New Technologies and 21st Century Skills

MAPMYSELF

Tool Category/ies: Critical Thinking Problem Solving Collaboration

License Type: Free

Overall Rating

4/5

Mapmyself provides a free site for users to easily create mind maps for any topic. The user must first conceptualize a topic that he or she wants to illustrate with mind mapping. There should be a central theme with several subcategories. Each subcategory can also have branch points and there is the option to annotate notes for any branch point.

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Mapmyself interface

Mindmap created using Mapmyself

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Reviews

Rating: 4/5

Reviewed by: Jenna Miller on 03/21/2013

Description
Mind maps are fairly new educational tools that are still under investigation. Mind maps help the learner associate thoughts and concepts with graphical representations. Mapmyself provides a free site for users to easily create mind maps for any topic. The user must first conceptualize a topic that he or she wants to illustrate with mind mapping. There should be a central theme with several subcategories. Each subcategory can also have branch points and there is the option to annotate notes for any branch point. MAPMYself also allows the user to upload pictures or graphics to the mind map to enhance the visual representations associated with the concepts.
Like many other online tools, MAPMYself has a free and fee for service version. The upgraded version allows unlimited mind mapping, uploading of pictures or videos from the users computer and exporting of the file to work documents. The free version allows for two mind maps at a time to be published, utilization of the websites images and exportation as an image.

Things to know before using Mapmyself
The user needs to be able to first access and then navigate the internet. A user needs to have a concept of what mind mapping is in order to appropriately utilize this website. I quick referenced Wikipedia to develop a better overview of mind mapping. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_map

Resources required to use Mapmyself
The user must have a computer with internet connection. The user should have an idea of what topic his or her mind map will encompass prior to trying to make the mind map.

How to use Mapmyself in a teaching environment
I created my mind map about a topic that is taught to every new set of residents and fellows that start in the ICU. One of the fundamental principles learned in the ICU is ventilator management and extubation readiness. There are many evidence based articles in the literature for when to extubate adults but there are no strict criteria which can be applied to pediatrics and thus all avenues of extubation readiness but be explored. The various components of extubation readiness must be thought about for each child preparing to extubate. The mind map I created shows the most important criteria to explore for this patient care process. It is a small reference that could be given to new rotators in the ICU. This reference card could be used by the rotator to evaluate his or her patient prior to rounds so that his or her plan for the day can appropriately include whether the patient is ready for extubation. This ability can help improve provider autonomy, feeling of responsibility for his or her patient as well as repeat thought process for this daily event in the ICU.

Advantages of using Mapmyself
This tool is free for the user. It is fairly easy to use and is intuitive to create. The final product is colorful and organized. The mind maps can be used for a quick reference or for a more complex memorization assignment.

Disadvantages of using Mapmyself
The layout of the website is difficult to read and thus somewhat difficult to navigate to the pages the user needs to begin creating the mind map. While I believe this tool can be used for a high complexity topic, much care must be taken to organize the mind map as it has an easy propensity to become cluttered and confused. The free version is limited in that you can only have 2 mind maps on the web at once, you cant upload images from the computer and you cant export to word files.

Examples and External Resources

Using Mapmyself by Jenna Miller uploaded on 03/21/2013