17.1.07
Mindmapping ...
I have been using Mindmanager for some time now, especially in my graduate courses. It was always hard to require students to buy the program so I used to lend mine for educational purposes only. Some of them show initial resistance to adapt to this way of summarizing and visualizing information, but I have had great surprises later on when I have seen some of their work in the following courses where they decide to mindmap on their own!!!I am glad to find there is a page where one can download FREEMIND for free. These are some of the uses listed in its Wiki:
1) Keeping track of projects, including subtasks, state of subtasks and time recording
2) Project workplace, including links to necessary files, executables, source of information and of course information
3) Workplace for internet research using Google and other sources
4) Keeping a collection of small or middle sized notes with links on some area which expands as needed. Such a collection of notes is sometimes called knowledge base.
5) Essay writing and brainstorming, using colors to show which essays are open, completed, not yet started etc, using size of nodes to indicate size of essays. I don't have one map for one essay, I have one map for all essays. I move parts of some essays to other when it seems appropriate.
6) Keeping a small database of something with structure that is either very dynamic or not known in advance. The main disadvantage of such approach when compared to traditional database applications are poor query possibilities, but I use it that way anyway - contacts, recipes, medical records etc. You learn about the structure from the additional data items you enter. For example, different medical records use different structure and you do not have to analyze all the possible structures before you enter the first medical record.
7) Commented internet favorites or bookmarks, with colors and fonts having the meaning you want.
