Digital Tool: Online Concepting Mapping

Here is a PMI concept map evaluating the use of concept maps in a classroom context

PMI of Concept Maps in my teaching context

Pluses	Minuses	Interests
·         Organise ideas into chunks that can easily be indentified ·         Students can sort and filter relevant information ·         Each bubble can be connected to another bubble for critical thinking and analysis to occur ·         Easy to format and create ·         Supports visual literacy rather than just lists of ideas there is a structured format where the brain can process ideas more easily. You can see a concept as a whole and then read each bubble for more detailed information. The further the bubble is away from the centre of the concept map the more detailed and niche it becomes ·         Link to websites ·         Creativity prevails	·         Too big and loose, focus is lost for some students ·         Loosing depth in ideas, just stating ideas rather than evaluating and analysing ideas ·         May not suit all learning styles, sequential learners ·         Visually threatening to some students	·         Provides connections to the brain for easier absorption of ideas and schemas ·         Digital literacy is developed ·         Free flowing ideas, leads to unexpected findings ·         Malleable and flexible tool for all learning styles

Concept maps are easily constructed and created. You can present students with a concept map to give them a holistic, well-rounded view of a topic or ideas which they can refer back to if they are having difficulty relating and connecting with the project or assignment. They are visually appealing and students can create their own concept maps and upload them to wikis or their blogs for other students to see and comment on. I remember creating mind-maps in class on a piece of paper. It was a helpful process but once class was finished they were either thrown away or became damaged, so ideas were lost and you couldn’t refer back to them. Concept maps saved onto a computer allows students to constantly refer back to it. By the end of the activity or topic students can see and reflect on the ideas they had in their concept map; see if they understood them or where improvement was needed.