Of course, because of my incompetence with computers, I have never tried to use any of the on line digital versions of mind mapping tools, so I was interested to see how they would compare to my long and trusted (possibly primitive?) method of doing it by hand. The beauty of doing by hand is that it is instant and thoughts and ideas are spontaneous - thus allowing for maximum creative responses. Also, just the very nature of 'doing it yourself'; the actual physical process of drawing your own conclusions and ideas in your own way; in patterns of your own creation, allows for ideas and questions to flow naturally and intuitively on the page. This ,arguably, gives a more personal connection to the topic, which aids memory and enables deeper learning.
Hand drawn mind maps can range from quick scribbles that you do in two minutes, like these I did just to try and get my mind in order before starting to write this blog....(although all it did was confirm my confusion).
... to more creative maps, like this:
Tony Buzan has been credited for 'inventing' the mind map - he didn't, mind mapping or visual organising has been around for centuries.What he did was to take a well known technique and 'invent' a name for it, which he then trademarked and marketed very successfully through BBC programmes,books and lecture tours. The fact that you don't hear the term 'idea sunbursting', or 'bubble thinking' much anymore, but do hear of Mind Mapping all the time, is a tribute to his marketing skill and proselytising.
On line Mind Mapping applications are big business! There are literally hundreds of different mind mapping applications available on the Internet. Some are free, but most are not. The market is flooded with them. When I tried wading through the Mind Mapping mindfield to try and discern which were worth having a go with, I quickly discovered, having researched which were regarded as the best via http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/best-mind-mapping-tools/ and other numerous websites, that the best ones were not free and not cheap either.
Amongst these were:
Inspiration 9 http://www.inspiration.com/
News
Mindmeister http://www.mindmeister.com/education
This is a sophisticated app endorsed by Stanford University, John Hopkins, U.C.C and Columbia Law School, which allows simultaneous collaboration from unlimited users across the globe.It allows you to embed videos and share them. EXPENSIVE!
bubbl.us https://bubbl.us/mindmap is free.. but you can see what I thought of it...
Follow this link to view properly
..not much! It's very dull! It's impossible to be free flowing. It's too static and clinical, and it doesn't allow for collaboration.
Here's a better one:
Realtime Boardhttps://realtimeboard.com/
Good for on line collaborative brainstorming sessions. You can draw,work with images,post videos, write notes and comment on materials through the use of colourful post it stickers. It's not free, but there's a free education version..however that isn't quite as exciting.
Stormboard https://www.stormboard.com/
This is slick - collaborative on line brainstorming activities. An unlimited amount of 'idea boards' for up to five people. On each of your stormboards you can include sticky notes, images, videos, drawings and word documents. It's simple to use, you just drag and drop - similar to Padlet http://padlet.com/. Each item you add to your board includes a commenting option that allows fellow collaborators (or class) to use for feedback on ideas. Great! - but not free.
ExamTimehttps://www.examtime.com/p/1319-How-to-Create-A-Mindmap-mind_maps?frame=true
This looks good - it has flashcards,quizzes, notes,a study planner, mind maps, PowerPoint and notes that will spring to life and play right before your eyes. I am definitely going to investigate this further for use in my pre GCSE English class. It looks great!
According to Petty (Teaching Today. A practical guide.4th ed.p.348) visual representations, like mind maps are " most powerful when made by the learner; quite powerful when carefully scrutinised by the learner with questions in mind; and only moderately useful when experienced passively. Ideally, there is an audience for what the learner produces." In other words, collaboration is required to get the best out of Mind Maps.
If you can find the right on line digital collaborative tool that works for your class, then great ... but if you can't, you won't go far wrong with a roll of lining paper and a set of colourful pens to get the whole class involved in a creative, spontaneous and fun way to explore a concept or recap on a topic. Mind Maps have been around longer than computers, and although there are some great applications on line, the old fashioned way of just 'doing it' with pen and paper, or whiteboard and marker, will always suffice if you don't have enough money in the coffer or enough computers for collaboration in the classroom.
References
Beatty et al (2006)
Petty,G.Teaching Today.A practical guide.4th ed.(2009)
www.theguardian.comhttp:
jamesgulliverhancock.com/projects/artists-writers-thinkers-dreamers/
