Webbing/Mindmapping

I created free accounts on three mindmapping tools and used them to create a web over the information I read in a journal article entitled K.I.S.S. and Information Ethics by Mary Ann Bell.  The three internet tools I examined are Spicynodes, Popplet, and Wisemapping.  All of them are useful for brainstorming, notetaking, and teaching, but they have different looks and different attributes.

The first tool I looked at was Spicynodes at www.spicynodes.org.  This tool was easy to figure out, but as I branched out I was not able to see my web in its entirety.  The cool thing about it, however, was that as you clicked on one of the major branches, it became animated and opened before your eyes to show you the spreadout of branches (or embedded nodes) from that area. Click on the link to go to my web or view below. http://www.spicynodes.org/oembed/url=http%3A//www.spicynodes.org/db/nodemap/&id=cf9de6cca411466a1e3e4c86ec18d3c9&nodemapID=492481&width=640&height=360


The free account has sixteen styles to choose from.  Once you choose your title and style, you are able to begin editing your content in an outline format.  As you type in your nodes, you can add or drag them to whichever level they belong. You are not able to see what it will look like until you save and go to preview.  Then you will be able to see the cool animation.  The preview shows only the center and first branches.  To see more you must click on a branch, which will then animate and open up to reveal more. You can also choose a full screen view and rotate it around with the mouse.  Really cool!

The next tool I tried is Popplet at www.popplet.com.  Popplet is bright and colorful with many options for choosing and changing colors.  The node boxes may be dragged around and rearranged.  I  found this necessary as my viewing screen soon became overcrowded with overlapping text boxes.  You are able to add flickr, YouTube, or google maps as content. I found this tool's look to be a bit hard to follow and overcrowded, especially if you want more than one level of branching. I was able to zoom in or out to see less or more.  Click on this link to go to my web.
http://popplet.com/app/#/1676766

I changed color boxes so that you can see the levels of organization, but it's still hard to follow.  I like Spicynode's organizational features, but I like that you can see everything on Popplet's view.

The third tool is played with is Wisemapping at www.wisemapping.com.  At first I didn't like it because I thought I could just jump in and figure it out without any tutorial since I had done that with the other two.  I projected a blank screen in my class where the students were going to brainstorm ideas for a writing prompt. It started out okay, but then I had trouble when I tried to move or rearrange text as I added information.  Sometimes I would lose the linking line and sometimes the text just stubbornly wouldn't move.  I was using the tool bar across the top of the screen.  After class I watched a tutorial on YouTube which revealed a list of shortcuts.  I found that I could maneuver easily using the Enter key and the Insert key.  This tool allows you to add pictures from a pull-down box.  I like this feature.  Also, as in Popplet, I can see everything in my viewing field. You can click, hold, and drag to move individual items or the entire mind map around.


Notice how you can change the colors and shapes of the text boxes (or have no boxes at all).  I added a picture of a computer screen to the Information Ethics box, a paper/pencil to the Ethics box, a thumbs-up to the Morality box, and a light bulb to the Reflection box.  I changed the text color for the farthest branches of organization. Like Popplet, it has a zoom bar which allows you to see everything or see part of it up close. I used a dotted arrow to show that Ethics is very closely related to Morality. Click on the link to go to my web: https://app.wisemapping.com/c/maps/184203/edit.

As you can see, all three tools organize in the same way: from the center outward.  This is more visually comprehensible than traditional notetaking or even traditional outline formats.  They are fun because you can create and amend them as you go, and students become part of the process.  Of the three, I will probably use Wisemapping the most because of its ease of use and ease of view.  I think it's pretty, too.  But if I want to impress other teachers in a meeting with a web that has been previously prepared, I will probably use Spicynodes with its spicy animation!

Source:
Bell, M. (1998). Kiss and Information Ethics. TAET Journal, Spring, 1998.