Bubbl.us was one of the very first services that I reviewed on this blog. I just took a look back at that post and was amazed at how much my blogging style has changed since then. In other words, the first time I reviewed it, I did a lousy job. Therefore, I’m featuring it again.
Bubbl.us is a free mind mapping/ graphic organization tool that allows users to collaboratively create and edit mind maps. Bubbl.us takes just seconds to figure out and you can try it before registering for an account. With Bubbl.us users can use their keyboard or use the drag and drop interface to arrange elements in their mind maps. Publishing work created with Bubbl.us can be done by exporting the file to a JPEG, PNG, or as an XML or HTML file. Any mind map created using Bubbl.us can be embedded into a blog or website.
Applications for Education
A collaborative mind mapping tool like Bubbl.us is great for conducting a brainstorming session with your students. Students working on collaborative projects can use Bubbl.us to develop and share ideas of their visions for a project. Tools like Bubbl.us can also be great in a history classroom for having students outline the connections between various events that happened concurrently during a given era.