Teaching.IU

Context

Visual mapping is an effective activity that enables students to clearly and critically think about their concepts/ideas/perspectives (Bitter & Legacy, 2008). This activity is also known as concept mapping. When visual mapping is put into action, an instructor has the ability to challenge students’ spontaneous thinking and help them develop critical-thinking skills. Because students can visualize their concepts/ideas/perspectives, visual mapping enhances their understanding and perception of each topic (O’Bannon & Puckett, 2010). Among dozens of visual mapping tools, “Inspiration” is one of the widely used products. However, installing Inspiration requires a purchase fee for individual students’ acquisition. As a result, instructors were in need of an alternative tool.

Step-by-Step Implementation

In my courses, I have used “Bubble Mapping” (www.bubbl.us), which is an easy to use and free of charge. In the classroom, an instructor can demonstrate how to use this tool; in the computer lab, an instructor can allow students to create on their own, after viewing a demonstration; even in an online course, students can easily learn how to use, due to the interactive user guide. Although this bubble mapping tool is not as functional as inspiration, it can generate a hands-on experience for such activities as concept mapping and brain storming. Simply, as long as instructors and students have Internet access, they can utilize bubble mapping, due to this web browser-based application.

I have used this bubble mapping tool when students were introduced to complicated concepts and needed to compare different facts/perspectives on the same theme/topic. In my courses, students needed to:

1. Have concepts/ideas/opinions/facts for visualization.
2. See an instructor’s demonstration.
3. Practice with the Bubble Mapping application before formal activity.
4. Create bubbling sheets.

Effectiveness

Since I have used this tool for class activities with both undergraduate and graduate students, I have received positive reactions about this tool from a majority of them. Their qualitative comments are the following: (a) It allows the teacher and student to work interchangeably with their projects; (b) I think that this will help students organize their thoughts in writing and reading; (c) the feature that turns visual maps or flow charts into outlines would be especially helpful for them as they begin to write papers; (d) this program gives the students an opportunity to make their thoughts more clear and organized; and (e) it could encourage students to be more creative, to organize ideas, and to plan and structure their thoughts through a process of brainstorming.

As the Bubble Mapping Company continues to develop new features and offer more diverse functions, I believe students will benefit more from the newer version. When instructors utilize this tool for an active learning module, it is anticipated that college students are more engaged in their class activities, promoting strong learning motivation and effective cognitive comprehension. In addition, since bubble sheets can be made as photo files, it can be used for college students’ electronic portfolio.

Adaptability

Because this tool was used for concept mapping and brainstorming, I consider the activities within this tool to be very useful for virtually any kind of major fields.