Comparison of Online Mapping Tools

Looking at online mapping tools was interesting.  There are definitely more available than I knew about.  We use Inspiration in our school, but definitely not to the degree it could be used.  It seems very easy to forget about it in the day-to-day workings in a classroom.  

I like all three of the online tools I examined (bubbl.us, MindMeister, and Exploratree),  I was prepared to like Exploratree the least, because at first glance, it seemed the least collaborative.  However, this is not the case; like the other tools, it can be used collaboratively and can even be posted for feedback and review.  Exploratree might be the best to use for collaborative purposes in education because of the fact that it is free.

It will be interesting to see if I would use these in a classroom; I have always been a “make-it-myself” kind of teacher.  I feel that with the collaborative possibilities of Google Docs, I still could make my own mind maps or graphic organizers and share these with students just as easily as using most of these tools.

	bubbl.us	MindMeister	exploratree
Creator/ Company/ Organization	bubbl.us	Meister Labs	Futurelab
Ease of Use	easy to learn clear getting started and help guides	extensive online help tutorials available	clear help guides video tutorials available
Features	can embed on other websites can choose to share as a collaborative or read only doc clean interface app for Google Chrome Facebook page provides many usage tips	change history is saved change history can be played back mobile apps for Apple and Android devices stored online all users access same doc clean interface Geistesblitz Widgets lets you add ideas to a default map from anywhere connects with Twitter offline mode connects with Google Docs Facebook page provides ideas for use	developed with school and classroom learning in mind pre-made or create-your-own templates can be printed out or filled out on website can be revealed in a sequence to help guide thinking process can comment on other’s guides or submit your own for comments
Number/ Types of Organizers	create-your-own, no pre-existing templates	Over 35 templates in categories such as education, business, entertainment, life, technology, etc.	Over 25 templates
Collaborative Possibilities	share through email or direct link can collaborate with other bubbl.us users	share through email or direct link real-time collaboration with color-coded changes live chat features	share through email or direct link
Cost	with 50% educational discount, it is $3 / month or $29 / year	3 free maps Personal:$4.99 / month Academic pricing: http://www.mindmeister.com/academic	Free
Drawbacks	Collaborators have to bubbl.us users Cost prohibitive to use in a whole class setting	Cost prohibitive to use in a whole class or school setting	not as connected to other collaborative web tools or social media sites