Popplet

Today on Twitter I noted some tweachers discussing their problems with inserting Popplets into their Google Sites. As Popplet is my absolutely most favourite go-to tool for all sorts of things, I wanted to share its use and how to embed it into a blog with you.

What is Popplet?

The online application Popplet let's you create digital mindmaps with ease. You sign up at Popplet.com for free for a limited account (5 popplets at any one time) or you can purchase a full account with unlimited popplets for a small fee (from recollection $3/month?). I started using Popplet back in February, and initially I felt that I didn't need more than 5 popplets anyway (you can export them easily), but I have since paid for the full version which allows me to work on a project for some time. You can also download the lite or the paid iPad app (NZ$6.49).

Here is one example of a popplet I created while planning my ULearn session, and here is the URL for it:

What would you use Popplet for?

Any time you want to collect ideas, brainstorm, show connections between facts, to plan an event, to develop a lesson, I have used in in writing sessions with students to collect rich vocabulary, to develop a story from an interesting image / video / music video with alternative beginnings and endings, to practise word families etc. This tool is very easy to use, even by junior students, it allows you to include images / videos from flickr, vimeo, YouTube and your computer. You can also draw (I struggle with this aspect, need to practise this I think!). I have not used it as a collaborative tool yet, usually it's been individual or collective brainstorming and one person typing. 

How to create and change a popplet?

Log in to popplet.com. Creating a wall is completely self-explanatory. You select a title and get a choice of colours both of which you can change once your popplet is created (just click on the title and delete / type etc.). To create a popple, just double-click on the screen, or tap on the iPad. {Note: I have tried this for the first time on my Chromebook today and it didn't want to give me my first popple. I clicked on setting (cogs icon at the top) and selected New Popple and was fine from there.} The popple can be typed into, have an image inserted, you can change the colour, draw in it, change the font size - all really self-explanatory. To add a popple, just click and drag on the little circle off to the side of a popple. If you would like to sever a connection between to popples, hover on the line connecting them and click on the x. Alternatively, if you want to connect two popples, just drag out from one popple's circle on the side to the next popple. 

Why and how would you embed it in a blog?

Why? To show your students and their audience.

On the right side of your popplet you find a share button. In order to share a popplet, you need to make it public. You can select to share it on Facebook or Twitter, or you can get a link or an embed code for your popplet. This will allow others to view your popplet. To embed it on blogger, get the embed code (gibberish). While creating your blog post, click on HTML, and at your chose location, paste the gibberish. Return to your Compose view and you will find a grey box with a triangular playsymbol embedded. Once you publish the blog post, you will see you popplet and you are able to navigate within it.

Collaborate on a popplet

Again, you click the share button and you can invite collaborators. Collaborators apparently need to have a Popplet Account - if you would like to collborate on the popplet below, please contact me and I will invite you - I would love to give this a try.

Below you find a little test popplet embedded and here is the URL.