Having students sketch diagrams, draw out their ideas or plan on paper? Here are some online, free tools to use your classroom technology to get students to better organize and more clearly illustrate their thoughts and ideas. 1. *******Lucidchart: https://www.lucidchart.com/pages/usecase/education Awesomeness: Lucidchart offers FREE educational version with a school email address. This will upgrade the number of charts you are able to make and opens up group collaboration features. You need to be approved by Lucidchart for these features. Features are easy to use and there are a wide variety of templates. The downside? until that is approved, no registration for students means no access. 2. Text to Mind Map : https://www.text2mindmap.com/ Benefits: Copy and paste in your text and use the tab button to separate levels of information. Easy to use, no registration required. The downside? Not a lot of customization available. Without registration, you can't come back to the organizer. 3. Wisemapping: https://app.wisemapping.com/c/maps/3/try Why it is great: No login required to create, to save you can use the snipping tool to save the final image. The downside? If you need to build over several days, you need to create a login. 4. Popplet: http://popplet.com/app/#/demo Why I love it: Popples are fun looking and easy to create. Easy to insert pictures and create connections. The downside? Only 10 free popplets, and the need to register to get full effect. Free demo is available. 5. Mindmeister: https://www.mindmeister.com/demo/657443481 Why I give it a thumbs up: An easy to use, colorful interface. Free demo if just you need it screen clipped and not saved. If you do register, you can add collaborators and sharing features to the map. The downside? Only 3 free maps, registration to save or print. ********6. Read,Write, Think Interactive Webbing Tools http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/ Why I say Yay!: A wide variety of webbing tools: No login required to save, share or come back to it the next day!!! The downside? Each tool has it's own starting point, no customization inside of that specific tools. Why an online web is better than a paper one!
1. Quickly add images or color coding to illustrate ideas 2. Diagram layouts can be changed easily to allow more room for ideas to be added onto 3. Limitless page space 4. Easier to read/ neat 5. More time spent on content, less time trying to make it all look the right way! |
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