I have found that getting kids to write is a daunting challenge. I’m not referring to practicing print or cursive penmanship, but rather the process of producing a sentence, paragraph, or essay.  Excuses for avoiding this process range from, “I don’t know what to write!” to “My hand just doesn’t go that fast!” While some of their complaints are valid to a certain degree, most reading and English classrooms require students to produce some form of writing product.

So when I run across a tool that is creative, technology-based, and helps children begin to get their ideas on the page, I am overjoyed!

The tool I am referring to is Mindomo.  The free version of the web-based tool allows you to create three mind maps. You begin by creating a main topic and then subtopics under each main topic. This process is easily done through clicking and hitting return on your keyboard. Topics and subtopics can also be ordered, and a variety of layouts are available to choose from. Additional tools include the ability to add notes, links, multimedia, icons, comments, priority settings, and bookmarks. P.S. Tutorials are all available.

As students create their mind maps, they begin to see the connections between ideas and the order in which they might make the best sense to present their ideas. Also, since this is a graphic representation, students are not concerned with getting the words right, but rather what it is they want to communicate. Connections between ideas that previously seemed obtuse transform into golden nuggets of truth and wisdom. I’ve witnessed students actually getting excited at the prospect of translating their visual map into words. While this is not the perfect tool for every young writer, I suggest trying it with some of your most resistant writers as a way to ignite the spark of creativity and communication.  You can find out more about this tool here. And please let me know about your success stories with this, or any other teaching tool, by leaving a comment below.