How can the cognitive mapping tools presented provide a means for students to demonstrate their own thought constructs? How can you be sure students are actively demonstrating their own meaning and not simply demonstrating constructs you've taught them? This seems to be my weakest area and thinking critically about it renders little excitement. I realize that giving my 2nd grade students mapping tools and making sure they are producing their own thoughts can get pushed to the side. I encourage my students to think critically and develop their own ideas, but this can be the ultimate challenge when there are so many other social and emotional areas that need attention.
Concept vs. Mind Maps article defined the differences between the two mapping tools. Concept mapping takes a broad topic and breaks it into more specific ideas. Mind mapping feels more like a web where many ideas connect directly to the central topic (Frey, 2016). The majority of mapping that I do with my students at this point in the semester is creating graphic organizers for our writing. This helps identify the main idea and supporting details. My students have also done mind mapping during their Genius Hour exploration. They developed one idea and then asked questions in a mind map based on their main idea. After looking at the suggested mind and concept mapping tools, I realized that this area of education is quite profitable! I looked into Mind Meister and Inspiration and quickly realized these were paid for tools. Soon after I found many free apps and websites that would work great with any age. Popplet, iBrainstorm, and Corkulus were a few suggestions provided by Teachthought.com However, these still didn’t meet my needs and expectations. Further research on digital concept mapping tools proved that 2nd grade students may need to do visual mapping using old fashioned pen and paper. The best tools for the age I teach would be Popplet, which is more user-friendly. I liked that this app allowed for students to draw right on their mind map (Bittman, 2014). Sources: Bittman, E. 2014. Popplet Mind Mapping Tech Tool. Retrieved from https://www.weareteachers.com/popplet-mind-mapping-tech-tool/ Frey, C. 2016. Concept Maps vs. Mind Maps. Retrieved from http://mindmappingsoftwareblog.com/concept-maps-vs-mind-maps/ Teach Thought Staff. 2013. 25 Top Concept-mapping Tools for Learning. Retrieved from https://www.teachthought.com/technology/25-top-concept-mapping-tools-for-visual-learning/
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Author2nd Grade teacher at Keet Gooshi Heen in Sitka, Alaska Archives
December 2017
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