Finally A Mind Map That Is IOS Friendly!

For several months I’ve been looking for a FREE IOS app or online tool to help facilitate student brainstorming and the organization of ideas.  I’ve used 3 major criteria in my search:

1. iPad accessible- there is nothing worse than trying to use a tool that makes the job more difficult.  Unfortunately, many of the apps that claim to work “seamlessly” on the iPad have not delivered.
2. The app must be able to handle both links and images.  People use these brain mapping tools to highlight and organize important details.  Not being able to visually represent these or to click on links makes highlighting a challenge.
3. Most importantly, students must be able to collaborate.  

Stormboard.com is a tool that meets these criteria.  It is not fancy but does help students to organize their ideas in a way that make sense.  They do offer premium accounts for educators that come with unlimited collaborators and accounts.  These accounts come with access to over 100 amazing templates.  These include:

• Compare/Contrast
• Character Maps
• Storyboards
• Goal Setting
• Action Plans

Infographics- It Need Not Go To The Printer

A New Tool for Teachers AND Students

We often ask our students to gather information, synthesize it, then to report out in a way that is informative, engaging, and captures the attention of our audience.  Movies, podcasts, posters, and brochures are all examples of ways that students do this.  Recently though, I was introduced to infographics for the classroom.  Until now, I thought that infographics were something produced by professionals in a printing shop.  These apps opened by eyes up to a couple of options that deliver professional looking results and have lots of classroom applications.  And still more ideas.

The two apps are:

1. Picktochart- I like that you can embed links into the graphics with this tool

2.Easelly- I like that this seems to have more templates
3. Venngage- Professional feel

A group of EMS teachers recently used these two tools to create infographics for their classrooms. This is a snapshot of their work.  

A late addition to this post-I’ve had students testing the above programs on iPads for the last two classes. Easelly works but is glitchy.  Picktochart is really not functional at all.  I’ll be searching for functional “App” alternatives in the coming weeks.  Canva- was suggested.  Stay tuned.  A group of EMS teachers recently used these two tools to create infographics for their classrooms.