What seems at first to be a very simple, basic mind mapping tool, Popplet actually offers quite a few advanced features that allow users to build rich, multimedia mind maps.
Popplets’ maps are comprised of “popples,” bubbles that contain some kind of content and are linked together. Popples can contain text, uploaded images, hand-drawn sketches, and even embedded videos, which you can search for without ever leaving the site. To build a hierarchy, popples can be color-coded, resized, and moved around, so that as your mind map grows, concepts can be reorganized. You can zoom in to get an up-close view of specific areas of the map, or zoom out to see the big picture.
Popplet makes sharing and collaboration super easy. Each Popplet map is given a unique URL, so users can share the link with others. You can also add collaborators to a map, and people can attach comments to individual popples or add new popples of their own. When a Popplet map is finished, it can be printed, shared via Facebook and Twitter, or exported as a PDF or PNG, making it easy for students to submit their maps to teachers.