MAPMYself mind mapping software
http://mapul.com/
Summary:
MAPMYself is a web-based mind mapping tool that can be used for thinking, learning, planning, organizing, or sharing ideas. It is visually appealing using bright colors and fun fonts. Once I set up an account, getting started with MAPMYself was a little trying at first. I wasn’t real familiar with mind maps, and thought I could jump right in and start making one; however, that was not the case. I quickly realized that to create a mind map, you had to have an idea of where to start and where you wanted to go with it, so I stepped back and did some planning before I attempted to use MAPMYself again.
On the second attempt, things were a little easier. I started by creating a new map and then choosing a central image from where all the branches would originate. I drew a number of branches then branched those off into even smaller branches to show a hierarchy among items. This part took a little time to master because I had to get used to how to create and how to make the branches longer due to the fact that you click on the same area to do both and it’s very easy to do one instead of the other. Once I figured that out it made a huge difference. Another trick was moving the branches around without distorting the text. Apparently there is a vertical midline and if you cross it while dragging the branch, it will transpose all the text to read backwards. I’m not sure of any use or benefit for this and it was rather a pain to deal with, but I made the map work without moving the text around too much.
Overall, once I got adjusted to some of the quirks from MAPMYself, I had fun creating a mind map. I’ve never used any other programs, so I don’t have much to compare it to as far as use, but I liked the features MAPMYself had to offer. It was fairly easy to use and I would recommend it to peers as well as students to use for organizing ideas and planning projects.
Skills Needed:
Before using MAPMYself, you must first have a working knowledge about mind maps and how they work. While the program itself is pretty easy to use, you’ll first have to have an idea of what you want the mind map to look like and how you want it organized.
Knowledge Needed:
I think you need to have Microsoft Silverlight installed. It did not prompt me, but I installed it for a previous assignment and I know Silverlight is used for creating mind maps. You will also be required to create an account through MAPMYself.
Educational Uses:
Commonly, student are assigned research papers which allow them to research a topic that may be of interest to them in order to gain a deeper understanding of the topic. As an instructor I assigned many of these papers and part of the semester long process was to create an outline within the first few weeks of class that would detail the research paper. This was for the benefit of the student because it made them start to think about what they wanted to write their paper on. It was also beneficial for me because it gave me an opportunity to provide feedback to the students to make sure they’re on the right track. Instead of a text-based outline, I think using a mind map program such as MAPMYself would be beneficial to the students. It would work the same way as an outline, but would give them creative freedom to outline their thoughts. Students could add pictures to better illustrate what they will be researching which is a change from the typical text/content based outlines students are used to preparing. For the teacher it would also be beneficial because it would be a break from the same boring outlines. This way, each outline would be different and more interesting to look over.
Mind maps can also be used as a presentation tool. MAPMYself creates a final product similar to a slide show that zooms in and follows a path as directed by the creator. The zoom will stay on the branch as long as you indicate it to then it will branch off and stay there for the allotted time as well before moving on to the next branch. This could be helpful in telling the story of the mind map. Since the map is all interconnected, it would be easy to come up with a story for the branches, even if it’s just presenting an outline for a research project a story is there to be told. I would be interested to hear student’s stories about what they plan to research. With the help of the visual mind map, the student would have something to refer to when presenting their ideas. This could work as a classroom exercise where everyone gets up and presents their mind map briefly (5 minutes) to the class.
Advantages:
Very colorful, grabs your attention, easy to use once you get used to how things work, helpful in organizing thoughts when working on a project whether in a group or individually, could help students stay on track by following the outline they created with MAPMYself, gives students a chance to think independently, opportunity to express creativity while creating content.
Disadvantages:
Took some time to get adjusted to how things work, could distract from the content if not used properly, you’re only allowed to create 2 maps with the free account, I had trouble saving the map as a jpeg.
Getting Started Tutorial:
On the second attempt, things were a little easier. I started by creating a new map and then choosing a central image from where all the branches would originate. I drew a number of branches then branched those off into even smaller branches to show a hierarchy among items. This part took a little time to master because I had to get used to how to create and how to make the branches longer due to the fact that you click on the same area to do both and it’s very easy to do one instead of the other. Once I figured that out it made a huge difference. Another trick was moving the branches around without distorting the text. Apparently there is a vertical midline and if you cross it while dragging the branch, it will transpose all the text to read backwards. I’m not sure of any use or benefit for this and it was rather a pain to deal with, but I made the map work without moving the text around too much.
Overall, once I got adjusted to some of the quirks from MAPMYself, I had fun creating a mind map. I’ve never used any other programs, so I don’t have much to compare it to as far as use, but I liked the features MAPMYself had to offer. It was fairly easy to use and I would recommend it to peers as well as students to use for organizing ideas and planning projects.
Skills Needed:
Before using MAPMYself, you must first have a working knowledge about mind maps and how they work. While the program itself is pretty easy to use, you’ll first have to have an idea of what you want the mind map to look like and how you want it organized.
Knowledge Needed:
I think you need to have Microsoft Silverlight installed. It did not prompt me, but I installed it for a previous assignment and I know Silverlight is used for creating mind maps. You will also be required to create an account through MAPMYself.
Educational Uses:
Commonly, student are assigned research papers which allow them to research a topic that may be of interest to them in order to gain a deeper understanding of the topic. As an instructor I assigned many of these papers and part of the semester long process was to create an outline within the first few weeks of class that would detail the research paper. This was for the benefit of the student because it made them start to think about what they wanted to write their paper on. It was also beneficial for me because it gave me an opportunity to provide feedback to the students to make sure they’re on the right track. Instead of a text-based outline, I think using a mind map program such as MAPMYself would be beneficial to the students. It would work the same way as an outline, but would give them creative freedom to outline their thoughts. Students could add pictures to better illustrate what they will be researching which is a change from the typical text/content based outlines students are used to preparing. For the teacher it would also be beneficial because it would be a break from the same boring outlines. This way, each outline would be different and more interesting to look over.
Mind maps can also be used as a presentation tool. MAPMYself creates a final product similar to a slide show that zooms in and follows a path as directed by the creator. The zoom will stay on the branch as long as you indicate it to then it will branch off and stay there for the allotted time as well before moving on to the next branch. This could be helpful in telling the story of the mind map. Since the map is all interconnected, it would be easy to come up with a story for the branches, even if it’s just presenting an outline for a research project a story is there to be told. I would be interested to hear student’s stories about what they plan to research. With the help of the visual mind map, the student would have something to refer to when presenting their ideas. This could work as a classroom exercise where everyone gets up and presents their mind map briefly (5 minutes) to the class.
Advantages:
Very colorful, grabs your attention, easy to use once you get used to how things work, helpful in organizing thoughts when working on a project whether in a group or individually, could help students stay on track by following the outline they created with MAPMYself, gives students a chance to think independently, opportunity to express creativity while creating content.
Disadvantages:
Took some time to get adjusted to how things work, could distract from the content if not used properly, you’re only allowed to create 2 maps with the free account, I had trouble saving the map as a jpeg.
Getting Started Tutorial:
