The Learning Librarian

Note: this post satisfies the requirements for an assignment in Pam Berger’s IST 611 course, Syracuse University.

Technology: Bubbl.us

Mind mapping in general has been in use since the 1970s. According to Murley (2), “Because mind mapping is more flexible than outlining, it encourages creativity. Displaying all related topics on the same mind map, with emphasis and connections indicated by images, symbols, and colors, improves memory retention. The maps are also easier to understand, which saves time and increases productivity.” I had never used any mind mapping program before, so investigating Bubbl.us was eye-opening for me.

I can see how this tool could be useful in the classroom for all kinds of projects. Not only can it be used for brainstorming during the initial stages of a project, it can be used during later stages as well (Techbites n.p.). Brainstorming on the computer will capture the students’ interest better than brainstorming on a flip board or chalkboard, and the social networking component is especially appealing to students (Davis n.p.). If setting up student accounts is too cumbersome, bubbl.us can be used without signing into an account, as long as the work doesn’t need to be saved or shared (Clarke, n.p.). Collaboration between classes online may be more convenient with bubbl.us than with other Web 2.0 tools, because it can be asynchronous: each class can choose to view the collaborative content at a time that is convenient for them. With an online program such as bubbl.us, teachers and teacher-librarians can start with a narrow topic, and gradually broaden and deepen by adding bubbles as they go along, incorporating experiences from students’ own experience and enhancing learning (Murley 3).

Bubbl.us can help educators in many ways, including the following classroom ideas:

1.      Make a family tree when studying family heritage in social studies (Aitchison n.p.).

2.      Collaborate on a project with another class in another school without having to make sure everyone has the same commercial software (Valenza 13).

3.      Create word webs, which can then be shared with the teacher and with fellow students that may have related words (Davis n.p.).

4.      Introduce note-taking strategies for a literature analysis (Goldberg 22).

5.      Teach Big6 or other research strategies at the beginning stages of a research project (Goldberg 23).

6.      Create a timeline (incorporating people and locations) for a specific historical time period or event (Goldberg 24).

7.      Accommodate different learning styles – mind mapping is particularly useful for strong visual learners (Murley 3).

In addition to classroom use, Bubbl.us can help educators on a personal level to become more organized. For example:

1.      Create flow charts for grant proposals (Aitchison n.p.).

2.      Create a mind map of a brainstorming session for project planning that can be shared with all project team members using the collaboration feature or pasted into a blog or wiki.

3.      Organize sources or notes for a paper or research article, in order to aid in the writing process and narrow the focus of each topic (Murley 3). For an example, see the works cited section below.

In summary, Bubbl.us is a very intriguing mind mapping tool. I wish it allowed real-time collaboration (wiki-style) like MindMeister or FreeMind (Adam and Mowers 24), rather than only one person being able to use it at a time. Other, more robust mind mapping programs (MindMeister, Inspiration) are out there that have more features such as greater flexibility in fonts and editing options, or the ability to add links and pictures (Adam and Mowers 24), but Bubbl.us is free, and its very simplicity is what makes it so useful and convenient (Clarke n.p.). Bubbl.us isn’t trying to be the most intricate mind-mapping tool, and its colorful visuals and cute animations (bubbles “blow up” when you delete them, panning feature) will be very appealing to students (Wilson n.p.).

With all of its cool interactive features and beneficial organization tools, however, I see myself using it more in a classroom setting with students than for my own personal purposes. I think a person’s own personal organization visualization preferences either mesh with mind mapping or they don’t. I am a linear thinker, so making lists and hierarchical trees works better for me than bubbl.us’s more amorphous blob organization. Having said that, I do like the idea of being able to save and change my mind map, and being able to move bubbles around and inter-connect them. It would take some getting used to, but I am now warming to the idea of new ways to visualize projects and ideas, and I appreciate the opportunity to learn about a technology I would probably never have investigated if not for this class. This project has ultimately shown me that I should be open-minded about any and all web 2.0 technologies, because their usefulness might just surprise me!

Works Cited (Note: one of the downsides of bubbl.us is that you can’t provide a url link to a mind map, you can only invite someone to view it who already has a bubbl.us account. Please comment to this blog if you would like access to this mind map!) 

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 8th, 2009 at 2:09 pm Filed under IST611 and tagged "mind mapping", bubbl.us, IST611, research, web2.0. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.