Top 5 Map Apps for EFL Students

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Learning languages used to be a matter of stamping words into our heads and hoping for the best. Now, there is a whole range of tools that can actually turn language learning visual. That has helped language learns a great deal, seeing as this creates an entire new way for them to remember the words and their relationships, as well as how grammar has been constructed and much more.

One of the best tools devised towards this end has been mind mapping tools. These were previously only possible on paper, which made them hard work to edit, correct and expand. Of course, now we can use these kinds of tools online. There, they can become an integral part your learning process. If used correctly, they can actually physically map the learning process as you go through it. 
But you don’t want to use any old mind mapping app. Instead, you want to know what the best options out there are. That’s what we’ll discuss today.  

Bubbl.us

The great thing about Bubbl.us is that it doesn’t try to pretend to be more than it is. Where many mindmapping packages try to add a whole lot of bells and whistle, with Bubbl.us all that stuff is done away with. Instead, they focus on giving you very high quality mindmapping software that is easy to learn and quick to use.

There are two different tiers that you can use the software at – a free version and a paid version. The paid version puts you back 6 USD per month. The extra features you get by moving from one tier to the next is such things as history tracking (Which admittedly is awesome as you expand your understanding) and collaboration. 

WiseMapping

This free online product runs straight in your browser, which makes it possible to access it from any device without any problems. 
What’s also nice is that because it’s online and you don’t need any software for it, you can also install it into blogs. This is very useful if you’re working together with other people and want to map out things as a group. Similarly, it works well if you want to put things online to help other students. 

LucidChart

Do you find mindmapping restrictive? Would you like to expand it by adding the opportunity to diagram as well? Then LucidChart is for you. It will allow you to create if-then streams, make flowcharts and really visualize the learning process in a wider range than the other mindmapping tools we’ve mentioned so far.
There is a free level, which gives you limited possibilities (though initially you might well find these to be enough). If you want to unlock the full package, this comes with a price tag of 4.95/month. 
 
Ideaflip

Ideaflip one is specifically designed for group work. Which might be exactly what you’re looking for with your class. The great thing is that everything insta-updates across devices, which allows you all to work together and make changes. 
That’s a great way for you to work with other people and have them correct your mistakes as you go (Which happens to be the fastest way to learn). That makes it far more likely that you’ll get the language correct as you craft, say, dissertation proposal assistance at OkDissertations.com.
It is a bit more expensive than the other choices that I’ve mentioned. It goes for 9 USD per month for the individual package. 

Mindomo

The top rated mindmapping app according to PCmag is Midomo. And there is a good reason for that. Mindomo is just a great tool. It’s got lots of features specifically focused on educations, such as the possibility for teachers and students to collaborate, create groups easily, make it easy for teachers to access student’s maps, as well as a fantastic presentation mode to show off what you’ve done to the rest of the class.

You get three maps for free. If you want to create more, then as an individual you’ll pay 36 USD per six months. This includes playback (like mentioned before), the ability to backup to dropbox and synching between the different platforms so your work carries across. 

Choose your poision 

As you can see, there are many different packages out there for you to choose from. All have their advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, the best thing you can do is create an outline of what is important to you. What are your needs? What can you do without? Of course, I’m going to advocate that you use a mindmap tool to do so. They all have extensive enough software that you can certainly do that without having to pay anything. Then, from there, you can select what works best. Or keep working with whatever software you picked to do the initial mindmap with. It’s your call.

​Author's Bio: Charles Ebert is a career mentor, motivational speaker & human resources consultant with over 10 years of experience in HR sector. Apart from career mentoring, he loves photography and football. Find him on LinkedinTwitterFacebook & Google+.


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