Mindmeister: a great Web2.0 tool to help students organize their thoughts.
Mindmeister starts you off with a tutorial of how to create a mindmap, technically a brainstorm or graphic organizer. What's so great about the site is that students can organize links and images as well as their thoughts. The site also allows you to research information and images using your preferred search engine right there while you are mapping. It allows collaboration amongst students and the history would allow me to assess student's contributions to the project.
I chose to create a web of experiences that the poet Langston Hughes had throughout his life. When reading poetry, it is helpful to have insight into the author's life in order to better interpret and evaluate the literature. The main four experiences are the most influential in his life and the two ovals around the image are the outcomes of those experiences. In class, we would discuss how those outcomes might translate into his writing. It is helpful to create a mind-map like this to study an author.
I would like to give my students an option of a clean slate or a pre-labeled map. Some students will find it more difficult to brainstorm navigating this site while others will flourish at the opportunity. This is a great tool that lends itself to differentiated instruction. Some students will require more structure while others need least restriction when getting their thoughts down.
I do think that reluctant students will prefer paper and pen, although technology could act as a great motivator. While I may encourage students to experiment with new technologies, it will require patience knowing not all students will become accustomed to technology so easily, while others may.
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