• Create brainstorms and mind-maps using pictures and/or text to present prior and/or new knowledge or help plan writing tasks
• Several activities available for subjects (i.e. reading & writing, social studies, science, math and others)
Instructional writing, writing plans, comparisons, cause & effect, cycles, patterns, chain of events, question wheels
• For teachers, use it as a writing task sheet (Insert multiple writing tasks into different shapes to display for children)
Mapping |
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Free because currently in public beta.
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Gliffy | With Gliffy online diagram software, you can easily create professional-looking flowcharts, diagrams, floor plans, technical drawings, and more. Our online diagram editor makes it easier than ever to create great looking drawings. SIGN UP REQUIRED. |
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED |
Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends. Free |
Create word clouds similar to Wordle and perhaps easier for elementary students. Unlike Wordle though, a word will not become larger the more you type it. It is totally random but is easier and more coherent to save as a JPEG. Below is an example. Fonts, colour and layout can also be changed. |
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Create word clouds that offers a bit more flexibility than Wordle but also slightly more limited in layout. |
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A bit more versatile than the others but not as glossy looking. |
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RECOMMENDED |
Freeware but need to download app. MindNode Pro and MindNode are elegant and simple-to-use mindmapping applications for the Macintosh that help to visually:
Mind maps can be used for many different tasks - including to-do lists, brainstorming, holiday planning, research, writing, project management - and in many different environments - school, meetings, workspace. Installation required.
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RECOMMENDED
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Exploratree is a free web resource where you can access a library of ready-made interactive thinking guides, print them, edit them or make your own. You can share them and work on them in groups too. This is the Beta / trial version of Exploratree so please do send us your suggestions and comments so we can help make the next version better. |
(More for creating diagrams) |
Cacoo - Real-time Collaborative Diagramming & Design from Nulab Inc. on Vimeo. |
FreeMind is a premier free mind-mapping software written in Java. Download required. | |
Writing Fun |
Not really mapping but a useful organisation tool for writing. Using text organisers to assist students with the writing process.
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Simple Diagrams is a small desktop application that helps you express your ideas quickly and simply. There's just enough functionality to describe a thought or capture a process. SimpleDiagrams keeps the visual expression clear through the simple design of library items and backgrounds. Features:
Free option available but installation required. |
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Dabbleboard is an online collaboration application that’s centered around the whiteboard. With a new type of drawing interface that's actually easy and fun to use, Dabbleboard gets out of your way and just lets you draw. Finally the whiteboard enters the digital age!
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Text 2 Mind Map is a web application that converts texts to mind maps. It takes a structured list of words or sentences, interprets it, and draws a mind map out of them. |
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Top 10 Sites for Brainstorming and Mind Mapping by David Kapuler | |
Timelines |
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You can explore, create, share and discuss timelines. Free but sign up required. |
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Create and embed timelines. Sign up required. |
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Create and share timelines on the web. Free but sign-up required. | |
Create and share a timeline but also view it Flipbook mode, List mode and map mode. | |
Combine photos, videos, blogs, mp3s into rich storylines. | |
thisMoment | thisMoment is about saving and sharing the Moments of your life, sort of like a personal timeline but you could also use it in the classroom instead of a blog. |
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Place points on a map and write descriptions. |
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