My First MindManager Map Part 2

When I showcase my Tablet PC to other students I could drown them with all the cool features and details of it but instead I find that showing them how my Tablet PC works is the most effective means of displaying its power. I can’t really show you the process of how I made my map in real time at the moment but can still outline my procedure. I may download the Camtasia program, which you may have seen on websites like Student Tablet PC and the new GottaGoMobile site, and give the trial a whirl but until then I thought I would walk you through that first map I made. I uploaded a larger picture to my site so you can now download it to get a better picture as I go through it.

Now first off before we get started let me just say once again I made this map pretty quickly so it may be hard for you to follow. I understand the map and since this map is really only going to be used by me then I am really the only one that needs to be able to understand it. If I was making the map with the idea that I would be using it with other students then I may have organized it a bit more and also included different topics but it was designed to supplement my studying which is where MindManager really allows you to tailor it to your needs. Ok so let’s get started!

First off I created a central topic. Since this was my first map I kind of made it broad and simply called it Human Anatomy Exam 2. The plan was then to include all the topics that would be covered on that exam. After the fact I realized that this topic was really too broad. I think if I had continued this map I would end up creating a giant map that would probably get out of control. So I started to really narrow it down in the maps that followed. I figured I could then link the smaller maps to one big one. I feel this approach would work better but you live and learn. Looking through my notes I noticed that the topic was the Nervous System so I figured a structural outline would work pretty good for this topic. I would use the main components and structures and then branch off from there.

I started with the developmental aspect and branched off from there by becoming more specific as I progressed.


Each branch kept growing until I had traced the entire path of a particular structure. Once I reached a specific structure, like the Thalamus, I could have kept branching out. However, I wanted to make those structures main categories. So I introduced a relationship curve (seen in purple). These relationship curves are incredibly neat and they allow you to link topics to one another. Seeing this visual link is incredibly valuable to me and this single feature deserves its own post when I get a chance. For now I will simple say that it allows me to start a new branch but still have that visual cue of where the structure developed from.



I did this for all the other topics until I got to what you see in the image. The really cool thing is that you can hide those relationships lines or collapse certain parts of the main map if you want to concentrate on a particular aspect of it. You can also expand everything which then reveals the big picture and allows you to see all those connections very easily.

The last feature I played with on my first map was the note feature. Here you type, ink, or insert an image which creates a note for one of items. A little icon is then displayed and you can click on to open up a note box or hover on it to display its contents. These notes can be whatever you want to add so don’t even really have related to the main branch of the tree. For example, I can never remember what the function of the Medulla Oblongata is. So I created a note on that item. Then when I am going through the map and come across Medulla Oblongata I can click on the little note to displays in function. An "Oh Yeahhhhh" goes off in my brain and I can continue on. For me I often read something but for it be meaningful I like to relate it to some other piece of key information. So since I know I also forget the function its just another chance for me to review it while I trace the developmental path.

With this map I really wanted to try something different. By going through the many tutorials and downloading several examples I was able to see many different ways MindManager could be used. However I didn'’t really see any that took a topic say from a lecture class and really broke it down into compartments and introduced links. MindManager is all about forming relationships and seeing how things break down and this one way I can really break down a subject like anatomy and relate it all back to one another. I no longer remember just distinct components but am able to recall the whole story.

This first map also only allowed me to sample the program and kind of get a handle on it. There are many more options to play with and I feel as my knowledge grows I will make some very helpful and neat looking maps that can really enhance my studying.

posted by Jason Dorko at 6:56 PM 0 comments links to this post