![]() ![]() As a teacher I was able to see the level of research and clarity of understanding in the graphics they produced on LucidChart.In 1997, Jeff De Luca was working as a member of a 50-person team on a 15-month software development project in Singapore. Much of students’ reflection commented on the complicated nature of the processes and the struggle they had to attempt to simplify the procedures down to a flowchart. The students that worked on FAFSA were able to share their flowchart with their peers in order to demystify the process a bit. As seniors, they are all in the midst of applying for college and now for financial aid. One of the most functional tasks chosen by the students was completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Being able to investigate, research, create, and then present/publish their findings meant that the learning was not just a creation for in-class sharing, but could be shared digitally and hence more broadly. LucidChart was one of the best choices of tool for this task because of its simple, web-based, collaborative functions. At the completion of the project the students had to not only analyze the complex structures of government bureaucracy, but also produce a “deliverable.” They are to add in links, tips, tricks, hints, and such. At the end of all of it, the partnerships present the body of evidence with the paperwork, but also with a flowchart that details the process by which the average citizen would complete the task. The end-of-unit project is based on the understanding of a selected bureaucratic “task.” The goal of the project is for the students to actually pursue the task by assembling and filling out paperwork, making phone calls, reading. I find that students often think that the Executive Branch is just the president or governor or mayor, but fail to consider the elaborate web of bureaucracy that the Executive Branch oversees. For the study of the Executive Branch, we look intently at the complex bureaucratic structures developed over time at various levels of government. Quite traditionally, my American Government classes work through the three branches of government in their investigation of the American political scene. I created the Getting Started flowchart to demonstrate my own willingness to create and play a bit in the pursuit of encouraging more teachers to do the same. The drag-and-drop-style features make it quite intuitive. I cannot stress enough that with a tool like this, it will take you a bit of time to feel as though you are a “master,” but you can feel functional almost immediately. Also, an educational account is essentially the equivalent of a paid Team account which has all of the premium features! We are eager for more teachers and students to be using LucidChart.” ![]() “For K–12, we are committed to always providing LucidChart free of charge so there is no expiration. In an email exchange with David Grow of LucidChart he stated, ![]() For the more tech-savvy, there is also an integrated function between Google Apps and LucidChart. If you believe that this is a tool that would suit your educational pursuits, there is an educational version that is available free of charge to K–12 teachers and students. (Make sure you have popups unblocked to view the included links.) The tour, examples, forums, and tutorials are appropriately helpful and clear. Many of the boxes are hotlinked-run your mouse over the textbox, and if a hand appears there is a link to explore. I created a flowchart in LucidChart to detail the steps for getting started with the tool. Registering is a breeze, needing only a valid email address. I recommend this tool as fast, easy to learn, collaborative, and functional on any browser. LucidChart identifies itself as “the missing link in online productivity suites.” The web-based, clean interface allows for the collaborative creation of diagrams and flowcharts for publishing. The simplicity with which the tool was used to create organization of ideas to tell a story resonated with them as an option for communicating complex ideas in a visual manner. One day last fall, this video featuring LucidChart came to my attention. Many links and hints and tips and tricks find their way past my screen on a daily basis care of Google Reader, Twitter, and email exchanges with teachers. ![]()
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