Concept mapping is a great way to show students relationships between concepts on a particular topic. The map shows the relationship between concepts by linking words and arrows to show a direction of that relationship. I used the program Kidspiration to create my concept map. It was a very helpful and creative program. It allowed me to use specific images for my concept map directly from the program as well as alter the color scheme and layout to suit my needs. My concept map is about the solar system. I use the map to show how the Sun is the center of our Solar System and how all of the planets surround the Sun. I used arrows coming from the Sun to each of the planets. From the planets, I used arrows branching out giving additional information about each specific planet. For example, I used an arrow coming off of Mercury stating that it has no moons. I used a second arrow coming off of Mercury to state that it is the closest planet to the sun. I used an arrow coming off of the topic that Mercury is the closest planet to the sun stating that Mercury has no air because it is the closest planet to the sun. All of these topics and subtopics and even sub subtopics can be used to creatively teach a lesson on a specific subject or topic. Concept mapping can be tied to NETS-T: 3 which is to Model Digital Age Work and Learning. This is being done because the teacher is communicating relevant ideas effectively to students using digital age media and formats.
