Entry 1 - Inspiration 8IE (Concept and Mind Maps)

Blog

• A blog is a short form of “web log”. Log means a diary or journal, usually a notebook where you write regular reports of what you did or thought.
  
• This blog reports on a range of topics that were covered in the Technology Across the Curriculum workshops that were part of the Dip Ed (Primary) Course at La Trobe University.
  

• Children can also create their own individual or whole class blogs. These may be found on the school website. With the introduction of the Ultranet, students' access to be able to create blogs and wikis will improve. Whole class and individual blogs and wikis are a great way of keeping parents involved and up to date with what is happening in the classroom.

Inspiration 8.0IE

Inspiration8.0IE is a great program that most schools have access to that can be used to create mind and concept maps. If not available, a 30 day free trial can be downloaded. Inspiration can be used for visual mapping, outlining, writing and making presentations. Brainstorm ideas, structure your thoughts and visually communicate concepts to strengthen understanding with the Diagram and Map Views.

Students build graphic organisers, including concept maps, webs, mind maps and idea maps, in Inspiration to:

Brainstorm Plan Organise

Think Outline Present

These images were taken from the Inspiration Website (http://www.inspiration.com/inspiration_intl)

Inspiration 9 officially launches on February 9, 2010. "For 21st century students, success depends on strong reading, writing, critical thinking and organisational skills, along with the ability to retain information, understand complex content and communicate knowledge effectively. In every subject and across a wide spectrum of projects, Inspiration® 9 provides an essential framework for thinking -- helping students achieve more as they comprehend, create and communicate knowledge successfully." (Retrieved 21st October 2010: http://www.inspiration.com/inspiration_intl/whats-new)

Concept and Mind Maps

Mind maps and concepts maps are a great tool in the classroom. They encourage a brainstorming approach when planning. They are a great tool to find out what students know before commencing a topic and what they have learned following completion of a unit or at the end of a lesson.

Another reason that creating mind maps using Inspiration is a good activity, is that it provides the children with something they can walk away with. Both Mind Maps and Concept Maps created through Inspiration can be printed out and a hard copy given to the children. This is something even lower primary students are capable of creating.

Mind Maps

A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks or other items links to and arranged around a central key word or idea. The elements of a given mind map are arranged intuitively according to the importance of the concepts, and are classified into groupings, branches, or areas, with the goal of representing semantic or other connections between portions of information. Here is an example of a mind map created using Inspiration 8.0IE.

Mind Map Guidelines

In his books on Mind Maps author Tony Buzan suggests using the following guidelines for creating Mind Maps:

1. Start in the center with an image of the topic, using at least 3 colors.
2. Use images, symbols, codes, and dimensions throughout your Mind Map.
3. Select key words and print using upper or lower case letters.
4. Each word/image is best alone and sitting on its own line.
5. The lines should be connected, starting from the central image. The central lines are thicker, organic and flowing, becoming thinner as they radiate out from the centre.
6. Make the lines the same length as the word/image they support.
7. Use multiple colors throughout the Mind Map, for visual stimulation and also to encode or group.
8. Develop your own personal style of Mind Mapping.
9. Use emphasis and show associations in your Mind Map.
10. Keep the Mind Map clear by using radial hierarchy, numerical order or outlines to embrace your branches. (Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_map, 21st October 2010).
    

Concept Maps

• A concept map is a diagram showing the relationships among concepts.
• Using Inspiration, children can also use the hyperlink function to link words or pictures to a website (checked by teacher).
• Students can also use the 'Tools' function to insert video and/or sound.
  
• The 'Rapid Fire' function allows users to type their views, press enter and what they have written comes up immediately (can also be used in staff meetings)
  
• The 'Note' function allows users to save a summary about a picture and hide it (available by hovering over or clicking on the picture).
• Here is an example of a concept map created using Inspiration 8.0IE.
  

• I am excited about using Inspiration 8.0IE to create mind and concept maps in the classroom. I often ask children to create their own mind maps when introducing a lesson; however more often than not, these end up in the bin at the end of the activity. I feel that if children create their mind maps using Inspiration, they will be more likely to keep the end result and can then refer back to it later to see what they have learnt.
  

• If using an Interactive Smartboard, a whole class concept/mind map could be completed. This could then be saved and referred back to and added to over the duration of a unit of work.
  

EdSoft Interactive

This is a great website that keeps you up to date with a range of products that can be used within the primary classroom. The products include; Interactive Whiteboards and software, Flip Cameras, Inspiration, Ziptales, and many more. You can also subscribe to their newsletter to get regular updates about new products and tips on how to use IT in the classroom.

Web address: http://www.edsoft.com.au/