ExamTime, a great tool for mind mapping, and more

NOTE: EXAM TIME HAS BEEN UPDATED SINCE THIS POST> I WILL TRY TO REVIEW THE NEW VERSION

A good friend of mine recently mentioned how he's been using mind maps in his classroom, with great success. He was using an iPad app, which was not available for Android. Oh well, their loss. I once used Inspiration, but over time, it fell out of favor. I figured that there have to be dozens of web based mind mappers out there that could work on multiple platforms. I crowd sourced Twitter, and was given several recommendations, of just a few apps. Xmind, Mindmeister, and one that I found, called ExamTime.

     All three have no cost options, and I have only tried out the free versions of Xmind, and ExamTime to this date. I liked what Xmind offers. It has a slightly higher learning curve than ExamTime, and offers a few more options for details, and style. Xminds mind maps are probably the best out there. I recommend that you give it a try, if you're only dealing with mind mapping.
But, if you want great mind maps, plus several other high quality tools, give ExamTime a try

     ExamTime does do a great job with mind mapping, and it brings so much more to the table. The learning curve isn't too steep, nor is it long. Once you pick up on the page organization, it's easy going. They have a blog with useful information and instructions, or you can do what I did and jump right in to trial and error your way to true understanding. This is still in Beta, and may change from what you see below as they make improvements. The following contains several images. 

After you sign in, you can add a subject. I started working on a class, called Evaluating Environmental Systems, that I'll be teaching next school year

Once you added a subject, you can click on it and develop the study aids for it. You can add a new topic, in my case, it will be units of study. You can then create and share engaging study aids for each unit. 

I decided to test ExamTime by developing the same unit that I did while testing Xmind- Geomedicine

Adding a topic was as simple as clicking "Add new topic" and entering a name. I eventually added the other units because it looks like this app will be a useful addition to my course

Now you can add study aids, aka the fun stuff, to your topic. All you need to do is click the down arrow

To add a study aid, just press the highlighted arrow.

Now you have to decide what you want to do first. This is what separates ExamTime from the rest

Lots to choose from. You can't wrong with any of the options

The first option I chose to add was a Mind Map. It's simple to create, and has easy to understand icons, with a nice selection of text, and color options.

In just a few minutes, you can create a map, either by yourself, or you can collaborate with a friend. Once it's done, you can share it several ways, including as a web page, or a blog post. Click the link to see a small example

For  more engagement, you can add notes to your map. I will use this primarily to add media that supports the concepts, or links to websites. This is a dynamic interface that can be easily changed in the event a site goes down-404

I use flashcards, and have students generate their own to share with me using Study Blue. Now students can collaborate to build them here. Having one less login is always good, especially if you're getting a better option. Again, this is easy to share with anyone, even if they don't have an ExamTime account. However they'll will have more options if they sign in.

Easy to make, and use, with the ability for a student to self evaluate their confidence

Try the flash cards for yourself by clicking here or below

Adding notes, and as important, updating notes, is another strength for ExamTime. Very simple interface. You can add traditional notes, as well as options for adding media like videos, and images. The video sources are numerous, and includes YouTube.

Want to add a self graded quiz? Another simple way to increase student learning, engagement and accountability. The multiple choice quiz is simple to make and has options for adding explainations to questions that a student misses. Immediate feedback is provided in a clear way.

Quiz building is a breeze, and well designed. This image is of the quiz creating tool

The student will see the following quiz interface

Student View

 The student can revisit questions once the quiz is complete. Once he/she is satisfied with their answer, all the do is Submit the answers.

Instant feedback!

I intentionally missed the questions, so please, no emails

The student can revisit the questions to see the correct answer

And, if they missed the answer, they can compare their choice with the correct answer. If I added an explanation to this question, the student would see that as well

And it's share-able. Give it a try by clicking here or below

The file management is clear, though the icons are easily confused. I suggest you title each aid with its style,ie geomedicine quiz, geomedicine map etc.

ExamTime is very user friendly, highly engaging, multifaceted web app. It's packed with some of the most useful student learning tools, that until now, was available as stand alones on other sites. A single log-in give a teacher a variety of ways to reach students, increase their engagement and accountability as well as providing several options for collaboration.

It's still in beta, and should continue to build upon an already powerful platform. The staff is responsive to user questions (I use twitter) and keeps up to date on changes via a blog, and through Twitter. But don't my word for it, try it..It's free!

Keep looking up!