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Mindomo
Pros: Very versatile; Mindomo can be used for collaboration, organization, or plain old idea-brainstorming.
Cons: The site isn't designed with only kids in mind; sometimes the help language is clunky, and the dashboard can be overwhelming at first.
Bottom Line: Even though the site isn't made for kids, Mindomo can help kids and teens to think visually and organize their ideas.
You don't have to have a teacher subscription to use Mindomo in the classroom, but it may help you stay organized. Mindomo Classroom offers a handful of ideas for you to use with students, ranging from basic organization to group debate; they can be found in the Exercises section of the site. A collaborative map could ask for responses from an open-ended question. A literature-based exercise might ask kids to make a characterization map about a character from a book. A science- or math-related map could ask students to break down complex concepts into parts, or to look at connections between concepts.
Mindomo allows users to create "mind maps," tree-like diagrams that visually represent information and ideas. Kids can use it to organize information, create presentations, or collaborate on projects. While the concept can get challenging, the main idea is simple: Kids create a main topic bubble, then add subtopics (attached by a single line) and so on, until they're done. They can share maps through email, or allow others to contribute by adding them as editors.
Teachers can sign up for Mindomo with an email and password; you'll choose a payment plan depending on how many users you'd like on your account and how much storage you need. Once logged in, simply hit Create to start a map. You'll start with a single topic bubble, then drag-and-drop branches containing subtopics, and further sub-subtopics from there. Each bubble can be formatted to include text, images, or video content.
Mindomo's organization may be tricky for younger kids, and there isn't much kid-friendly help (although the "What is Mind-Mapping" section provides a pretty clear explanation). However, for kids and teens that are ready, Mindomo can be a good way to organize concepts and present ideas for both school and personal projects. Kids can make discoveries, and learn how to present concepts clearly, by making diagrams that break ideas down into parts.
Teens will be able to see the way their thoughts branch out, and can take a critical look at their own mind maps as well as the maps of others. The site can be good for helping kids reflect on their own thinking and creativity. They'll figure out how to visually represent ideas and patterns clearly. In turn, this can help kids to become better communicators in general. Mindomo also works as a brainstorming tool and as a way to present concepts; kids can learn about collaboration as they work together on group projects.
Learning Rating
Community Rating
An idea mapping tool with collaboration
The tool is useful for exploration of how mind-mapping works. As the instructor maps out a project, the flow of the work is outlined and additional details can be realized. So, the map helps the instructor to understand the requirements of the project.
The collaboration between students would realize the true value of the application. However, the company is changing the business model, which makes it difficult to adopt. This is a relatively new direction made in the Summer of 2014. When using the free account you can expect to see the following message often: "This is a Professional feature". The pricing ranges from $36/year per user to $180/year per 25 users. This means you can still share your mind map with your students by providing their email addresses, but you cannot make your mind map public and use advanced features.
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