As teachers and learning facilitators we know that brainstorming is a great strategy to use with students or with peers to facilitate creative, out-of-the-box type thinking or problem-solving. You have no doubt used Edward De Bono’s Six thinking hats strategy of brainstorming (to review the Six Thinking Hats strategy click on the image I created below).
Collaborative brainstorming can lead to creative problem-solving and “farr-reaching” idea generation. (sorry, I couldn’t resist the “farr-out” analogy 
). There are a number of Web 2.0 tools that could be used for brainstorming sessions, as prompts for creative writing, or as tools to help people think in a different way . The following tools are a couple of recent Web 2.0 discoveries that I feel could be used to facilitate techno-fun and productive brainstorming sessions…
The Brainstormer online tool is a fun and interesting tool that could be used to stimulate new thoughts and creative writing projects. Click on the image below to go to the online tool that can be used in two ways. Click on the random button or move each ring separately. Visit Andrew Bosley’s blog to learn more about the fun brainstorming tool he created.
Wridea is a Web 2.0 tool that can be used to save those great ideas you get before they are forgotten. The tool also help you organize and improve your ideas by giving you the opportunity to share them with friends. Setting up an account and working with Wridea is quick and intuitive. If you would like to read more details about the mechanics of using Wridea please visit the Online Tech Tips blog.
Another relative newcomer to the Web 2.0 world is Solvr. This simple to use tool “helps structure thoughts clearly. Solve problems alone or with others. Nobody can access your Solvr unless they know the cryptic URL you create (just be aware that once you share the URL, you are giving full edit rights to those individuals you shared it with). This tool is so simple to use I could envision a teacher opening it quickly to use on the Smartboard during a impromptu brainstorming session.
This brief description of how Solvr works was found on their website…
- You enter a problem.
- You enter ideas that could solve the problem.
- Some ideas lead to new (hopefully smaller) problems.
- When a problem is solved, the tree gets green. A problem is considered solved, when you found an idea that does not lead to a new problem. Use the print function of your browser to print a Solvrproblem/solution.
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Visit MindTools to learn more about the learning theory of brainstorming.
Some of my past posts also feature Web 2.0 tools that could be used for brainstorming…