provided by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Education Place or the Microsoft Office Template Gallery. Perhaps you have customized your own graphic organizers using the Graphic Organizer Maker at Teachnology.

Web-based
But what about using a web-based concept mapping environment?!

All of the tools below are free but many require an account if you wish to save your work online - many offer the ability to download or save your work to your computer without having an account. Of course, then the only record of your work is your saved image.

bubbl.us - allows for simultaneous concept mapping; here is a video tutorial for bubbl.us and mindmeister Dabbleboard is promoted as a whiteboard for drawing and mapping; check out the Dabbleboard Tourfor how and why to use dabbleboard exploratree - individual creation, suggest starting wiht a ready-made guide gliffy is more scientific and technical in design for diagrams lucidchart has multiple pricing models, with limited collaboration available at the base level mind42.com is closer to gliffy than bubbl.us mindmeister allows for collaboration, but has a limited number of concept maps with free account popplet - a new entry into this genre, popplet combines text and visuals in its concept maps; here is a poplet video tutorial [|ReadWriteThink Webbing Tool]for a single user, "guided" but a bit clunky

Do you use Google Docs? Start a new Doc, then on the file menu, click //Insert, Drawing//. You can create concept maps and drawingswithin a document too! Make use of has a post with handy screen shots of Google Docs drawing environment.

And, of course, Inspiration has several products available for purchase, including both stand-alone software and web-based.

Classroom Ideas

 * brainstorm a topic
 * create a family tree
 * map a book's characters or plot
 * connect a series of events and people
 * prewriting or postwriting prompt
 * categorizing and characteristics
 * project organization
 * compare concepts
 * organize ideas for writing
 * create flow charts

Read more
The Mind Mapping Software Blog keeps abreast of the trends in concept mapping for all industries and fields