Mind maps - Part III

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Mind maps - Part III

Knowledge Master Interesting Links about Maps

From the philosophical or psychological point of view, mind maps are very far from representing "knowledge" and even less could represent the complexity of mind contents, but are excellent to organize "primary ideas" or "things".

That's why, in the field of studying or learning, mind maps are given space to more developed tools, as mind maps and semantic networks..

On the other side, visual advantages of mind maps as tools for graphical organization of ideas are is also shared with concept maps and semantic networks, more evolved and complete models.

Following the mind map recognized standard (do not forget that the standard was coined much before the personal computer diffusion lead to computer use at social level, and therefore were originally thought for manual use), the more adequate uses for mind maps are:

The first stage of brainstorming, in which speed is privileged. In the following stage, it is necessary to pass to the concept map.

Objects organization and reorganization, the simpler taxonomies, in strictly hierarchic order.

For very personal tasks.

To take brief notes.

Figure 1 - A classic tree (reduced, to exemplify), with six child nodes in its first level and two grandchildren for every child node.

Figure 2 - A classic mind map (with big objects, for clarity and comfort), with six child nodes in its first level, and two grandchildren for every child node. It is identical to the tree in figure 1, conveys the same information, it is equivalent. Four ideas have been categorized, they belong to defined and evidenced "idea types", to enhance perception.

Figure 3 - A classic mind map, (with big objects, for clarity and comfort), with six child nodes in its first level, and two grandchildren for every child node. It is identical to the tree in figure 1 and to the mind map in figure 2, conveys the same information, it is equivalent, identical. Some nodes have been represented with images and contain sounds (not available in the web version).

As mind maps have been originally thought to be done by hand, its computer graphical representation has suffered adaptations: from its original "radial" conception (see fig. 3), makers of only mind maps software have forced the original model to a "winged" configuration (not represented here).