Thing # 14

The first chart I chose to use was a mind map from Bubbl.us.  This looked like a pretty easy chart to use and an effective one as well.  I was drawn to it because I remember in reading and language arts, using this kind of chart to analyze characters and their role in the plot of the story.  I like how the Bubbl.us mind chart is simply divided into "child" bubble and "sibling" bubble.  What that essentially means is you have your main bubble (main subject) and you branch into a sub-category of that subject, which is the "child."  Well, there may be sub-sub category, which becomes the "sibling."  For example, Maria is my subject.  One of the children is "likes."  It then branches into the category of fashion, which can then branch into its sibling "shoes."  It sounds very complex but once you make one the whole idea comes together.  This mind map is fairly easy to use.  There really isn't a lot of colorful or animated things you can do to it.  It's basic and straight forward, and this simplicity is something I really appreciate.  Here is a brief example of my mind chart.  It has me as the subject and I branch off into three relatively simple categories: birthday, education and likes.  The first two get divided into sub-categories, but the "likes" part gets fairly complex.  It delves into what things I generally like and then the specifics of those likes.  A chart like this is great for relatively simple concepts, like describing yourself or discussing main points in a topic that don't need much elaboration.  The great thing about this is I can position my bubbles to where they don't overlap and I can even change the colors of the bubbles (which I didn't do here).
   The flowchart is amazing.  It seems complex but it isn't.  When you open a new template, it asks you what kind of chart you want to make.  I chose the vertical timeline, but there are many others to choose from.  I like the vertical timeline because I am an obsessive list maker and this has a perfect setup for an electronic list.  You can also add graphics, such as pictures and change the background colors.  I can see myself using this not only in the classroom with my students, but in other parts of organizing my life.  This would be a fun and creative way to remind students what is due in the coming week or allow them to make their own.  They could also explore the other components and see how they would use it for note taking.  Below is the link for my flow chart.  
                            http://flowchart.com/editor/#04e640c6d345db62:101076