MindMup the mindmap that comes to life

We all know the benefits of mind mapping. Personally I find it the best way of taking notes. It is a very visual way of studying. Information can be grouped and organised easily and is easy to read at a glance. For those with a good visual memory it is easy to picture with your eyes closed.

MindMup takes mind mapping to a whole new level. It is easy to use and easy to set up. It can be exported, saved, embedded, emailed etc. Put simply, I love it.

Again, this is a free app also found in the webstore for google apps. When opening and setting up mind map there is a familiar layout to the workspace. It is uncluttered and easy to use.

The bubbles for recording text are called nodes. Initially the mind map begins with one node. Each node must have text to save. You cannot set up the mind map with nodes (bubbles) and then come back to fill them in, you must fill them in as you go. Another node is created by using the tab key.

To build from the center node you must always return to the center node and use the tab key. to build from a minor node make sure your cursor is in the appropriate node and use the tab key. You can use the hotkeys to insert nodes as well. Use the arrow keys to insert child or sibling nodes where required.

Once nodes are filled and completed they can be moved and arranged as desired.

Nodes are referred to as children and sibling. a simple tool that is effective is to use the subtree references to select nodes to be coloured to show relationship or position. 

By selecting the image icon in the hotkeys toolbar, you can import an image into a node. 

I suggest you resize the image to a three figure number to avoid taking up the whole mindmup with an image. This is what the result can look like.

Attachments can also be added to include extra information or links to websites. I use this to attach video links from youtube. 

As you can see there is now a paper clip being shown on the Pentecost node. This is to notify the user that there is an attachment here.

Using the leaf icon you can expand or collapse nodes as required. Great feature if you are using the mind map as a presentation or for study.

Once you have finished entering information into your mind map you can arrange things as you like. There is the capacity for straight lines or for curved lines. Personal preference really. I like to drag the nodes around until I find an arrangement I am happy with, especially as I add nodes.

There are plenty of features to play with in this app. I have to explore them all. I have used it with my year 12 Music 1 students for their revision of the concepts of music. they can include links to youtube of composition techniques. This one I have begun for a year 8 Religion class.

MindMup stores your mind map in its own cloud. There are other ways of storing it including dropbox and links to google docs. I like to use the export and share function, especially if I am embedding it into a blog. 

The other option I use is to save it to an image. This means I ca print the mind map or insert it into a document as an image file. Makes those word docs a little more interesting.

The only downside to exporting to an image is that you loose the interactivity of the attachment. however, you are always able to create a link to your mindmup for those who are interested.

As with all apps I use, you are only limited by your imagination. Please feel free to share how you use this app in the classroom. This is another great way for students to take control of their own learning rather than relying on teachers to direct everything. Of course you will need to sow them how to use the tool, and then the rest is up to them. Another case for flipping the classroom.

Explore, experiment. Have fun. always remember you can find the help you need using the help centre, youtube or drop me an email. 

MindMup

Yours in the Music Classroom

Cheers

Teresa

Read Write Think, Interactive Timelines

Let's face it, for kids, creating timelines is boring. as teachers we can see the many benefits; sequencing, historical context, organising information etc. But for many kids, it is a pain in the bum.

Read Write Think is a website that includes numerous educational tools. Over the coming months I will look at a couple of them in this blog. Today I am going to evaluate the time line tool.

This is a very simple website. I have experimented with many timeline tools over the years. Some of them are FANTASTIC and the possibilities are endless. However, as an introduction, for kids, this gets the thumbs up.

Timeline is a graphical tool. Information can be arranged sequentially. This can be organised by day, time, date etc. Students are given that option when setting up their timeline. Unlike other timeline tools "Timeline" does not require a vast amount of detail to set up. This allows students to focus on creating short descriptions for the events etc.

This is the starting page for the timeline. So simple and clear. Students are easily able to set up their timeline.

For this example I have selected to set up a timeline by date.

My timeline, on completion, will look like the above. There isn't the detail of an evenly distributed scale with weeks, months and years showing, but students can easily input that detail in the description. This is also an god opportunity to have a class discussion about timelines are usually created and set up.

A double click with the mouse allows students to begin entering details. It doesn't matter the order that they enter information. It is quite simple to drag things into place at any point in the process.

After entering basic information, or more elaborate detail students are given an option of including a picture or not. If they select to include a picture, their timeline will look very simple and plain, maybe even less attractive.

Just select the tick to see the timeline.

If at a later date your students wish to include a picture, or edit the information they have entered they can simply double click on the entry.

Probably is a good idea to encourage your students to include an image to make this timeline more visually appealing.

When all events are entered students can then drag things around to place into the correct order. This can even be a demonstration using a smart board or data projector to check student understanding of sequence within a lesson delivered.That means, as a teacher, you have the fun of creating your own timeline!

Now for the fun part. Students have the ability to manipulate their timeline. They drag events into order, or even change the layout.

Students can share the completed timeline quite simply. It saves as its own file type online using a login and on device. 

Or can be shared by emailing. Great idea if students need to submit to a teacher for marking.

After finishing students are able to print their timeline to hard copy if it is needed. A great idea to add to a poster or paste into a workbook.

At this point student again have an option to save. This time the timeline will save as a pdf. Great! You now have a product that can inserted into documents or added to websites. At this point it will depend on the website/blog tool you are using. For example, I use google sites for school. I would have to upload a pdf as a file that would be added to the file section at the bottom of the page. And that my friends, is a subject for another day.

There are many uses for a timeline in music. The first that comes to mind is for students to create a timeline of the different periods of music, then there are the composers themselves. The list can be long if you put your mind to it.

Go ahead. Try to create your own timeline. See how easy it can be.

Read Write Think

Yours in the music classroom

Teresa

Kahoot, takes quizzes to a whole new level

Ever wanted your students to complete a comprehension, listening analysis, end of unit quiz, topic test etc with little or no drama? Kahoot is the answer.

There are two parts to this software. The first is the controller that the students will use. This can be on a computer or other portable device with access to internet. The controller uses a different url as seen below:

Kahoot Controller

The log in to the controller looks like this.

The students will collect a game pin when the teacher logs in to the following website to open the games.

Get a Kahoot

The game website looks like this.

Of course, as with every other website I have reviewed, you will need to create an account. I always use my google account. This way, I usually can open the websites easily as soon as I have logged into my google account. Accounts are free.

There is a very good help menu to guide you through the steps to creating a Kahoot. There are also some fantastic youtube videos to do the same thing. I have included one below that may be useful.

To get started with kahoot, I probably recommend that you try the public kahoots before creating your own. Just be sure that you veto them before showing them in class to avoid any embarrassment. You have the option of searching for a kahoot that has been created by a teacher, or is for education purposes etc. For example try searching for treble clef note names.

This is a sample of a fraction of what you can find. Mine are not visible as I have selected to keep mine private. 

Once deciding on a quiz to play, select the purple play button. It is a good idea to make sure that your students can see the quiz in a common place to play the game together. I use a data projector as our school doesn't use interactive white boards. If you dont have either of these available students can always look at a single computer screen. I have created a series of quizzes for my senior Music 1 students to use for revision of terminology. In this scenario they can use a split screen to be able to see both the quiz and the controller.

As soon as I click on the launch button a game pin is loaded. Students enter this game pin on their controller.

They select a nickname. If you are wishing to save the results as an excel file, you may wish your student to enter their own name. Mine love to find unusual names. Luckily the website vetoes nicknames and wont allow those that are undesirable.

Students can see each other join the game from the teacher console. This always brings much hilarity with my year 10 girls.

Once all students have entered the game you are ready to go!

After all students have entered/selected their answers, or the time is finished, this will show on the game site.

The students have instant feedback. A score board is then shown, with rank and points. Points are awarded to the fastest correct answer. Students are unable to change their answer once selected.

This is what is seen by the student when they are waiting to answer each question.

An answer is selected by clicking on the colour that corresponds to the answer desired from the game site (as shown in a previous picture). And so the game continues.

Once you have mastered the art of playing Kahoot, you are ready to create your own. This is quite simple. click "new kahoot".

Give your game a name and you are ready to go!

To upload a picture for your question, simply find, and download or select one of your own and drop into the space provided. I often use a video from youtube, especially for a listening analysis.

To include a video simply select video instead of picture.

The great thing with a youtube video is that you are able to select specifically the segment you wish to play. Just make sure that you check back with your game from time to time to see that the video is still supported and available.

Once you have selected and uploaded your media you are able to enter the responses just as you would a multiple choice quiz. Select the correct responses and you are good to go. Save and continue or add a question.

When you have written your quiz and ready to save, you are given options that can later be changed. These settings determine where and how your quiz is shared or made private for use by yourself only.

You are nearly there. You have the option of selecting and uploading a cover picture. I like to use something that reflects the nature of my quiz. Once you have done this and hit the green button your game is ready to go. Don't be scared. Everything can be edited at any time. It is now all about experimenting.

I often have my students create their own kahoot. This is a great tool for checking their understanding of a topic. Students then play each others' games. Just be sure that you monitor the responses!

There are two other options for this website: discussion and survey. To date I have not tried these. Perhaps these can featured in a later blog post.

Now you are ready to change the world (or at least your classroom) one kahoot at a time.

Yours in teaching

Teresa