Bubbl

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** Bubbl ** [|**http://www.bubbl.us**] ** The Tool and How it Works **

Bubbl is a simple free tool that lets you brainstorm online. Bubbl has several different features which make it a great tool, including the ability to create colorful mind maps, share those mind maps with different people, embed those mind maps in blogs or websites, email and print the mind maps, and export your mind maps as different images. Bubbl was created using primarily Flash and AJAX. The sharing and collaboration portion of Bubbl is particularly useful because it allows you share sheets to any individual. You can make those sheets read only so that they can’t make changes to your work or you can give them full access so that you can brainstorm together. I also think that the workspace and keyboard shortcuts are intuitive and easy to use. There aren’t that many buttons so the workspace isn’t that cluttered with all kinds of stuff. You are able to drag and drop things where ever possible. You can also save and manage a variety of sheets, so you can do multiple projects and save old projects to look back on or make changes to. The creators have established several future goals for this tool. Eventually the application will provide users with an auto-save every few minutes. They are also looking to eventually make this a standalone application that can be used directly on your computer without a connection to the Internet. Eventual goals include the ability to have real time collaboration within the application, sort of like an online meeting room. They also want to give people the option and ability to submit sheets for anyone to see and search. This would allow you to quickly and easily see and exchange ideas with anybody.

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How it Can be Used **

· To create a flowchart, storyboard, or shot sheet – Students could create a flowchart of a website and where the user will be able to go from the homepage. Students could also create a shot sheet for a video that they are making of what the next shot will be and the action that will be occurring in that shot. · Students can create a visual representation of cause and effect – You could have students think about a situation that has different causes and effects. You could have them create bubbles that show each cause and are linked to different effects. You could also create a chain of events leading from that first initial cause. · Students can show a sequence of events – You could have students create a timeline of events and show things in a specific order. They could also create step by step instructions for someone to follow. They could show that if a certain thing happens in a step by step process you might have to try something else. · Students can show ancestry for kings or other individuals – Have students map out the lineage of a famous individual in a history class. They could put notes next to each person’s name to show how they impacted history. This would give students a great idea of how people in history are interconnected or how a dynasty happened to rise and fall. · Students can compare and contrast two things – Have students set up two things to compare and contrast. There could be lines coming off of both main words connecting things that are similar between the two main words. You could then have lines coming off only one of the main words to show what things are unique to that word. This would give students a really quick way to see how different main ideas are interconnected and related yet different.