Image Embellisher is a fast way to convert an image into something a little more special. With all of the eye candy competing for viewers attentions, this is a welcome tool to help embellish a web site.

bubblus comcept map

For many of us, creating a word based outline to organize thoughts is far too tedious a process to be considered unless required. Don’t get me wrong, outlines are valuable organizational tool, and using a word processer makes them vastly easier to create then, shudder to think, than paper and pencil. But using color coded, a linked text bubble in an online dynamic environment is way neat. You can even “dial a friend” and collaborate in a joint effort. Once completed, your concept map can be exported as an image or posted onto websites with an embed code.

How to use Bubbl.us:

1. Click on the “start bubble”> type in your text

2. New Parent Bubble>Click on the icon to the right of the test you just entered

3. New Sibling Bubble>below the text box>click on the icon in the bottom middle

4. Change bubble color> below the text box>click on the icon in the bottom left

5. Moving a bubble>above the text box>click and drag the left most icon

6. Deleting a bubble>above the text box>click the “x” in the right most corner.

7. Arrowed lined connection>below the text box>click and drag the bottom right icon to another bubble.

8. Adding Friends>friends tab on upper right>select from friends list or click to invite a friend via email

9. Exporting>menu button on bottom right>export>choose your format

bubbl.us key

Bubbl.us is a simple, quick to learn program. Its simplicity combined with its collaborative feature make it a winner. Oh, I neglected to mention that it’s free…ah the beauty of it all.

comiqs logo

Comiqs.com offers students (and teachers) an alternative report creating tool. The program is quick to learn and allows students to put together short comic books. They can add bubble over text, pictures, and cool comic type fonts.

Click here to examples of a students report on the French Revolution done using Comiqs.

From what I have read the only complaint was regarding students loosing work, the solution proposed was to have them saving early and often.

HOW TO USE: Comiqs: After you have opened an account

1) Go to create
2) In the left hand column, click on the tab labeled Graphics.
3) Drag the page layout you would like to have onto the comiq page.
4) Select the photos tab, search for a photo that you would like to use (you can import your own if you wanted to).
5)Click and drag the photo(s) into the page.
6) Select the text tag, choose a text and drag it onto the screen.
7) Double click on the text and then change it to what you would like it to read.
8) Re-size and place the title text box to the desired location.
9) Select the graphics tab, drag a dialog bubble box into your photo, fill it out (double click it to edit) with your text.
10) Font and color selection for your text is located in the right side of the web page.
11) Click publish, fill in the paperwork and select the embed code.
12) Cut and paste the embed code into your web site.