Students learn from their teachers during school, but they also learn from each other. Sharing ideas allows others to interact and create new unique ideas stemming from those shared ideas. When students are able to brainstorm collaboratively, they can also learn teamwork, commitment, and many other skills. To encourage this idea-sharing, integrate brainstorming into your classroom using fun, easy-to-use brainstorming applications for student collaboration. Luckily, there are many tools that allow students to generate ideas and share information in an easy visual way. Below, we’ve listed six different platforms for you to choose the one that suits your teaching style best.
Padlet
Padlet is an online bulletin board tool for teachers and students. With these boards, students and teachers can collaborate and share ideas in a new, easy-to-read way. After creating your board, share it with as many teachers or students as you wish. Click a place on the board, or drag and drop, to add text, images, videos, drawings, and even files to your Padlet board to begin brainstorming together.
Students can use this for brainstorming assignments or group projects. As they are working collaboratively, they will be able to see updates in real time. With a variety of layouts and ways to create, Padlet can be used again and again, and still feel fresh.
Features
- Autosaves changes
- Customize boards in a way that is unique to your working style
- Post files and embed content from Youtube, Google Drive, Spotify, and more
- Five different security options for full control over who can view and edit your boards
- Download the app or integrate into Safari, Chrome, and Firefox
Pricing
Use Padlet free with a limit of 3 Boards, or upgrade to Gold membership for $6.99 with access to more boards. If your whole institution is interested, check out the School Plan starting at $1000/year.
Read More: How To Use Padlet And 5 Ways To Implement It Into Your Classroom
Google Docs
Google Docs is an online document platform that your whole classroom can use. It can be used for a variety of different reasons, including brainstorming. Because Google Docs can easily be shared with others, it is a go-to option for brainstorming activities, especially if your classroom is already using GSuite.
To begin collaborative brainstorming, create a shared document for your whole class. Or, if your students are working in groups, have each group make a document and share it with their team members. Now, everyone will be able to open the document and share their ideas simultaneously. Like the video, you can create columns for students to add to, create a mind map with shapes, or just have students add their thoughts anywhere on the page. Responses can then be color-coded, organized, and reviewed in whichever way works best.
Features
- Give feedback to students by commenting on any text in the document
- Chat directly inside Google Docs
- Insert text, images, videos, links, and more into the document
- See live updates of changes being made
- See a history of changes along with which students have contributed
Pricing
GSuite for education is free!
Read More: Google Meet for Online Teaching – A 4-Step Guide for Teachers
Popplet
Popplet is a mind-mapping tool that can be used to begin the brainstorming process. The great thing about brainstorming with a mind-mapping tool is that once you have your ideas listed, they can be easily organized, added, and adjusted to a map. This way, the relationship between ideas can be seen visually.
With Popplet, creating mind maps (Popplets) is intuitive and easy. Adding squares (Popples) is the building block for your mind map. Add additional Popples, or child Popples to delve deeper into the topic. When all your ideas are on the map, they can be rearranged and connected with the Popplet Toolbar. Meanwhile, files and images can be uploaded with the toolbar.
Features
- Add collaborators through email or invite link
- Color-code student’s additions to the map
- Insert images, videos, and links to your board
- Students can export and share work in a variety of ways
- Integrated with iCloud, Prezi, Vimeo, and more
Pricing
Popplet has a Free Plan that includes 1 Popplet. For unlimited Popplets, upgrade for $1.99/month, or check out a classroom subscription with Popplet Group.
If you like mind mapping specifically, check out these additional 5 mind mapping tools.
Webjets
Webjets is a collaborative, creative desktop. Similar to Padlet, you have a canvas that houses your ideas and information. Each piece of information on your canvas is a “card” Anything can be dragged, dropped, or uploaded onto your canvas. Next, these cards can be rearranged and grouped in a way that works best, like creating a mind map.
To brainstorm as a class, or to have students work together, Webjets supports real-time collaboration by inviting people to your board through email. Each user can save many different projects on their profile to keep the information or to work on different projects in the same place at the same time.
Features
- Use Webjets for brainstorming, task management, or research
- Real-time updates across all devices
- Bookmark webpages to add to your Webjet canvas later
- Present Webjet canvases in an easy interactive way
- Publish canvases as a webpage
Pricing
Webjets has a Free Plan for educators and students. To access, sign up, and request the Education account.
On the other hand, Webjets can be used for free for up to 2 collaborators and 200 cards. For more unlimited capabilities, try out the Professional Plan for $7/month.
Stormboard
Stormboard helps to brainstorm by being a mix between a whiteboard and a task management platform. Let’s say, your students are working on a group project together. They can begin by brainstorming different ideas for their project and the steps to complete it by adding sticky notes or drawing on their board. After the brainstorming is complete, each classmate can be assigned a task. This way progress can be kept track of, and everyone can see the flow of the project.
As they brainstorm collaboratively, students are able to see their classmates’ updates in real time. They can add text, files, images, and videos to their board. Any student can use Stormboard on the web. No matter which device they are using there is no software to install.
Features
- Library of templates to help begin and organize your sessions
- Infinite Canvas
- Export to PDF, Word, PowerPoint, or Excel
- Instant reports to turn any board into a presentation
- Integrated with Microsoft, Google, Box, and more
Pricing
Stormboard is offering educators and students its software for free until 30 June 2023.
Stormboard’s Personal Plan is free for you and 5 other team members. For more features, there is a Business Plan at $10/month or an Enterprise Plan at $17/month. Each of these paid plans comes with a 30-day free trial.
Read More: 5 Best Digital Whiteboard Tools for Your Classroom
Wakelet
Wakelet will help you brainstorm by using the web. Any information, from articles to videos to podcasts, that are found on the web can be bookmarked and organized in your Wakelet collection. Data can be seen in an informative and engaging visual way, instead of just text and lists of links. In addition, your own notes, images, or PDFs can be added to give more context to your collection.
All of this can be done collaboratively with other teachers or students by inviting them to your collection. Together, students can create collections by brainstorming and adding their own information to be organized later. Wakelet supports real-time collaboration which makes working together that much easier.
Features
- Integrated with Flipgrid, Goole Classroom, Screencastify, and more
- React and comment on pieces in the collection
- Download and share collections as PDFs
- Make collections public, private, or unlisted
- Create sub-collections to further organize ideas
Pricing
Wakelet is free to use for anyone!
Which platform is best for my students and me?
These tools can help bring your students together during your lessons in a whole new way, whether your students are in person or online. To help you choose the best application for your use case, we’ve highlighted the best use cases for each tool listed:
- Padlet – best if you are looking for an all-in-one, feature-packed collaborative board.
- Google Docs – best if you are a GSuite user and brainstorming sporadically.
- Popplet – best if you are looking for an easy beginner mind-mapping tool.
- Webjets – best if you are looking for a free, interactive web-based canvas.
- Stormboard – take brainstorming up a level with task management.
- Wakelet – best if you are looking to brainstorm for any kind of web content.
Thanks for reading through these six different brainstorming applications for student collaboration. If you have a favorite that wasn’t mentioned, let us know in the comments below!