Brainstorming Strategies with Wipebook
Jeremy Rinkel, Vandalia CUSD #203, Vandalia, Illinois.
Everyone approaches the brainstorming process differently. Some enjoy digital tools, others work with legal pads and notebooks, but I’ve always liked having large sheets of paper on the walls. It isn’t the most economical or environmentally friendly to continue using large sheets of paper or expensive sticky notes. The Wipebook Flipchart gives me a large reusable surface to record my thoughts. Wipebook also provides notebook size for those who prefer notebooks. Wipebook provides a way for me to get the ideas out of my head and analyze visual data. Finally, my Wipebook notes can be emailed and sent to a shared Google Drive folder that my team can access.
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Brainstorm ( Freeflow/MingMapping)
I'm a huge proponent of using digital tools, but found myself losing my thoughts as I brainstormed and navigated the use of the tool. I couldn’t seem to type and click fast enough to create new text boxes. I found myself shifting back to notebook and journals, but that was too small. My best brainstorming sessions come from getting my ideas out on large sheets of paper usually fixed to the wall by tape or if I’m lucky on sticky note paper. As I shared above, this method of brainstorming isn’t economically or environmentally friendly. With Wipebook, I’m able to snap a picture of the pages of my brainstorm, erase and add pages to the brainstorm. Wipebook’s reusability saves the environment as well as my pocketbook.
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Brainstorm Using Data
In the past, when analyzing data with my team, I’ve used a variety of methods including writing on a whiteboard, typing on a computer or writing on a flipchart. Wipebook has a useful grid I can easily transfer data into a line or bar graph. The grid lines also are helpful to keep my text straight. By organizing data on a Wipebook, when I run out of space I can simply erase and continue. If I misspell a word or I make a mathematical mistake in compiling the data, I can easily make the change without scribbling and creating a mess on my paper. I love Wipebook’s non-permanent surface.
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Share Your Brainstorm
I’ve been to team meetings in the past where no one looks at the previous meeting’s notes until the day of the next meeting. Sometimes I’ve failed in typing up the notes taken on my paper notes, big sticky notes or notes that were written on my conference room whiteboard. Sharing my brainstorms and notes with my team after a meeting has never been easier. Using the Wipebook Scan app, I simply snap a picture and select where to send the image. You can send it to a variety of places including email, dropbox, and Google Drive. If I ever run out of room in the flipchart, do I stop the brainstorm? No! I simply took a picture, sent it to my Google Drive and continued my team’s brainstorm. The Wipebook Scan app is easy to use and continues to be enhanced and updated.
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