We use all types of graphic organizers in our teaching. One excellent tool that especially supports spatial thinking and making thinking visible is the concept or mind map. One way to use a concept map to support our units of inquiry is to have students record the main concept for the unit to then write down their understandings and connections to it as they progress through the unit. One can also have students list the lines of inquiry to record their learning.
A wonderful way to use concept maps for blended learning is to use an online provider like Mindmeister. Students can share their Mindmeister concept maps with you to provide access to their thinking-- for formative assessment of their understanding as the unit progresses. Here is a mind map template for essential questions (similar to lines of inquiry) that one teacher provided his students. Collaboration is easy if you decide to partner students, or place them in groups to work on any type of concept map. The key is that they can work on it during and after school via the web. Take a look a blog post describing how students used concept maps to answer the essential questions for their units of study.
There are several iPad apps that give students a quick and easy way to make their thinking visible. Students can drag ideas around the map grouping them and making connections. An added benefit is that many apps give students the opportunity to insert images, sounds and video to further develop and represent their thinking.
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