Thing 14

For the relational programs, I chose Gliffy and Bubbl.us. I perfer mindmapping over flow charts. Both programs could be useful in classroom settings. Flow charts like at Gliffy help teachers or students define a distinct set of steps and options to be considered along the conceptual pathway. I teach a business communications class, and can use gliffy to demonstrate concepts such as how business decisions are made.

The Bubble.us program helps to show relations between complex concepts. When I teach healthcare, I could create mindmaps to show relationships among forms of immunity. There are several factors that contribute to immune responses, and using Bubbl.us I was able to create a basic interaction chart.

Web based applications are fun and can be used in presentations. One of my earliest discoveries was a free graphing program, Create a graph from NCSE, I have used it in PowerPoint graphs for class projects. It is easy to use and creates graphs at no costs in a variety of styles: pie, bar-graph, X-Y. It is great fun, and can be edited as needed. Students seem to love this great program on the web.
http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/default.aspx