MindMeister Final Post

My final thoughts of MindMeister as a communication tool is that it is a great way to start a paper for an outline. I know it could also be used to create maps for presentations to show different ideas, but I never used it as that because I only had three maps. MindMeister was allowing free trial periods of their other packages and I should of taken advantage of that, but I figured there would be some sort of catch to it. I would recommend this tool to anyone that has alot of decision making to do since it is a great tool for brainstorming and getting together with a group online that might not be able to meet and they could all have an input to the idea.

MindMeister Post #5

I am on the Analysis of MindMeister section of my paper. I really think MindMeister is a great tool to use for communication. I remember in grade school when we would have to make outlines for our papers using this sheet of paper with an umbrella drawn on it and it would have boxes hanging from it for different points to have in our paper. What I am trying to say is now that technology is more relevant in our lives as a whole it would be smart to have younger students use a tool like MindMeister to start writing papers because I feel like when we get older an outline becomes a good backbone for starting a paper, but many people just skip right into writing the paper. MindMeister is easy enough to use where younger students could figure out what they are doing. The cognitive theory of multimedia learning is about the changing pace of how we learn and MindMeister could be that tool to help visual learners see different maps or even create maps that could help them study better. The social cognitive theory is based on how we as people acquire and maintain behavioral patterns. With many people especially the younger generations that are using the internet today, MindMeister could be a good tool that would keep them interested in learning. We are always online so why not keep the learning online as well. Bloom's Taxonomy is also another theory based on different types of learning: cognitive, affective and psychomotor. In each of these different types of learning is a set of skills needed to be able to learn. MindMeister can be a good tool for gaining these skills as we can use the tool to understand a concept and remember it, then before we can apply the concept we must understand it, before we analyze it we must be able to apply it, before we can evaluate its impact we must have analyzed it, before we can create we must have remembered, understood, applied, analyzed and evaluated. MindMeister as a whole is about brainstorming ideas and putting meaning behind it, so MindMeister is a learning tool that can be used to remember the concept, understand it, apply it, analyze it and evaluate it.

MindMeister Post #4

Today I looked more into how MindMeister was created and how it has evolved since then. It was founded by MeisterLabs GmbH in 2007. MeisterLabs GmbH was created by Till Vollmer and Michael Hollauf. MindMeister allows for users to have three free maps but then charges for additional maps. It has evolved overtime by staying current with technology as they have created an app for smartphones so busy, on-the-go people can stay on their maps wherever they are. They also have a Twitter account to update users on exclusive deals. There are many benefits of MindMeister as it allows for brainstorming, note taking, able to track your changes, users can always stay connected and connect with other users, and it is user friendly.

MindMeister Post #3

Today I needed to create an outline for a paper that is due for a final in one of my classes. I used MindMeister just like we did for our outline in this class because it was easy and a more unique way to turn in an outline. When I was creating my new outline for my other class I tried to think of the different theories I had picked out and the different kind of learning MindMeister uses because it is visual and this sometimes teaches people at a better level. I have been looking through different sources to find definitions for the three key terms I picked for my paper. There are so many sources out there, but I have decided to use cognitive theory of multimedia learning, social cognitive theory, and route 21 as my key terms.

Final Paper - MindMeister Post #2

For my paper I have been looking into more information about MindMeister. MindMeister was founded in 2007 by Till Vollmer and Michael Hollauf. MindMeister was created for users to be able to visualize their thinking by using mind map software. There are two different versions of MindMeister. One for users that is free and one that has a subscription fee ranging from 4 to 14 dollars depending on which subscription the user chooses from. They could choose between personal, pro and business each having different features useful to the user. MindMeister has won three different awards: Red Herring Europe 2008 Winner Top 100 Tech Startups, AASL Website Awards Best Web Site for Teaching and Learning and Innovation Award 2008 Best Product in the Category Web 2.0. There are many features of MindMeister that make it such a great tool to use for school or even teaching. One feature is the ability to share and collaborate. Users are able to share their maps by email inviting users or just sharing the direct link. Another feature is the history playback which allows for the user to see the changed history throughout the project even allowing the undoing of the whole project. MindMeister also allows for access anywhere, anytime as they can access their maps through any mobile or portable device. It is also very safe, easy and secure to use as the interface is self explanatory and they use security encryption, tier-III hosting and 24/7 monitoring.

Final Paper - MindMeister #1

For my final paper in Communication and Technology I have chosen the topic MindMeister. I thought this tool would benefit me the most as the semester is coming to an end and I have three papers and one project due all within the next couple weeks. MindMeister will assist me with my outlines of each as the organization and structure of the tool is beneficial in making sure I get each topic covered in my papers or project. Online learning is becoming more and more popular as it is time saving and people are more involved in computers than ever. E-learning is becoming more beneficial to students now as they find sources online, take notes with computers and learn through teachers using computer technology.

E-Learning

1.       How does the tool relate to the topic of the week?

The topic of the week was E-learning. The tool we used that was related to the topic of the week was
MindMeister. MindMeister is a type of social learning environment as users can
create maps/brainstorming ideas of different topics and then can be shared with
other users. When connected to other users you can limit them to a read or edit
function this way if you are working in a group it is easy to be connected and
work on the same map together.

2.       What function does the tool serve?

MindMeister serves many tools as it is a structured learning
tool that gives users organization and structure in their maps. Maps are a web
of information that is centered around one topic and webbed out to more
specific topics as it can be used for brainstorming, paper outlines,
presentations and that is just a few. Another useful function is the option of
sharing the map to collaborate with others in a group or even share with the
public. It can be useful for group projects as everyone can go into the map and
edit information as everyone in the group can see other people’s edits instead
of emailing a project around that could get confusing. 

3.       What did you find most interesting about the
tool?

The thing I found most interesting about the tool was the option
of allowing other people into the map to let them edit the information on the
map. I know Google Docs is like this, but MindMeister seemed like more of an
option to use for presentations and outlines as it is simple and connects main
points together. I liked that it also put other users edits in a different
color that way you could actually see where they edited the map.

4.       What did you find most challenging?

I thought the tool was very easy to use. I first had an issue
figuring out how to add on branches, but the boys explained that and all was
fine. The tool was self explanatory as everything was laid out and labeled, so
it was easy to figure out how to change font size, color, add pictures and even
adding users to your map was easy.

5.       How does the tool improve or complicate communication?

I think this tool definitely improves communication as even if
one user is using it it shows how organized they are, and if a group is using
it MindMeister allows for collaboration between the group. If the group is too
busy to meet in person or if they don’t live close to each other this option
really helps as they can collaborate together and see who has what ideas as
their edits are in a different color.

6.       What is your critique of your experience?

Overall I really liked MindMeister. I think it is a good way to
stay organized for anyone that has to write papers or do projects. The tool was
easy to use and not overly complicated which is what users want. I am going to
use MindMeister for the final paper topic as I have this paper along with two
other papers due within the next few weeks and this tool will really help me
organize my papers.