MindMeister and Nearpod Review

    

    Let's continue our technologically learning journey with MeindMeister and  Nearpod. First start with MeindMeister, it is a web-based mind mapping software that you can use both in your computer or in your mobile devices in other words it is a online mind mapping tool. You can use MeindMeister to create and design maps, add images and explanations to your maps, attach documents and URLs and to create engaging slideshows quickly. MeindMeister is usually used for brainstorming, meeting management, taking notes, project planning and idea management. Using MeindMeister is also very easy and useful in the class.

    With the help of MeindMeister you can conduct group works, task-based activities, interactive and collaborative tasks in the class. Your students can enhance their creativity. For example they can esaily create mind maps and let their friends to make some contributioons to their work. Thanks to the its simple presentation and structure students can understand the subject easily. 

Teachers can use MeindMeister to make lessons more comprehensible and turn hard subjects to more easy ones because it represents the relationships between the concepts and shows the whole picture of the subject and so students start to understand and join the lessons. They can also catch the interest of students and make students more active in the learning process. MeindMeister also helps the memorization,with the help of colors and images used in the MeindMeister topics become more permanent. You or your students can share your mind maps designed in the MeindMeister with friends, colleagues, teachers or students. Not only teachers or learners but also managers, advisors, creatives and anybody else can benefit from the MeindMeister. It can be used for education, business, life, productivity and for other purposes. 

                                                       How to use MeindMeister ?

                                                                              

   

    First you must sign in then in the main page from the templates you can choose an existing theme or schema or you can select a blank page. According to your topic you write the main idea(s) in the middle of the page and then you add related ideas this ideas consists of related words and images. You can add videos, files, comments, links and tasks too. You can arrange the writing style and color. Your work is automatically recorded by the MeindMeister, afterwards you can come back and continue to create.

 You can drop your files to the MeindMeister so that you can use these files in the MeindMeister and you have the chance to make up folders and arrange your mind maps in these folders. Hovewer if you are a basic user you can only export your works in the MeindMeister format but you cannot export your works as PDF, Word, PowerPoint or image file for these features you have to be a premium member. 

The number of the maps you can create is also limited to three if you are a basic user. Here is a map that i created last year to teach the English meanings of shapes, i used ideas and figures to actualize my aim and it was easy to use MeindMeister but i remember that the movement of arrows was hard to control i mean while i was trying to add ideas they were all the time moving and it made hard to add ideas. 

       What is Nearpod 

     

     Nearpod is a platform that presents you interactive lessons, different types of assesment and interactive learning experiences. You can think Nearpod as a virtual class. With your students you can teach a lesson in a cooperative and interactive way. You can use maps, diagrams, videos and images in the teaching and learning process, preapeare quizes for the learners, send assignments or give quick feedback to your students. You can use existing lessons in the Nearpod and conduct live lessons too. Virtual reality is another opportunity of the Nearpod like polls and collaborate boards. Nearpod also enables the game-based learning so students learn with fun and they are motivated.

      How does it work ?

  

     As a teacher you can create lessons in the Nearpod but first of all you have to create an account then you can both use and import the existing lessons in the Nearpod. In your screen there are sections like my library, explore, join, create and reports after choosing the create section you can start. Click the "add presentation" section and then you can add slide, delete an existing slide and preview you work before publishing it. Then you can add content such as slide, video, audio, slideshow and pdf viewer and also add activity like open ended question, pool, quiz, draw it and fill in the blanks. After these stages you have to publish what you have created when publishing you can titled your presentation, determine the grade and select the subject. Then in your library you can share your work with your students by giving them a code, you can share this code via email, twitter, google or facebook. Finally you can teach your lesson. You can teach a lesson in a synchronically or unsynchronically way. You can evaluate your students' answers and give them a quick feedback with the images or maps. Nearpod also includes google tools such as Classroom, Slides, Drive and more so you can use these tools in the Nearpod.