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Brainstorming is an important part of the writing process. Bubbl allows students to draw mind maps on the computer. In class we talked about creating mind maps in Google Draw, but Bubbl might be easier to use in the sense that you don't have to create the structure for the mind map itself. By simply clicking the tab key, you can add another idea bubble. By clicking enter, you can add a new "level" of ideas. You can also click on the line connecting idea bubbles and hit delete if you would like to separate the ideas. These mind maps can be saved, printed, or exported. I have used mind maps in my writing classes before (with paper and pencil), but sometimes they can get a bit messy and hard to read. One benefit to using this website is that students can edit their maps and keep them fairly organized and easy to read. My students also appreciate opportunities to practice typing in English, so they may be more motivated to type up their idea maps. However, brainstorming activities in class are often fairly short. Sometimes it is a quick 10-minute activity at the beginning of class to get ideas flowing. Using the computer to create mind maps may not be ideal for these quick warm-up activities since time will have to be spent familiarizing students with the website itself.

Wall Wisher seems like a great application for getting students to add their ideas to an online posting board. I think it has a lot of potential. They can also add youtube videos which can be watched in class.

I thought I just shared this on here but I don't see it below! haha this teacher in my program just gave a workshop on this. it's a pretty cool tool with a lot of different applications. I actually did a write up on the workshop for the UM's current events feed, check it: http://um2.umac.mo/apps/com/bulletin.nsf/nrsview/2184F90458D580DA48257BDB00116A5F