Thing 14 Flowcharts

My understanding of flowcharts is that it describes a sequence of events. Mind maps are more about defining relationships between parts to a whole, and sorting and categorizing objects. They are both visual descriptions of an idea that enhance understanding of that idea. I created an art media web using bubble.us. It was really cool and easy to use, and I think very easy for students to use. I think I could use this during teacher instruction instead of drawing them on the overhead, and if the students did the typing, they would be better engaged in the topic. We brainstorm ideas for artwork frequently, and an online web would be a great tool for these. I also opened an account in Gliffy.com and created a classroom management flowchart. Again, this was very easy to use, and was very flexible in choosing tools, colors, sizing, etc. Both these sites would make includiing flowcharts and mind maps into any lesson very simple, both as a teacher tool, and as an assignment for the students to do independently, or as a group. I only have 5 classroom computers, so this would have to be a computer lab assignment if assigned to the entire class. I really feel that using online flowchart/mindmapping software with a projector would be an easy way for me to implement these online tools into lessons more frequently, and would increase understanding of topics and relationships.