SECOND - Mindmapping - Mindmapping continues to be a major tool in my arsenal when it comes to initial work on topics or problems. I worked with several tools in the course of this project and don’t see a way to get rid of any of them.

My Journal - Mindmapping in my journal is essential to me as i start making sense of something. I can get high level information together, find links between different pieces of information, and develop my understanding.

As I read or study a piece of material, I mind map it in my journal. I normally use a two-page layout for major mind maps with lots of information and one-page for high level overviews. I also use my journal for mind dumps to get out what I know when I’m starting to read.

Mind Mapping Software - I find that there is a definite advantage at some point of shifting to software to work with the information. The point in this project where it started to make sense was just before I started writing. As I was gathering information and sorting out my sense of the situation, I used my journal to mind map informally, but as I got near to needing to put the information into a meaningful linear format, I used mindmapping software to 1) dump everything I could remember about the specific piece I was working on. I did this for each lesson. 2) I reviewed my mind dump and determined where I had holes. I indicated this by putting questions into the mind map which I wanted to answer. 3) I found answers within my research material for the questions I had on the mind map. 4) I did additional research as necessary to answer the remaining questions. Finally 5) I organized the mind map into an outline to order my thoughts for linear presentation. In some cases I would have liked to use a non-linear presentation, but the format required linear presentation for the material. It would also have taken time I was not given to translate the course into a non-linear format.

One piece of software I used extensively in this process was the freeware FreeMind. For example, this is part of a dump I did on NVIS propagation in the final stages of writing a new lesson:

I find this is a very good way to get all the information out and organized so I can get ready for the actual writing.

Categories: General Thoughts, Practical Applications, Tools