Ideaphora Insights

You know the saying “I’ve got too many irons in the fire”? Well, I have my own personal twist on that saying - ”There are fires everywhere, and I’ve got irons in every one of them!”  

Being a professional in the field of educational technology, those fires might look like helping other teachers use technology, working with an administrator, negotiating with a vendor, or even working with a family member who knows you can help sync his/her latest device. 

One thing we can all agree on in this busy edtech world is that we like resources for integrating technology that engage students, cover standards, promote higher-level thinking, and are (at least close to) effortless to implement. Ideaphora’s web-based concept mapping platform is one of those resources.

This year marked several milestones for Ideaphora - we launched our product out of beta with versions for individual and classroom use. We also have more than 175 classroom pilots in progress. Over the course of 2016, we've shared numerous updates, concept mapping strategies and tips for using Ideaphora with learners of all ages, but our blog readers responded most to the articles listed below. While these posts spanned various subject areas and instructional strategies, they all had one thing in common. They illustrate that concept mapping is an increasingly critical in the age of digital learning as educators prepare students for the college and future careers. 

Mike Jones, our Connecting Knowledge Grant winner and a STEM instructor and technology coach in the Bloomington School District 87 (Illinois), shares his insights on using Ideaphora in the classroom. 

In simplest terms, the goal of science is to answer a question, regardless of the source.  Often, this is done by introducing students to phenomena, which can be an event, piece of media or another item that helps students generate a question.  It is the investigation of that question that allows for concept mapping to be a powerful tool in science inquiry, one of the three dimensions of learning in the Next Generation Science Standards.   

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Ideaphora Connecting Knowledge Grants. After careful review, the judging panel has selected three well-deserving educators:

• $1,500 grant winner: Mike Jones, STEM instructor and technology coach, Bloomington School District 87, Bloomington, Illinois

• $500 grant winter: Kayley Bowie, middle school teacher, Crestomere School (Wolf Creek Public Schools,) Alberta

• $500 grant winner: Christi Collins, second grade teacher, Wise Primary School (Wise County Public Schools) Wise, Virginia