Written Transcript for my tutorial on how to use MindMeister:
Welcome to this tutorial on how to use MindMeister.
MindMeister is an excellent tool that can be used in planning lessons,
note-taking for students during a lesson, or for professional development as
well as various other thinking map needs. MindMeister is a great tool, as it
addresses the needs for visual learners, adding graphics, colors, and/or
“connectors” that join thoughts and ideas from one criteria to another.
MindMeister is easy to share, much like Google Docs, so that others may view
your mind map or collaborate on a particular map with you. This affordable tool
has exceptional value for its low cost and is an affordable tool for educators,
with a school license for only $1 per month per user, for up to 20 users.
So…what does MindMeister actually do? Well, basically, for
those of you trained in Thinking Maps, it’s like a Bubble Map…but BETTER.
You’re going to go to www.mindmeister.com.
After signing up your free 30-day trial, you’re going to log in. You can choose
the particular template you want to work with by clicking on “New Mind Map” and
then “Browse Template Library.” As you can see, I have one already started.
Because I teach first grade, I have modeled for you a mind map that I would
create for my students, so it is very basic because I would never want to cause
cognitive overload! As you can see, I can add facts and then add connectors. I’m
going to add some facts about penguins. I’m going to add that penguins walk on
land. I’m going to do that by clicking on “Penguins” and then I’m going to
click on this plus sign here. A little box pops up and in that box, I’m going
to type that they walk on land. I’m also going to put another fact about
penguins; that they have feathers because these are attributes of different
polar animals.
Now, because there’s a connection for penguins and polar
bears – they both walk on land – I’m going to draw a connector from “walk on
land.” I’m going to do that by clicking on that bubble and then clicking on the
arrow. I’m going to take that all the way over here to where it says “walk on
land” for polar bears and click it. I change the colors for all my connectors
for visual effect. So, to do that, I’ll click on that white bubble, go to “Change
color” and I’m going to choose a color that I haven’t already used.
Mind maps draw a parallel between Bubble Maps and Circle Maps,
but also allow students to visually compare and contrast as they would with a
Venn Diagram (or Double Bubble Map) by using (or not using) connectors. As you
see, this is something that the teacher could PRESENT to students; however,
with appropriate scaffolding, students could learn to make their OWN mind maps
on MindMeister to portray critical thinking skills.
When the mind map is finished, it can be uploaded onto a
class blog in order for parents or colleagues to see what students have been
working on. Simply click on “Share this Map”, then click on “Public”, and then
click “OK”, and “Embed map…”. Determine the frame width – I’m using 550 for my
frame width – and frame height – I am using 500 for the height due to the
dimensions of my edublog. I’m going to click in the box, right click, “Select
All”, right click, “Copy” and go to my blog. Click “Compose” post, title it,
and paste the embed code into the body of the blog. Click “Publish” and then “View
the Blog” to see your success!
MindMeister is also a useful tool for professional development,
such as having grade levels work together to vertically align curriculum. I
just learned yesterday that our former assistant principal is an avid
MindMeister-user! He used the program to complete the school phone tree and
first responders maps. After working with the program, one could find many uses
for it!
I hope you have enjoyed this simple tutorial on the use of
MindMeister. I look forward to implementing it in various aspects of my own professional
development!
Reflection
Using video can be effective in professional development due to its ability to grab attention. Personally, when I see a speaker, I almost immediately tune out. The use of video allows me to be engaged with various visual aids that speakers tend to leave out. Oftentimes, speakers forget that movement is key to retaining attention, so the use of video allows a change in what a member of the audience is looking at; there's movement on the screen which maintains attention.
Other ways to flip PD for educators is to have them become involved in Twitter chats, much like the ones we do for this course. It's an easy, time-efficient way to gain information. Also, our school has recently moved into having us complete modules online, rather than staying after school to listen to lectures. If there is a point that is not understood, it can be revisited for better understanding. This is done on our own time, which I appreciate since I work two jobs and try to maintain my graduate studies.
Screencasts can be used for the classroom as well as professional development. Many distance learning programs utilize screencasting; however, a traditional teacher can use it to post on his/her edublog to reinforce what is being learned int the classroom. For schools, such as the one where I work, where parents are illiterate in many cases, screencasts posted on edublogs could be helpful in reaching students, but also creating an understanding of standards with parents.
Thanks so much for tuning in! I hope you gained some valuable insight from this short tutorial!
~Rhonda
~Rhonda
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