Mind Mapping Software: Uses and Benefits for Education

Whether you’re a student, a teacher, or just someone who wants to learn, there’s one problem that you inevitably have to contend with: What is the best way to organize and understand all that knowledge? There could be a variety of possible answers, but here we’ll focus on a relatively new technological tool known as mind mapping software. Let’s take a closer look at this specialized software and its various benefits.

Mind mapping is simply a method of outlining information in a visual manner. A mind map uses words, diagrams, and pictures to create a “tree” that effectively organizes the material at hand. According to Lifehacker, using a combination of words and pictures during the learning process is six times more effective than words alone. 1 So, what are the specific benefits of mind mapping software? There are quite a few, as we’ll see.

The Role of Mind Mapping Software It’s possible to create mind maps with old-fashioned pen and paper, but the advent of mind mapping software has made that practice obsolete. Mind mapping programs can be operated on desktops, laptops, handheld devices, and even the Internet. The software is able to generate even highly complex maps—and there’s no need to worry about running out of paper.

When students take notes during classroom lectures, the result is often a haphazard mess of hurried scrawls. Afterward, they might find it difficult to make any sense out of what they wrote. Mind maps give students a template they can use to logically organize their thoughts “on the run.”

While preparing to write an essay or create a presentation, mind mapping software can play a part in helping you organize your thoughts effectively. It’s easy to break the project down into distinct steps by using collapsible branches that center on a main idea. You can also print out and distribute your mind map to your audience, before a presentation, to provide them with a handy visual aid.

If you have a problem that must be thought through—a math puzzle, for example—it’s all too easy to get lost in the tangled threads of your mind. Mind mapping software lets you organize your brainstorming sessions. This gives you an easily comprehensible overview of your mental processes.

Even if you’re confident in your ability to keep everything straight in your head, that doesn’t help other people working with you on the same project. By laying everything out in an easily accessible format, mind mapping software enables multiple people to view the various project threads. It’s also simple for the participants to add to and rearrange the map when needed.

Seavus’ iMindQ software has a wide range of useful features, including advanced MS Office integration. It is designed to address the organizational needs of students, educators and administrative staff. It can run on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and as Online (Web) version.

By using the iMindQ research tool, users can save a lot of time and effort in gathering research data. It allows users to search for information and images on their topic of choice and easily add these to their mind maps. Reference links to these sources are also readily stored for additional research or citation purposes. Very useful when conducting research on a specific subject, brainstorming for a project, or composing papers.

Presentations that are non- linear, keyword-oriented and emphasized with images are 90% more memorable than linear, textual presentations, where the audience loses track of the central idea the presenter is trying to convey. With iMindQ’s one-click presentation option, a stunning visual presentation is automatically created in a matter of seconds.

Stay up-to-date with assignments by sharing ideas with colleagues, team mates and others through interactive HTML mind maps created in iMindQ. Collaborators can then add their own feedback, save it, and send it back to you. Improve your knowledge base by generating and evaluating different ideas together, focusing on the right ones in a powerful visual format. Information is translated into interactive visual form, making it more memorable and engaging.

The mind mapping software iMindQ was released in 2009 by Seavus Group, software development and consulting company with a proven track- record in providing successful enterprise- wide business solutions. The company has over 600 IT experts worldwide and offers a variety of products and service options.iMindQ

Summary Mind mapping software gives the user a simple, yet highly effective, organizational tool to arrange their ideas, presentations, schedules, and other materials. Among other benefits, this type of software improves project collaboration and enhances the problem-solving process.