Becca Woodward

Becca Woodward Tech Expert Module Mind42.com Overview Mind42.com is a tool for making mental maps and organizers. It's a browser-based program that allows you to access your maps online and save them to your computer. You can collaborate with other people on your map and edit it simultaneously. It is a great resource for thought planning and organizing that is easy to use. It would be especially useful for visual learners in planning papers for students as well as for lesson planning for teachers. It can be used in the classroom and out because you can access your maps online. Mind42 also is conducive to group work with its simple collaborative features. It is very intuitive and you can begin using it immediately. In fact, I made my own map using Mind42 with the different uses it could have in the classroom. I published it on Mind42.com and you can find the link here: http://mind42.com/pub/mindmap?mid=cc42122b-7c17-444b-a98f- 7e7d5ae863c2&rel=url

To get started with Mind42, you need to sign up and make an account. All you need is a username, your email address, and a password. It's very simple and doesn't ask for personal information. Once you have made an account, the tool is easy to access. After you sign in, a Mind Map Manager will pop up with the options to edit or delete current mind maps and options to import maps or to create new maps. The name of the mind map that you choose will be the origin from which the nodes you will create appear. Once you have your map origin, you can add nodes to it with the green arrow icon. The single green arrow makes a child of the node you are currently on. The stacked two-arrow icon adds a sibling node to the one you are currently on. That’s all you really need in order to get started with mapping. Your map does not have to be the bare bones minimum, however. The options that appear on the nodes include the different features you can use. There are options for text format (color, size, etc.), and adding links, pictures, and icons. You can also attach a note, a Wikipedia article, or a to-do list. You can alter the shape and position the nodes you create by dragging them to the position on the map if you prefer a placement different from the default branch spacing. All of these options appear as your mouse goes over the node, so additions are very intuitive. There is a cut, copy, and paste option as well as an undo/redo function which is especially helpful if you're brainstorming. The program autosaves regularly and has save options and export options. If you want to collaborate with other users, you click the collaborate icon and add their email addresses. Then you can edit the map simultaneously or separately. There is a function that allows you to see the revisions that have been made and when and by whom they were made so that you can track progress within your group. You could also use this as a teacher to ensure even participation within a collaborating group of students. On top of being straightforward, the site is very helpful as well. If you click on the "About" section on the homepage, there is a video at the bottom of the section that demonstrates all the options and how to use them. Here is a direct link to that video: http://vimeo.com/1230441 Classroom Examples

Example 1 http://chickensaltash.edublogs.org/?s=Mind42

This teacher used this as an in-class assignment for students to help them anticipate the unit ahead. The students collaborated on the topic of Homeostasis, attaching main ideas and inserting diagrams and explanations of terms. This seems like a great way for students to participate in their own learning by actively organizing the information they have gained. It was quick in class, and students can continue to add to it. This teacher took advantage of the collaboration Mind42 enables as well as its streamlined design.

Example 2 http://montessorimuddle.org/2011/08/22/mindmapping-online-with-mind42/

This algebra used Mind42 for her lesson organization. For her, it served as a planning organizer as well as a student activity. She made it available to her students so that they could access it online. They could add to it as well as add their definitions for vocabulary and additional information. She appreciated the simplicity of the program and its flexibility.

Example 3 http://www.novamind.com/connect/nm_documents/show_branch/Power/BA2369BD- 539B-4B55-B776-82951FABED87/1296293003

This map uses a different program, called Novamind, which has different format and options, but fulfills about the same purpose as Mind42. This map is about sleep, and is used in a health or science class. The map here has more pictures around it, which is not an option in Mind42, but the Mind42 maps can be embedded in a document or website which could contain those pictures and text to achieve the same result. The map allows for organization of a great number of concepts relating to the main topic. The main purpose of the mindmap here is to visually organize concepts so that they can be easily remembered and related back to the main topic of sleep.

Example 4 http://www.novamind.com/connect/nm_documents/show_branch/Power/3E21F1D0- 2971-45A8-B1E2-473C90E65CD4/792197987

This mindmap also uses NovaMind, but the format is still very similar to a Mind42 map. The branches are straightforward like those in Mind42, and in Mind42 you can add notes and pictures to your nodes too. The purpose here is to provide a kind of polished brainstorming of variables that affect blood glucose levels. The map provides links to even more charts and information. This is possible in Mind42 as well. It is demonstrating that mindmaps are a great way to concisely store and portray large amounts of information. Pros and Cons

Pros:  Streamlined design. o You and your students won’t be distracted by different options when brainstorming. It allows for quicker thought-to-visual transfer because you aren’t worrying about what kind of format you want to use or what colors to make the lines, etc. The teacher in Example 2 appreciated this option for her Algebra lessons. o Easy to follow ideas.  Collaboration o You can edit the map with others at the same time and see the changes in real time. Mind42 also has an option to connect to Skype for even more thorough communication with your collaborators. o You can track the changes and progress of the map to see the evolution of your ideas and who thought of what.  Helpful options for nodes o Being able to attach links is very nice for planning a research paper. You can keep your online sources right next to your ideas so that you won’t have to go back and sort through which quote came from where. Example 4 uses this option to add extra depth to the different nodes. o Pictures are a great way to show diagrams for concepts, especially in a science lesson, as Example 1 demonstrates.  An easily accessible resource for visually-oriented teachers and students. o You don’t need to have lots of flowery options for something to be visually organized. Mind42 is simple and fast so students who think visually do not have to waste time before they begin a paper or study for an exam. For teachers, it can help them keep their lessons organized without adding unnecessary working time.  The maps are easy to publish in different ways o You can publish you map and access it online. o Maps can be embedded in websites. o It can be saved in a format compatible with other programs, as Example 2’s teacher mentions.

Cons:  Mind42 has only one format. Straight line nodes and braches. o This can be a good thing, but sometimes, you need something more than simple lines to connect ideas. It does not necessarily portray any kind of variation in importance. o Not for visual maps that involve processes or steps, like a biological process such as photosynthesis. You can see that the science teacher in Example one depended on the organizer more for definitions than the processes that are involved in maintaining homeostasis.  You can’t save it with different views. o The Algebra teacher in example 2 brought up an issue that she had with Mind 42. She wanted to be able to save it and publish it with certain nodes hidden so that it is easier to explore.  Does not have as many aesthetic options as some other programs. o This may seem silly, but sometimes you want your map to have that little something extra. You can also use things like color coordinating nodes to express relationships between ideas. Mind42 does not have these options, though. The only thing that you can change the color of is the text itself. The lines stay black. You can see the use of these kinds of color differences in Examples 3 and 4, which use Novamind. Novamind has the option to use different colors and node styles so that your map can look a little more polished.

Considerations for Teachers

If you are going to have students use this to plan a research paper, make sure that they know how to use the program. Demonstrate in class with the projector, showing them both how to use it functionally but also how to use it conceptually. Make sure that they actually know what a mind map is and are familiar with visual concept organization. The teacher in Example 1 used it in class before he asked them to edit it on their own. Using it during class for exercises and brainstorming is a good way to demonstrate visual mapping skills.

If you are asking student s to work in groups on a mindmap, make sure that they know each other’s email addresses and that they all have made accounts. Perhaps do this in the classroom so you can help them if they have trouble setting it up. Have the students choose a “leader” who can start the map and invite collaborators so that unnecessary confusion and repetition can be avoided. Have the groups include you as a collaborator as well, if you wish, so that you can check progress.

When you are using this to help you plan your lessons, try not to get caught up in adding many explicit details. If the map becomes too text-heavy, the nodes become so long that the whole map becomes cumbersome to navigate and use. Keep phrases and ideas concise and just enough to prompt you to remember the additional details. Example 2’s teacher kept her lesson framework very clean, adding just the necessary terms. This way her map was easy to follow and students can add definitions and notes about those terms themselves, involving them more actively in the learning process.