"BBQs" might lead to "Family time," "Good food," and "Burgers." "School's out" could lead to "Summer jobs," "Extracurriculars," and "Alice Cooper." For example, if the central theme was "Summer" (say, for a marketing campaign), the first five or so nodes might be "Good weather," "BBQs," "Vacation," "Air conditioning," and "School's out."įrom each node, you then repeat the process, drilling deeper into the different concepts. Then the fun starts: around your central theme, you create "nodes" connected by lines, each with its own related idea or theme. You start by writing a central idea or theme in the middle of a blank sheet of paper. Traditionally, a mind map is done with a pen (or, ideally, loads of colored pens) and paper. MindMeister for collaborating on a mind map with a teamĪyoa for a modern approach to mind mapping The 5 best mind mapping tools in 2022Ĭoggle for mind map beginners and occasional use Pen and paper set a very high bar to clear, but these are the five best mind mapping apps that manage to clear it. I've also made dozens of mind maps myself, both on paper and digitally. Over the past several years of updating this list, I've tested close to 50 different mind map tools, many multiple times as they've been updated and added new features. (It's a weird hybrid approach, but it works for me.) The functionality is easy to use, and users can add media such as photos, weblinks, and video to their maps – even using the free version of the software.I do most of my mind mapping digitally-and even when I don't, I often recreate a paper mind map online so that I can have it safely stored and easily searched. Here is a link to a concept map that I created using the Mindjet software.
Here is a series of video tutorials on the use of Mindjet.
See the link below to sign up for a free trial and download the software. One of the best features of Mindjet is that it allows one to work simultaneously with colleagues. Mindjet is not a free software, but you can sign up for a 30 day free trial.
You can view a short tutorial on how to get started using here (while listening to a charming British accent):įinally, a third great concept mapping program available is Mindjet. Below is a concept map that I created using. Another free program to use is, which is a web-based concept mapping program that is a little more attractive and easier to use than CMAP.
The first video is probably the best example to use in an academic setting, but the second video demonstrates how to incorporate media such as images and videos into your concept map.Ĭoncept Map Software Demo – CmapTools from ctlfurman on Vimeo.ĬMAP is certainly not the only means to create a concept map. There are, however, some great online video tutorials on the use of CMAP. It takes a little time to discover all of the features available for use. This is a very simplified (and a bit messy) concept map that reflects my life as a politics junkie.ĬMAP is not the most user-friendly software to use right out of the gate if one is just getting started with concept mapping. Apart from serving as a great way to help anyone organize ideas for an assignment or a project, concept maps can serve as educational tools that allow instructors to demonstrate relationships between concepts and assess students’ understanding of these relationships.īelow is an example of a concept map that I created using a software know as CMAP. In fact, I think I last used a concept map in 8th grade English class to organize my thoughts for an in-class essay. Prior to starting this job, I had only limited use for concept maps (also known as mind maps).