The importance of developing creativity and nonlinear thinking in my students became very apparent during these exercises. Not only were the projects fun to create and review, they were also more memorable because they were presented in an "outside of the box" manner. It makes sense that teachers strive to engage students in nonlinear thinking because it definitely stimulates multiple senses in the student and creates active participators. Two of the most beneficial things that students will gain by creating these types of presentations are 21st century skills and a better understanding and application of the subject matter. For instance, when creating Prezis, students will understand how to use this type of software better and how to apply it to other subjects, and will also gain a deeper "branched out" knowledge of the subject at hand.

The use of word clouds and concept maps definitely aided me in both developing teaching skills and learning skills. The ability to see words and concepts arranged on a screen brought them to life and made them more memorable than they would have been from reading a textbook. I have seen word clouds used during the 2012 Presidential Debates, and will likely use them in my Government classes to arrange ideas of different political structures and parties. I have used concept mapping in my own notetaking before, and will definitely use it in all of my classes to help students keep facts and information "straight", i.e., help them organize events and ideas that may all work in conjunction with each other, such as battles in a war or amendments to the Constitution. In all they are both very valuable tools that appeal to both visual and kinesthetic learners as the student gets to see the information and take part in creating the visual displays.