Week 1 Mindmapping

A Mindmap of Vegetables

This is the first time I've used a computer to draw a mindmap. I see mindmaps as a really useful tool to organise and clarify my ideas and thought processes. Mindmaps are a great resource to incorporate into all kinds of work and study. Often when drafting an essay I begin with a mindmap to brainstorm ideas and arguments. This helps me to sort out where things fit, and what ideas follow on from another. As I am a creative person, mindmaps 'speak' to me a lot more than notes. Looking back on a mindmap, I can get an immediate visual representation of where my brain went, and why. I contrast, notes can get a little unorganised and hard to understand - I often wonder.. 'where did that idea come from?' Using a mindmap shows me where.


At this stage, I'm unsure of the real value of using computer software to draw a mindmap over a hand drawn one. I suppose as one gets used to the program, using Inspiration, or some other mindmapping software, would be a quick and easy way to get ideas down. It would also be of use for those who are still developing their fine motor skills, or like their work to be very neat. Admittedly, the mindmap I began to draw above is a lot neater than ones in my diary.

http://www.buzan.com.au/learning/mindmapgallery.html I came acoss this link while doing a little more research on mindmapping.. It was a bit frustrating trying to put the hyperlink on the blog.. I can see it at the top of the page, but had to type it myself into this text..

I really like this mindmap. I think what draws me to it is that it's not confined to one medium of communication. It uses drawings and diagrams paired with text. It shows me at a glance the way the mind wanders.

Week 1 Concept maps

Concept maps using Inspiration 8IE..

How does your garden grow?

In the beginning, I wasn't really sure of the difference between a concept map and a mindmap. Now I understand that a concept map shows the relationships among concepts, while a mindmap reflects what I think about a particular topic. The concept map I've drawn here shows the interrelationships of how a garden grows. This sort of mapping would be really useful in getting kids to understand cause and effect, and the relationships that things have with eachother. Off the top of my head, what about creating a concept map about bullying, if this were an issue in your classroom? Kids could come up with all off the knock on effects that bullying may have, helping them to understand the consequences their actions may have on others - and not just those immediate to themselves.

http://cmap.ihmc.us/publications/researchpapers/theorycmaps/theoryunderlyingconceptmaps.htm

I came across the link above when I was trying to understand more about the difference between concept mapping and mindmapping. ( I'm still having trouble knowing if these links are working.. it's the one that begins with cmap - theory underlying concept mapping) It goes into the psychological benefit of inquiry based learning through using such tools as concept mapping, as oppposed to rote learning. Basically, it explores the theory that developing skills such as concept mapping and learning through inquiry can open up the doors for real, meaningful learning, while rote-based, overly guided learning does not always encourage or enable the learner to develop higher order thinking skills. I agree. In an age of such readily available information, it is incredibly easy to source information, but it takes higher order thinking skills, such as those developed through concept mapping, to begin to draw links and relationships between different sources of information available, and to analyse this information to draw conclusions.

Again, I wonder about the real value of using ICT to develop a concept map over creating one on paper. Absolutely, incorporating ICT into the learning curriculum is an excellent way to engage students, and to develop skills which are integral to today's society, but is it really necessary to replace already functioning fine motor and thinking skills with computer software? I am not saying that I'm against ICT, in fact I'm a big fan, but in some cases I think that it tends to replace what is already well and functioning just for the sake of it. In my eyes, a way to incorporate ICT into concept mapping would be to use online tools to research the inter relationships between different concepts, and to discover further links that weren't originally thought of.. I suppose what I'm saying is.. do we really need ICT to do everything?