Use Bubbl.us to create simple mindmaps

Why mindmap?

Mindmapping is a great thinking tool. It has been suggested that this visual technique can improve learning and study efficiency up to 15% over conventional note-taking. It is also a very popular planning technique and definitely something one should introduce in every classroom.  It is a great way to brainstorm and generate ideas. 

Use bubbl.us to mindmap

What I like about bubbl.us is that it is a simple non-elaborate mindmapping tool that is easy to catch on to, and is useful for a younger class.  It can be accessed at https://bubbl.us/.  This is what a completed bubbl.us mindmap might look like. It has an attractive colourful look. 

A big plus about using this tool with younger classes is that they don't have to sign up. The mondmaps can also be exported as images such as JPEGS. Students  start with an idea and flesh it out by inserting ideas into bubbles. The bubbles can then be connected and color coded giving a visual representation of the connections between ideas.

This YouTube video seems to explain how to use bubbl.us quite well I think. 

How to share a bubbl.us mindmap

You can visit bubbl.us and without even signing up start creating lovely mind maps— but if you want to enable saving, sharing, and other cross-session features you'll need to sign up. 


a) If you have your students making a mindmap without signing in, then simply export the mindmap as an image and share it by email.
b) If you want to collaborate or share in any other way you'll need to sign in. 
 and then get the contact address of someone else who has a bubbl.us account, and find and use the sharing button. 

c) One can share the mind-map in a blog, wiki or website by getting the embed code (which is found in the drop down arrow under the Sharingbutton).

d) Bubbl.us also allows multiple users to interact and collaborate with the map itself. This is called mind-map sharing. To do this click on  Sheets > Sharing (top right hand corner of the screen.) Choose the mindmap you want to share and add it to a contact’s account. Mind-maps may only be shared with bubbl us 'friends': that is, the persons you want to share your mind-map with must also have a bubbl us account.

Collaborators can have different permissions assigned to them: 

*Read Only, which allows viewing but no editing,
*Edit, which allows full editing control, including re-naming of your mind-map.

(It would probably be wise to save a copy of your mindmap somewhere else before you allow collaborators to start working on it!)

 Please have a go using bubbl.us to create a simple but collaborative mindmap!