Kidspiration Mind Maps!

For class today, we looked at different kinds of software and played around with it. Needless to say, it was fun to just play around and learn how to use these different software and see how we could possibly use it for our future classrooms.

For our assignment, we had to use the Kidspiration and make a mind map, which would look like this:

We were to make a mind map about our friends and family, having 5 for each group. Making this was very simple, but there was something else that we had to do within the mind map under the writing section. We were to write how this person affected our life or write characteristics about that person. When I learned that I had to do this, I was a little excited because I could write about how they have impacted my life- and I usually don't have the time to ever think about it. When I started writing, there was so much to write about the people I put down. It was fun to look at how I grew so much because of these people and how they have seriously impacted my life.

The good thing about this assignment is that it uses creativity, technology, and a little bit of writing to make this all work. Children could work on their typing skills and learn more about technolgy while doing this- and all the while having FUN! With pictures, stamps, and many other kinds of ways to put out mind maps and charts, it appeals more to the children rather then just having them write out their own mind map on a piece of paper. With colors and different sound effects (even the lady who says the words out loud when the bubble is clicked!), children would be more excited to learn and create.

There are so many good things that children can use this for. Just like the picture shown above, it could be used as a Science project for kingdoms. It could be used to draw a mind map of the family so that other children can learn more about each other. It could be about writing a story and putting the ideas into the bubbles to brainstorm. There are so many ways that kidspiration could be incorporated into a lesson, and that makes a lot of things easier to use because it is only one type of software. Children would enjoy something that would allow them to play and create something on kidspiration.