Website review by Amanda Bindel, Common Sense Education | Updated January 2021
Popplet
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Popplet

Minimalist mind mapping to organize ideas

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Learning rating
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Community rating
Based on 22 reviews
Privacy rating
Not yet rated Expert evaluation by Common Sense
Grades
1–12
Subjects & Skills
Communication & Collaboration, Creativity, Character & SEL
Great for
Presentation, Productivity
Price:  Free, Paid
Platforms:  Website
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Take a look inside

1 video | 4 images
How to Encourage Active Viewing with Popplet
Educator Video
2:07
Make a new Popplet by clicking the button, then name it and pick a background color.
An example of a completed Popplet with text, photograph, drawing, and YouTube video
Public Popplets can show students some examples.
An example of a mind map

Pros: Simple interface makes getting started and collaborating easy.

Cons: Limited functionality; users can create only one mind map for free.

Bottom Line: Easy-to-use idea organizer can help with simple mind mapping.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

Teachers can use Popplet in virtually any subject area: Use them to build organizational skills for reviewing and note-taking; to teach paragraph structure, supporting an argument, creating an outline; and more. The possibilities are limitless. One example available in-app under the public tab shows a person's travel plans -- places they'd like to visit with pictures and hot spots. Teachers could model note-taking, for example, and then share the Popplet image with students to refer to as an example.

The labeled collaboration feature also makes it possible to use it as a formative assessment or to keep track of contributions during a group assignment. And it makes group work a bit easier for distance learning. Challenge kids to reflect on why they organized ideas the way they did to encourage metacognition, and push them to arrange their thinking carefully.

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Standards:

Popplet is a dynamic organizational tool available on the web or as an app where users create mind maps on a board. Students can use text, drawings, images, or video. To create a popple (a section within a Popplet), students can double-click. Background color, box color, and other details are also customizable. Once created, Popplets can be connected to others, forming an interactive outline of related ideas -- a mind map.

Popplet boards are shareable via emailing or texting the image as a JPEG or PDF. The paid version allows unlimited creation, while a free account allows for creation of only one mind map. There's a library of public Popplets and a tab to view maps that another user has shared.

Mind mapping, or linking ideas as Popplet allows, is a creative way to get thoughts out of a student's brain and onto the screen. Popplets allow kids to share and make sense of their ideas using words, images, drawings, and video. They can link ideas to form the outline structure for a speech, paper, or presentation and then add details elaborating even more. Popplet can help students organize their thoughts and make sense of the information they're learning.

This productivity app has many uses in business, personal planning, and management, as well as education. While it's handy that it can be used both on the iPad and on the web, collaboration will require class- or school-wide subscriptions as well as an app purchase.

Overall Rating
Engagement

Popplets are easy to create, and kids will enjoy adding content and customizing their mind maps.

Pedagogy

The app's design allows students to easily make connections and delve deeper into ideas and concepts visually, but functionality is limited.

Support

There are lots of examples to follow, and use is supported in lots of languages.

Common Sense reviewer
Amanda Bindel Classroom teacher
See how we rate and review

Key Standards Supported

Writing

  • W.1.6

    With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.

  • W.2.6

    With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.

  • W.3.6

    With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

  • W.4.6

    With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.

  • W.5.6

    With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting.

  • W.6.6

    Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of three pages in a single sitting.

  • W.7.6

    Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as well as to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing sources.

  • W.8.6

    Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

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Community Rating

(See all 22 reviews) (22 reviews) Write a review
Featured review by
Jim V. , Classroom teacher
Classroom teacher
Marshall Elementary School
Wexford, United States
Visually Capture and Organize Ideas!
Overall, this is a great free app to make deep connections to larger topics. Students are able to be creative with the app and use its features to further their understanding of a topic. After students finish creating a Popplet, they are able to export their work so they can print or view it later. I love that this app is easy to use and functions across all grade levels. It is also nice because it can use used on a tablet or a computer. I definitely recommend this app!
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