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.

Organizations and E-commerce

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

This week’s topic was organizations and e-commerce. Buying and selling products on the internet and other computer networks has become increasingly popular and that’s what e-commerce is all about. The social media tool we used this week was Flickr. Flickr is for people and companies to manage photos and videos of their company to advertise themselves and products. This is a great way for people to get out there because it also offers tags for people to have an easier search when searching their product.

2.       What function does the tool serve?

Flickr enables people, organizations and businesses to be able to create a page that allows them to post videos and pictures of what they are trying to market or share with other people on Flickr or other social media sites. Flickr is free, but businesses or organizations that want to put up more pictures to serve their advertising need can pay about ten dollars per quarter which is not that much as it will give feedback about how many visitors have visited your page or searched your criteria.

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

The thing I found most interesting about the tool was the fact that you could tag words or the company name to the photo and when those certain words are searched by customers or other businesses your photos or videos would show up. It reminded me of Twitter with the hash tags as those can be searched on twitter whatever is behind the hash tag.

4.       What did you find most challenging?

The most challenging part for me was that I wanted to just use it as a normal person, not a company. I really like posting pictures on Facebook and I thought it would be unique if they spread it to make it just for users too as I think it could increase customer market for companies that are already using Flickr. I didn’t really like that it was just for companies and organizations.

5.       How does the tool improve or complicate communication?

I thought it mostly improved communication as customers and other businesses can see what you have to offer through photos while also having the option to comment on the picture. I also thought it was an advantage to improve communication with the option of tagging the photo with key words for an easier search option.

6.       What is your critique of your experience?

Overall if I had a business I would definitely get a Flickr as I feel it can really show who a company is by the photos they put up to show their products and workers. It really helps that businesses can tag their photos with their company name along with other words about their company that will stick out to the customer when they search them and find the company and they will remember that word they searched along with the company.