Popplet is an online dynamic organizational tool that can be used to create visual organizers such as mindmaps. Popplet provides the opportunity to add text, drawings, images, or video. Mindmaps can be created collaboratively online and connected with other creations. Popplet boards can be shared via email or text message as a JPEG or PDF file. According to Delaney (2016), students with Special Educational Needs profit from the use of mindmaps when planning, adding or sorting ideas. Given that Popplet gives you the possibility to include key words, images and colours, it makes it easier for SEN students to process and remember information. 

Some possible uses and benefits of Popplet in education include: 

• building organizational skills for reviewing and note-taking; 

• supporting an argument, 

• creating an outline for a speech, paper or presentation;

• making thinking visible by modeling;

• fostering collaboration.
  
  

Drawbacks: Limited functionality: users can create only one mind map for free.

According to Bindel (2021), “the labeled collaboration feature also makes it possible to use it as a formative assessment or to keep track of contributions during a group assignment,” which I believe is really useful as students can “reflect on why they organized ideas the way they did”. This helps students work on metacognition and critical thinking. 

1. First, click on the link to access the website: https://www.popplet.com/ 

2. To start working, click on the SIGN UP button and choose the account you want to sign in with. To save and share our creations, we need to have an account.

3. Click on "create new popplet" and start creating! If you click on the circle, you can change the background colour.

4. By clicking on your text box, you can change the border's colour, add text and change its size and placement in the box, add a drawing, file, URL or video from your computer/YouTube/Vimeo.

5. Share! You can add collaborators or make it public.

• Reading comprehension: Popplet can be used to create mindmaps after reading a story to help those students with special needs such as dyslexia. By using this tool, students can summarize a story (characters, setting, author, style, favourite scenes, among others) so as to have a clearer idea of what happened in the story with less words, which will make it less confusing.

• Brainstorming: students may use this tool when brainstorming ideas for a group project/presentation. This allows for collaborative work and a clear organization of ideas.

• Bindel, A. (2021). Popplet: Popplet Review for Teachers. Common Sense Education. Retrieved from https://www.commonsense.org/education/reviews/popplet#:~:text=Popplet%20is%20a%20dynamic%20organizational,%2C%20students%20can%20double%2Dclick.  

• Delaney, M. (2016). Special Educational Needs. Chapter 6: Assistive Technology. Oxford: OUP