How to Encourage Brainstorming in the Classroom

Would you like to encourage brainstorming and idea sharing with your students? Give one of these popular tools a whirl…

Integrating a little technology into a lesson plan is a great way to grab the attention span of your students, who are used to using technology in almost every aspect their lives. Idea Flip is designed to encourage multiple users to contribute to one virtual idea board, making it perfect for brainstorming. As a guest user of Idea Flip, you can contribute to different boards and get an idea of what it's like. However, for more advanced features you will need to sign up for a paid membership.

Lino is a free tool you can use to encourage brainstorming and creativity in the classroom.

Lino is an online sticky note tool similar to IdeaFlip but with less advanced capabilities. However, the fact that it's free attracts many educators, along with the perk that students don't need email addresses or registered accounts in order to use the tool.

You can use these types of brainstorming boards for classroom discussions, group work, test review, and much more. Students can even create “well wish” boards for other students to congratulate them on birthdays, achievements, or comfort them if they're out for an illness or another unfortunate incident. Along with text, you can upload photos, videos, links — any type of digital media will work.

Have you used this type of tool with your students before? How did it work out? Tell me about it on a comment on this article.

Kimber Thompson is a Lead Moderator for SimpleK12 webinars and a Contributing Editor for SimpleK12.com. She writes frequently about education topics, and is passionate about tools and techniques that inspire young learners. You may reach her with ideas and comments at editor@simplek12.com.