Mind Mapping

I chose the resource Coggle to create my Valentines Day mind map. I really enjoyed using this resource. It was simple, straight forward, and very easy to learn.  One of my favorite parts was being able to easily change or undo mistakes. Creating my mindmap was a fun and fairly simple task. I wish Coggle did not require a paid membership to add features. I feel like my map could have been better if I was able to add different effects, shapes, pictures, and colors. Other than that I really enjoyed this resource. 

Although I chose Coggle, I found several of the other resources to be interesting. Two of those were MindMapple and Text2Mindmap. I found MindMapple to be interesting because it is pre-loaded with themes and templates. As a visual learner, this would work well for me. I also found Text2Mindmap interesting. This one caught my attention because I like the idea of being able to jot down thoughts before adding them to the map. I will definitely explore both of these resources in the future. 

When compared to Coggle and the other mind mapping resources, I did not care much for using the Google app to create a mind map. When using Google, I felt very overwhelmed and confused. The other resources were much easier and required less navigating and understanding of what to do. I also felt that using Google was much more time consuming, as well as less organized. 

Mind mapping is a beneficial learning tool to help students brainstorm any topic and think creatively. Mind maps are particularly helpful in the writing process and provide students with a natural way of thinking and building thoughts on a story plot or theme.

Mind Mapping can be used for several reasons. Students can use mind maps to: explore subjects, study and learn a new topic, summarize knowledge and skills, as a study tool, and to develop creative and critical thinking skills. 

Mind mapping software offers both students and teachers a number of benefits relating to presenting and understanding information. Mind maps are highly effective visual aids that enable students to group together different ideas and enable teachers to present ideas visually and assess their students’ conceptual development and understanding. By using software to create a mind map, students are not limited to the space available on paper. Instead they are able to develop collapsible branches off of their main idea and constantly move items around as needed.

Some disadvantages of mind mapping are that some students may be more creative than others. Personally, I am not very creative or artsy. So if I was asked to sketch a mind map, I would be completely lost. If this is the case in your classroom, you should be sure to provide several different mind mapping resources for students to use. Another disadvantage is that mind maps can get to cluttered and disorganized if too much information is added. In this case, you should go over how to create an organized mind map with students and should discuss the type of information that they should add to their mind maps. 

I really like the concept of mind mapping. I am visual learner, so this is a great tool for myself. However, as a future educator, I know that all of my students will learn differently and will have different needs. As their teacher, it will be my job to decide if mind mapping is a good resource for our class or not.