popplet

10/2 ANNOUNCEMENT - IT APPEARS POPPLET IS NOT ACCEPTING NEW MEMBERS RIGHT NOW.  I WILL KEEP YOU POSTED WHEN THEY HAVE CHANGED THIS STATUS.  IN THE MEANTIME JUST VIEW THE INFORMATION BELOW.

Popplet is a web-based visual thinking tool.  It is currently in beta mode and free to use through invitation.  To get started click here.

What is a popplet?


How do I create a popplet?

You can follow the directions found on the popplet site or video (above) or watch my tutorial on blackboard in the tegrity classes.

How can popplet be used in the classroom?

I love to brainstorm visually and to have the ability to physically move around ideas.  The old-fashioned way of accomplishing this was through notecards or post its (still valuable, but not very easy to move or expand upon).  Popplet alleviates some of these issues by digitizing your thoughts and storing them in the cloud so that they are accessible anywhere with internet access.

Popplet is a favorite of mine with brainstorming ideas for lessons and larger curriculum structures.  See the images below for an example.

When I first began brainstorming for the content of the new courses I'd be teaching I had so many ideas to keep track of - and listing wasn't helping.  My ideas were organic, and every changing (as they should be at this point).  Enter popplet.  With this software I simply began by creating piles of notes ("popples") that I could save and then sort and group as I began to play around with the structure of the course and the lessons.

After I'd spent some time brainstorming I began to categorize my ideas into themes and eventually cluster them into weekly units.  Being able to physically move my ideas aided me in playing around with multiple solutions (to find the best fit) before I settled without having to spend time creating and recreating exhaustive lists.

Popplet has also been beneficial in visualizing classroom management for lesson plans and seating charts.  The above example illustrates my thinking for media stations during a unit of investigating expressive marks.

Popplet can also be used to create mind maps and concept webs to help unpack or elaborate on complex ideas.  The example here is a screen shot from a very detailed popplet I constructed investigating the idea of identity - the guiding conceptual thread for my Art Basics course curriculum.  This use is very similar to the functions the program Inspiration provides - but without the cost.

Additionally, web popplets can be collaborative others can add, edit, and arrange popples to those you have already created.