Using Mindmeister Mindmeister A mind map, according to the wikipedia entry, is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged around a central key word or idea. Mind maps are used to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas, and as an aid to studying and organizing information, solving problems, making decisions, and writing. Mindmeister is an online collaborative mind-mapping tool; it differs from the mind-mapping tools that are commonly on college PCs, by allowing a number of users to edit the same mind map simultaneously. This means, in a PC lab or a regular teaching space with access to laptops, you can have individuals or groups working together to develop a single map at the same time. There are a range of possible educational uses: 1. Brainstorming ideas 2. Planning an activity 3. Summarising key points in a lesson 4. Organising tasks and responsibilities 5. Charting progress 6. Creating an e-portfolio As well as real-time collaboration, it s also possible for a group of users to develop the mind map over a period of time, with a tutor looking in from time to time to follow progress. This method allows groups of users working on a single project to keep everyone updated by adding details (which can include text, images, links to YouTube videos, etc.) to their branch of the project. Using Mindmeister with Students You can create a free Mindmeister account at http://www.mindmeister.com; there are educational and selfhosted licensing versions available, but the free edition should be sufficient for most purposes. With a free account, you can: Have up to 3 mind maps Share and collaborate on maps Export maps as image/pdf/rtf Import maps from Freemind and MindManager Publish maps to blogs and websites
The registration process is straightforward select the free (basic) account, enter your details and then confirm registration by clicking on the link that is sent to your email address. You shouldn t need to install any additional browser plug-ins, a standard Internet Explorer (v6+) or Firefox (v2.2+) browser should suffice. NOTE: The free version of Mindmeister is ad-supported; if this is an issue, then you should consider using an alternative service such as Bubbl.us (http://bubbl.us) It will be easier if you ask your students to create their own accounts (preferably using their college/ university email accounts). Forgotten passwords can easily be recovered by having details emailed to registered addresses. Creating Your First Mind Map When first logging into your Mindmeister account, you ll be presented with a choice of editing a default map (which contains basic tips on how to use Mindmeister), importing an existing map or creating a new map. For the purposes of this guide, we ll begin by creating a new map, so simply click on the New Mind Map link at the top left-hand corner of the page. You ll be presented with a blank map, with a central node that reads My New Mind Map. There are menus running across the top and along the right-hand side of the screen. To edit a node, click on the text until it s highlighted then start typing. You can use the menu items or the following keyboard shortcuts while working on the map: INS add new child node ENTER add new sibling node DEL delete an node SPACE open/close node cursor keys move between nodes + / - zoom in/out The menu items along the right-hand side allow you to navigate the map, format the text, add notes, images, files and links. All of this functionality is relatively intuitive to use, but for a quick overview, you should view the official Mindmeister tour on YouTube: http://bit.ly/c50qdr
Less Can Be More You can accomplish most of what you need with basic maps (unformatted text & nodes), and there s a case for limiting your maps in this way: 1. If you want learners to create their own maps, then having to teach them to only use the basic functions will be much easier. 2. Adding images, links, icons, etc. can occasionally distract from the actual task (think how long it takes you to find the perfect image for your own material!) 3. A basic mind map takes much less time to create. If all of this is starting to make you think that a basic map really is all that you need, then you may want to consider using a platform that doesn t have as much functionality as Mindmeister (such as Bubbl.us) to remove any temptation to add unnecessary extras. Spicing Up Your Mind Map With all that being said, extras such as formatting, images, links and attachments can add a lot to your map, so if you do decide to take things further, then Mindmeister will almost certainly be able to accommodate your requirements. Icons and Images You can add icons or images by selecting one of the drop-down lists in the Icon and Images section of the right-hand menu. Click on the arrow to the left of the heart icon ( ), then select one of the icons to add it to the currently highlighted node. Click on the arrow to the left of the frames icon ( ) to select an image to add to your map. You can select from: 1. Choosing one of the default images displayed on the scrolling list 2. Uploading your own image 3. Using an existing image from the web (by typing in the URL of the image)
Notes, Links, Attachments & Tasks The Extras section of the menu allows you to add notes, links, attachments and schedule tasks. To add a note, simply highlight a node and click on the note icon ( ) to open up a text area that you can add notes too. Clicking on Advanced... opens a rich text editor, which gives you more formatting options. An odd additional function is offered by the WunderNote icon ( ) which fills the note with suggested text based on the node title. It s a little hit and miss (usually adding a definition of the node title), but something that people may want to use. To add a link, highlight a node and click on the link icon ( ), which opens up a text area for you to add an URL. If you click on the WunderNote icon ( ), Mindmeister will provide a suggested link based on the node title. As well as URLs, you can also link to other parts of the map by specifying a Topic (node title) to link to, clicking on a link centres the map on that node. Another option is to enter an email address, which will open your email client with the specified address. To attach a file (can be any type) to a node, select the attach icon ( ) and then click on Upload... to open a dialog box where you can browse to the file that you wish to upload. To schedule a task, click on the task icon ( ) then set the priority (1-7), current status (not started, 25%, 50%, 75%, complete), due date and who the task is assigned to (chosen from the users who are collaborating on the map). The WunderTask icon ( ), assigns default values to the task in practice, this isn t very helpful and you normally end up filling out the fields yourself.
Collaboration The main advantage to using Mindmeister is the platform s ability to allow multiple users to edit maps simultaneously. In order to allow others to work on your map, you need to Share it. At the bottom of the page, you ll see who s currently working on the map. To add more people, click on the Share Map button. This opens up the Map Properties dialog box. Clicking on Invite people... allows you to add the email addresses of the people you want to collaborate with on the map. This will add your map to their personal list when they login to Mindmeister (assuming that they haven t exceeded the 3 maps that you can have with the free account). Publishing Your Map On the same Map Properties window, you can click on the Publish tab to access the options to make your map visible on the web. If you slide the button to ON, you will be given a link where people can see your map. There are various settings to allow people make copies, edit the content or set a password to restrict access to the map. You also have the option to embed your map on a website. History View Mindmeister tracks all of the edits made to maps, giving you the option to play back all of the changes made. Simply click on the History View button (at the bottom right-hand corner of the page) to reveal the play back controls.
The red dots on the timeline indicate individual changes, with a different colour associated with each user (only one person has worked on this map, so all the dots are a single colour). It s helpful to see the level of participation across a group at a glance. The play button ( ) allows you to play back an animated sequence of edits as they were made. This can useful for review purposes in a classroom setting. Managing Group Work Example Below is a screenshot of an example mind map illustrating how Mindmeister could be used to manage a group project milestones are identified for each group, along with the opportunity to upload evidence of progress throughout the activity. This allows everyone involved to monitor how the project is going and whether they are on track to complete their tasks on time. View this map at: http://bit.ly/czqrb1 Additional Points The Regional Support Centre (RSC) provides advice and guidance on the use of ICT in education and acts as a gateway to JISC and its many services and initiatives. Feel free to contact your local RSC for further advice on how to best employ mind maps with your learners.