Week 5...online concept mapping

Bubbl.us is a great tool to facilitate brain storming.  It has roots in the traditional methods (e.g. butchers paper and pen), however this application provides an interactive twist. 

Image courtesy: www.experientialtools.com 

 

Online concept mapping can be used at the beginning of a topic to gauge student understanding or at the end of a lesson to ensure that the learning outcomes have been achieved.

I have summarised some of the affordances of Bubbl.us in the below table:


My wiki contains an online concept map I created, which I used to structure my thoughts in preparation for Assessment 2. 

In a teaching context, each 'branch' could be used to promote critical thinking, or offered as a memory aid (providing cues related to a specific topic).  A central idea, both for business students and those nearing working age, could be "getting that job".  Depending on the extent to which the teacher scaffolds and structures the activity, the tool could require students to brainstorm and contribute declarative (what is a resume), or procedural knowledge (how to prepare for an interview).  The following questions could be prefilled 'branches' of an online concept map, demanding higher order thinking.

• What types are clothes are acceptable when going for an interview?
• How can you research your prospective employer?
• How can you set yourself apart from the other candidates?
• What sort of questions should you have prepared to ask the panel?