Well done Week 9 Group! I have used mind…
Well done Week 9 Group! I have used mind mapping, fairly extensively in other courses (both Prezi and C-Map), but have not explored the Learning Theory as extensively and as eloquently as you have presented to us. So I thank you for that.
My reflection is based on how online mind mapping can be used effectively especially by those with particular learning styles. As you have demonstrated through your description that mind mapping helps us construct, assimilate, and connect meaning- critical elements that benefit all learners, mind mapping is particularly beneficial to those who learn visually, and those that learn by doing. As several colleagues have already stated; mind mapping is a personal and interactive learning experience. The educational value of online mind mapping obviously doesn’t occur in the presentation of a completed mind map which is little more than a diagram of someone’s “self-described connections”, but rather affords the learners an opportunity to create knowledge by assimilating new knowledge with prior knowledge in a way that is meaningful to them. This raises the question of how useful collaborative mind maps may be, as many learners may feel that their mind map is watered down or compromised by allowing other members to edit or add to their mind map. With that in mind, I think that using mind maps, on a personal basis, can be very beneficial but less so when done collaboratively in a group.
David McInnes
Posted in: Week 09: Visual-Intensive Learning
Denise 8:26 am on July 6, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
HI David,
I would have agreed with you completely about the benefit on a personal level versus collaborative work until I joined in the collaborative map. I found I could still add my own personal connections within the map as it developed. More importantly I found myself more embedded in the mapping exercise and teasing out the group’s other connections more than if I were just looking at the map. Whilst I agreed with some and would have changed other linkages or ideas, they all made me reflect more than I woudl have on my own.
A useful exercise
Denise
ping 12:33 am on July 7, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi David,
I agree with you most except the last point. I think by collaborative mind mapping, we can not only illustrate our own knowledge patterns, but also have them verified and extended by other group members. We can also verify our untested understanding with other’s existing maps, to confirm, add or change them. This process of thinking is more inspiring and efficient than thinking by oneself. After the collaboration, one can certainly develop his own mind maps, not waterred down by others, just to show what’s exactly constructed in his mind.
I do have experience that some maps I made were changed by other people in unexpected ways, but I would change them back if I disagreed, and I was more glad to see the untouched part in my maps, because they are verified and safer to remember since then.
Thanks for your insight reflection! Thank you too, Denise!
Ping
dmcinnes 9:18 am on July 7, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Denise and Ping,
Thanks for your thoughts/responses. You’ve encouraged me to reflect further on my experiences with mind maps, and to the extent that prior to now, all of the mind maps I have completed have been individual and until this time I have not participated in a collaborative one. I see how adding other people’s voices can validate what you may have deemed as important while pushing you to see ideas from other vantage points and looking at things that you might not have otherwise considered on your own. As Ping points out, you can always make individual mind maps from the collaborative piece.
David McInnes