Many visual learners have discovered the benefits of MindMaps,
the technique developed by Tony Buzan in the late 1960s.
MindMaps use
radiant thinking and simple drawing skills to synthesize complex sets
of information. His classic work The Mind Map Book, is essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand the intricacies of how the mind, cognition, memory, emotion and learning work together.
The Buzan Centre describes the tool as follows:
A Mind Map is a powerful graphic technique which provides a universal key to unlock the potential of the brain. It harnesses the full range of cortical skills – word, image, number, logic, rhythm, colour and spatial awareness – in a single, uniquely powerful manner. In so doing, it gives you the freedom to roam the infinite expanses of your brain. The Mind Map can be applied to every aspect of life where improved learning and clearer thinking will enhance human performance. (More at http://imindmap.com)
However, MindMaps may be difficult to consistently use. It helps if you can write and draw, while listening deeply to a discussion or presentation.
Several companies have developed software tools based on the concept. Tony Goodson shares his experience using MindManager and a tablet PC.
ABOVE: Many examples of MindMapping are posted in the gallery on the Buzan Centre site. See enlargement.
The software MindManager (from MindJet) has solved all of this by giving you a software version that does it for you. The user can correct mistakes, but is not required to have advanced drawing skills.
Price: $349.00
The trouble is you're not actually drawing the MindMap, you're "entering" the MindMap, so it's not quite as right-brain as a handwritten MindMap.
The Tablet: A Writing-Drawing Hybrid
Again, this is partly solved by having the Tablet version of MindManager, in which you're almost drawing the MindMap: A task for which the software has been specially designed.
So here's the rub--how many of us are using our Tablets as tablets all the time?
The Acer C300 is quite big. Tony Goodson uses his as a laptop for 98% of the time, and only occaisionally as a tablet.
Goodson suggests using MindManager for activities that nothing else can replace, for example public forums and brainstorming sessions.
A Communication Tool
In using the software so often, people tend to look at the massive creations with glazed expressions. The scale of information is just too difficult to take it all
in.
As a personal tool, MindManager is great for capture; it's lousy for recall. As a public tool, it is effective, but fails to fully communicate to people who did not take part in the creative process.
For example, Goodson uses MindManager in Presentation Mode to create a presentation, instead of using PowerPoint, and differentiated the experience by handing out a single page to all participants with the MindMap.
Keep It Simple, Stupid (K.I.S.S.)
In public forums using a projector, MindManager may serve as a great
brainstorming tool to capture what people are saying; however the
resulting paper "take-away" can be disappointing if too congested with
detail. It's great with a few well illustrated Topics/Branches, and few sub topics/branches, but difficult with 100+ items.
As with any information graphic: heirarchy of information and careful categorization are key.
Hands down, the software is fantastic in terms of the sheer number of things it can do: from simple MindMap creations to building websites; synchronising with Outlook; exporting to Word, PowerPoint, and MS Project; even using it as a RSS manager.
For more, visit check out Hobart's Mindjet Weblog as well as the blog of the founder of MindManager, Mike Jetter.
(Thanks to Tony Goodson for letting us adapt his original review. See his original post at: tonygoodson.typepad.com )
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