Review by Leslie Crenna, Common Sense Education | Updated March 2013
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Mindomo (mind mapping)

Get it now
  • Download on Google Play
  • Download from App Store

Organize ideas with cool mind-mapping tool; beware design flaws

Subjects & skills
Subjects
  • English Language Arts
Skills
  • Creativity
  • Critical Thinking
Grades This grade range is a recommendation by Common Sense Education and not the developer/publisher.
9–12
Great for:
Common Sense says (See details)
Teachers say (3 Reviews)
Price:  Free
Platforms:  Android, iPad

Take a look inside

5 images
Kids can create mind maps, organizing ideas into main topics and layers of subtopics.
Formatting options include map design and layout, color and shape of bubbles, thickness of connectors, font format, and more.
Layout options like the spider style, selected, present information differently.
Users can import their own graphics, such as these ancient coin images inserted into subtopics.
Exported .png map shows organizational units and activities.

Pros: There's decent functionality for the price, like the ability to export images and sync maps across devices.

Cons: Some kids might find the interface difficult to navigate, and it lacks some essential functions like resizing topics and moving idea connectors.

Bottom Line: This sophisticated mind-mapping freebie could use some design tweaks to improve ease of use.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

Teens can use mind maps to develop writing projects, analyze texts, present information, and more. If teens create and sign in to a Mindomo account, which requires only a username and email, they can cloud-share, email teachers, sync with desktop application-generated maps, or make maps public (XML-based .mom files can be opened with the free desktop version of the application). While PDF files lose formatting, .png files come out perfectly. Though the app requires some mental adjustments –- press and hold instead of point and click –- Mindomo offers tablet productivity with an attractive free price tag.

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Standards:

Mindomo is an app that lets users create relatively simple "mind map" diagrams. It offers many features such as design themes and layouts, integrated task tracking, presentation mode, and the ability to insert icons, hyperlinks, and images. Teens can learn to organize and communicate ideas, represent part-whole relationships logically, and think critically about information.

Users press and hold in the workspace or on topics to access many functions. With a topic selected, users can format with layouts and themes and add notes, hyperlinks, images, icons, and task functions. You can place slide boxes in the presenter, share cloud-based maps, or export to email or Google Drive (though this feature wasn't working at the time of this review). The home button provides access to file and folder management, Web-based help, and account sign-in for synchronization with desktops. A default main topic is available upon start, and maps are saved automatically.

Unfortunately, Mindomo suffers from quite a few ease-of-use issues: Basics like file and folder management, connectors, icons, and zooming in and out can be difficult and confusing. It's really best-suited to the larger screen of a tablet (as opposed to a smartphone). Font size sliders don't allow quick and precise adjustments, auto-align smushes topics together, topic size can't be adjusted, and exported files can't be viewed on Google Drive no matter what the format. Considering the barriers, Mindomo would likely turn teens off to mind mapping without really organized guidance and prompting from a teacher or parent. While Web-based help offers a page of somewhat useful question-based topics, a video and a larger collection of sample maps would allow older kids to better understand how mind maps can be used.

Overall Rating
Engagement Is the product stimulating, entertaining, and engrossing? Will kids want to return?

The app has a slick design with good-looking layouts and themes. However, some kids might find the interface confusing, which could dampen enthusiasm.

Pedagogy Is learning content seamlessly baked-in, and do kids build conceptual understanding? Is the product adaptable and empowering? Will skills transfer?

Teens can easily transfer organizational and critical-thinking skills they'll learn here. However, there's no introduction to mind mapping other than a few samples, and the app's lack of flexibility could hamper creativity.

Support Does the product take into account learners of varying abilities, skill levels, and learning styles? Does it address both struggling and advanced students?

Web-based help is somewhat beneficial. On-screen pop-ups disappear too quickly and can be confusing.

Common Sense Reviewer
Leslie Crenna
About our ratings and privacy evaluation.

Key Standards Supported

Speaking & Listening

  • SL.9-10.5

    Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

  • SL.11-12.5

    Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

Writing

  • W.9-10.5

    Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

  • W.9-10.6

    Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.

  • W.11-12.5

    Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

  • W.11-12.6

    Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.

Writing HS/S/T

  • WHST.9-10.5

    Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

  • WHST.9-10.6

    Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.

  • WHST.11-12.5

    Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

  • WHST.11-12.6

    Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.

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Teacher Reviews

(See all 3 reviews) (3 reviews) Write a review
Featured review by
Todd B. , Classroom teacher
Classroom teacher
Lancaster Mennonite School
Lancaster, United States
Plenty of options, but a slightly difficult interface.
Mindomo is a mindmapping tool, free to use, with plenty of flexibility. I've experimented with it a fair amount with the goal of using it for students to map projects and research and possibly even flowcharts for computer programs. However, I stopped short of using it in the classroom or even recommending it for students to use on their own. The interface is a bit confusing to use, requiring a fairly long time to create a document. The controls are not quite intuitive, and customizing the arrows and boxes takes too many steps. More effort to make the interface natural would greatly benefit.
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