Dear Sir or Madam

The language of this discussion board is English please don't be so rude as
to make postings that most people cannot read.

Yours sincerely

Jon Upton

-----Original Message-----
From: wegener@... [mailto:wegener@...]
Sent: 12 August 2004 23:00
To: wwbc@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [wwbc] Abwesenheitsnotiz Frank Wegener

Guten Tag,
bis Freitag 3.September 2004 bin ich im Urlaub. Selbstverständlich kümmern
wir uns in dieser Zeit um Ihre Wünsche. Bitte senden Sie dazu Ihre Nachricht
an rapp@...




To unsubscribe via email: From your email program, send a blank message to:
wwbc-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

Yahoo! Groups Links

I'm all for being multi-lingual here!

Some English still needs subtitles anyway!  I don't much understand
the language used in this case, but I'm happy for the rare chance to
have a look at it anyhow on this world wide forum.

And I'm not too keen on narrow minded "instructors" saying I probably
can't read it.

Aldo


-- In wwbc@yahoogroups.com, "Jon Upton" <jon.upton@b...> wrote:
> Dear Sir or Madam
>
> The language of this discussion board is English please don't be so
rude as
> to make postings that most people cannot read.
>
> Yours sincerely
>
> Jon Upton
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: wegener@a... [mailto:wegener@a...]
> Sent: 12 August 2004 23:00
> To: wwbc@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [wwbc] Abwesenheitsnotiz Frank Wegener
>
> Guten Tag,
> bis Freitag 3.September 2004 bin ich im Urlaub. Selbstverständlich
kümmern
> wir uns in dieser Zeit um Ihre Wünsche. Bitte senden Sie dazu Ihre
Nachricht
> an rapp@a...
>
>
>
>
> To unsubscribe via email: From your email program, send a blank
message to:
> wwbc-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links

I believe "Guten Tag" is a greeting that means good day!

Al



> -- In wwbc@yahoogroups.com, "Jon Upton" <jon.upton@b...> wrote:
> > Dear Sir or Madam
> >
> > The language of this discussion board is English please don't be so
> rude as
> > to make postings that most people cannot read.
> >
> > Yours sincerely
> >
> > Jon Upton
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: wegener@a... [mailto:wegener@a...]
> > Sent: 12 August 2004 23:00
> > To: wwbc@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: [wwbc] Abwesenheitsnotiz Frank Wegener
> >
> > Guten Tag,
> > bis Freitag 3.September 2004 bin ich im Urlaub. Selbstverständlich
> kümmern
> > wir uns in dieser Zeit um Ihre Wünsche. Bitte senden Sie dazu Ihre
> Nachricht
> > an rapp@a...
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > To unsubscribe via email: From your email program, send a blank
> message to:
> > wwbc-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links

At 07:39 2004-08-13 +0100, you wrote:

>Dear Sir or Madam
>
>The language of this discussion board is English please don't be so rude as
>to make postings that most people cannot read.
>
>Yours sincerely
>
>Jon Upton

Er, that won't help much; it's an automatic vacation message. Loosely
translated (with a combination of Babelfish and some limited knowledge of
German) it says

       Greetings,
           I will be on vacation until Friday, September 3rd, 2004. I am
       aware of your needs and shall reply to your inquiries when I
       return. Please send any further messages to rapp@...


It's not a great translation (I was trying to express the purpose of the
message rather than the literal meaning), but you get the idea.


Schol-R-LEA;2 ELF JAM LCF BiWM MGT GS
First Speaker, Last Eristic Church of Finagle and Holy Bisexuality
The greatest strength of the Conspiracy is that it doesn't exist.
The greatest weakness of the Conspiracy is that it does.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

--- In wwbc@yahoogroups.com, "Jon Upton" <jon.upton@b...> wrote:
> Dear Sir or Madam
>
It's an autoresponse and says he'll be on vacation until Sept. 3rd.
Hopefully, he only gets the digest. :)



> The language of this discussion board is English please don't be so
rude as
> to make postings that most people cannot read.
>
> Yours sincerely
>
> Jon Upton
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: wegener@a... [mailto:wegener@a...]
> Sent: 12 August 2004 23:00
> To: wwbc@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [wwbc] Abwesenheitsnotiz Frank Wegener
>
> Guten Tag,
> bis Freitag 3.September 2004 bin ich im Urlaub. Selbstverständlich
kümmern
> wir uns in dieser Zeit um Ihre Wünsche. Bitte senden Sie dazu Ihre
Nachricht
> an rapp@a...

Wow, this web translation tech is amazing!

Here is a basic tech translation on behalf of instructor Jon Upton,
just to help you get your message across, and give us more interesting
language puzzle opportunities.


Lieber Mann der Frau

Schreiben Sie in englisches oder verscheiden Sie. Sie müssen Englisch
verwenden, weil die die Richtlinien sind und Sie extrem unhöflich
sind, indem Sie uns zwingen, eine nicht vertraute Sprache innen zu lesen.

von der Unterseite meines Herzens

Jon Upton


Perhaps the whole mental literacy effort could be translated using
this very affordable method.
I'm absolutely certain this could maybe help!
Victor

http://uk.f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/vicwood40/album



-- In wwbc@yahoogroups.com, "Jon Upton" <jon.upton@b...> wrote:
> Dear Sir or Madam
>
> The language of this discussion board is English please don't be so
rude as
> to make postings that most people cannot read.
>
> Yours sincerely
>
> Jon Upton
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: wegener@a... [mailto:wegener@a...]
> Sent: 12 August 2004 23:00
> To: wwbc@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [wwbc] Abwesenheitsnotiz Frank Wegener
>
> Guten Tag,
> bis Freitag 3.September 2004 bin ich im Urlaub. Selbstverständlich
kümmern
> wir uns in dieser Zeit um Ihre Wünsche. Bitte senden Sie dazu Ihre
Nachricht
> an rapp@a...
>
>
>
>
> To unsubscribe via email: From your email program, send a blank
message to:
> wwbc-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links

I realize it has probably been posted here multiple times before, but
here is a great, motivating, and clear account of concept maps, which
encourage accurate expectations about their usefulness and efficacy.

The article is written by the developer, and tireless researcher,
Prof. J.Novak.

http://cmap.coginst.uwf.edu/info/

Very motivating with no hype!

Why have concept maps become so ubiquitously accepted in education,
business, and professions such as electrical, mechanical, and systems
engineering?

Is it because they have been promoted using accurate scientific research?

Any ideas?
Cheers
Aldo

:::  Tired of the Olympics? Try the Mind Olympics!

writes Michael Johnson of the International Herald Tribune

Source:
http://www.worldmemorysportscouncil.com/wmc2/news_and_features.asp

Watching Olympic athletes throw things, lift things, run till they
drop or float upside down in a swimming pool is not to everyone's
taste. Most of us could never compete, so we can't really relate. In
fact, physical exertion of any sort gives me a headache.

.

Instead, I am settling in for a good flex of that other muscle, the
brain, by watching the Mind Sports Olympiad and the World Memory
Championships, timed to coincide this year with the Athens Games.

.

The Olympics have their value, no doubt, but I marvel more at people
who can remember things. That's hard, too, and it gets harder as you
get older. We over-50s can just about recall what day it is, but
don't ask us the month or the year or, at least in my case, even the
century. As each year wears on, we forget more appointments, names,
faces, phone numbers, PIN numbers, passwords and where we parked the
car.

.

There's an upside, too. I reread "Doctor Zhivago" recently after an
interval of 35 years and realized that I had forgotten every one of
Boris Pasternak's twists and turns of plot, every brilliant line. It
was a fresh, new novel to me.

.

A psychologist friend of mine tries to make us feel better by saying
memory problems are normal. We take in so much new information every
day that some of the old stuff has to fade out to make room. The
Sunday edition of The New York Times contains more information than a
17th-century Frenchman absorbed in a lifetime, he says.

.

So nature has invented forgetfulness to help us cope? I don't believe
it. I think we're just slowly decaying.

.

But the performers heading for the World Memory Championship and the
Mind Sports Olympiad, to be staged jointly in Manchester, believe
they have found a solution to this sorry decline. They counsel mental
workouts. That's my kind of exercise - you don't have to get out of
your chair to do it.

.

Figuring out the crossword or the daily chess problem in your morning
paper is enough to irrigate your brain. Some people practice more
intensely by starting the day memorizing poetry or learning a string
of numbers. "This is every bit as useful as going down to your local
gym," said Tony Buzan, the British IQ specialist who created the
annual memory competition.

.

Contestants from about 23 countries, all winners of national
qualifying events, will contend for memory honors from Aug. 28 to
Aug. 30 at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and
Technology. The broader Mind Sports events go from Aug. 19 to Aug.
30, and include such challenges as speed-reading a book in one hour
and mentally multiplying six-digit numbers by six-digit numbers.

.

Top seed in the memory category this year - the mind to beat - is
Astrid Plessl, 20, of Murzzuschlag, Austria, who distinguished
herself last year in the world championships in Malaysia by scoring
well across all 10 memory disciplines. These included poetry
memorization, remembering the order of cards in as many as nine
decks, and the binary sequencing test - committing to memory hundreds
of 0s and 1s.

.

Half a dozen television crews are expected to be on hand from Europe,
Asia and the United States to capture the tension and the tears in
Manchester.

.

Buzan, a writer and consultant, is a former editor of the Mensa
International Journal. He links memory directly to IQ and believes
anyone can get an approximate fix on his or her IQ by asking a friend
rattle off a series of numbers and trying to repeat them. If you can
master nine numbers you are said to be exceptional. I peaked at
seven.

.

Real performers have confounded psychologists who only 10 years ago
said the limit of the human memory would be about 30 numbers. This
year's contenders are aiming to break 200. "Any human brain can do
things that previously were the territory of genius," Buzan said. "We
are resurrecting memory from its deathbed."

.

He blames edcuations systems in most countries for harming memory
skills by boring students. "We have trained them to forget, and they
have done it perfectly," he said.

.

Buzan also sees a clear relationship between a healthy mind and a
healthy body - a concept that dates back to Plato. One can overcome
weaknesses of the other. He believes, for example, that the
cosmologist Stephen Hawking would have died long ago if he had not
kept his mind active.

.

That worries me. I had a few other points to make in this article,
but I can't remember what they were.

.

Michael Johnson is a former correspondent for Business Week and The
Associated Press.

Non sequitur alert! Beep, error! Mr. Tony's hardly an "IQ Expert" - he's a
leading proponent of the notion that an "IQ" is a feeble unidimensional
excuse for a picture of individual intelligence, like my late hero Stephen
Jay Gould, advocating in contrast a phase-space with dimensions including
inter- and intra-personal, verbal, mathematical and sexual intelligence.

Mr. Tony is a great advocate of "mens sana in corpore sano" - keep your body
fit and your brain will tend to gambol joyfully, if sweatily, along with it.
(He also has a nasty tendency to describe oxygen as "food", but no-one's
perfect.)

Cheers...
Elliott

P.S. Those of you who, in your frail dotage, remember the Per and Beate saga
might be interested to hear that Tony actually knows Per, who was a world
rowing champion, at least by reputation and a meeting - small world syndrome
strikes again.

That reminds me

Look out for Olympic boxing
Its brain friendly (kind of)

Superfit boxers wearing padded hats, scoring only on certain valid
points, knockouts pretty much frowned upon!

Hey! Hang on!  I thought I liked to watch people smashing each other
to the ground?

Well, I guess I'm a bit of an animal after all!
Aldo




-- In wwbc@yahoogroups.com, elliott@b... wrote:
> Non sequitur alert! Beep, error! Mr. Tony's hardly an "IQ Expert" -
he's a
> leading proponent of the notion that an "IQ" is a feeble unidimensional
> excuse for a picture of individual intelligence, like my late hero
Stephen
> Jay Gould, advocating in contrast a phase-space with dimensions
including
> inter- and intra-personal, verbal, mathematical and sexual intelligence.
>
> Mr. Tony is a great advocate of "mens sana in corpore sano" - keep
your body
> fit and your brain will tend to gambol joyfully, if sweatily, along
with it.
> (He also has a nasty tendency to describe oxygen as "food", but no-one's
> perfect.)
>
> Cheers...
> Elliott
>
> P.S. Those of you who, in your frail dotage, remember the Per and
Beate saga
> might be interested to hear that Tony actually knows Per, who was a
world
> rowing champion, at least by reputation and a meeting - small world
syndrome
> strikes again.

Nice account, thanks!

I do wonder though, about how to view all these things

I read accounts of mnemonists written by psychologists over 30 years
ago.  And they are still constantly reporting amazing memory feats by
dedicated mnemonists.  They usually quote the feats to explain the
truth about how people accomplish such feats, and then the relate that
to educational methods.  This , I believe, is really sound.

On the other hand!  You get gurus who constantly claim that they are
the renegades from the norm, and education is giving everyone a hard
time.  They claim amazing results, but fail to back them up with solid
courses that can be tailored to education, and then they ask "how many
good teachers did you ever meet?".

At the same time they act as gurus!  Telling you how you should be
leading your life, running around the gym, learning pilates, breathing
correctly (you mean I don't do it right?), doing crosswords, and stop
watching soap opera.

Well, what are they up to?

Is this stuff really useful long term?  Who is more accurate, and who
really is more committed?

Memory performers, who are devoted (or are somehow driven) to perform
amazing feats, researchers who want to find the truth and report it
meaninfully in academic books and papers, or self help gurus who
believe it is fine to push every fad in the magazines together with
accepted but repackaged wisdom in order to sell more books?

Piggybacking and plagiarism!  OR is it innovation and benchmarking?
I'd refer to David Brent

Aldo




-- In wwbc@yahoogroups.com, "brainboarddevu" <brainboarddevu@y...> wrote:
> :::  Tired of the Olympics? Try the Mind Olympics!
>
> writes Michael Johnson of the International Herald Tribune
>
> Source:
> http://www.worldmemorysportscouncil.com/wmc2/news_and_features.asp
>
> Watching Olympic athletes throw things, lift things, run till they
> drop or float upside down in a swimming pool is not to everyone's
> taste. Most of us could never compete, so we can't really relate. In
> fact, physical exertion of any sort gives me a headache.
>
> .
>
> Instead, I am settling in for a good flex of that other muscle, the
> brain, by watching the Mind Sports Olympiad and the World Memory
> Championships, timed to coincide this year with the Athens Games.
>
> .
>
> The Olympics have their value, no doubt, but I marvel more at people
> who can remember things. That's hard, too, and it gets harder as you
> get older. We over-50s can just about recall what day it is, but
> don't ask us the month or the year or, at least in my case, even the
> century. As each year wears on, we forget more appointments, names,
> faces, phone numbers, PIN numbers, passwords and where we parked the
> car.
>
> .
>
> There's an upside, too. I reread "Doctor Zhivago" recently after an
> interval of 35 years and realized that I had forgotten every one of
> Boris Pasternak's twists and turns of plot, every brilliant line. It
> was a fresh, new novel to me.
>
> .
>
> A psychologist friend of mine tries to make us feel better by saying
> memory problems are normal. We take in so much new information every
> day that some of the old stuff has to fade out to make room. The
> Sunday edition of The New York Times contains more information than a
> 17th-century Frenchman absorbed in a lifetime, he says.
>
> .
>
> So nature has invented forgetfulness to help us cope? I don't believe
> it. I think we're just slowly decaying.
>
> .
>
> But the performers heading for the World Memory Championship and the
> Mind Sports Olympiad, to be staged jointly in Manchester, believe
> they have found a solution to this sorry decline. They counsel mental
> workouts. That's my kind of exercise - you don't have to get out of
> your chair to do it.
>
> .
>
> Figuring out the crossword or the daily chess problem in your morning
> paper is enough to irrigate your brain. Some people practice more
> intensely by starting the day memorizing poetry or learning a string
> of numbers. "This is every bit as useful as going down to your local
> gym," said Tony Buzan, the British IQ specialist who created the
> annual memory competition.
>
> .
>
> Contestants from about 23 countries, all winners of national
> qualifying events, will contend for memory honors from Aug. 28 to
> Aug. 30 at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and
> Technology. The broader Mind Sports events go from Aug. 19 to Aug.
> 30, and include such challenges as speed-reading a book in one hour
> and mentally multiplying six-digit numbers by six-digit numbers.
>
> .
>
> Top seed in the memory category this year - the mind to beat - is
> Astrid Plessl, 20, of Murzzuschlag, Austria, who distinguished
> herself last year in the world championships in Malaysia by scoring
> well across all 10 memory disciplines. These included poetry
> memorization, remembering the order of cards in as many as nine
> decks, and the binary sequencing test - committing to memory hundreds
> of 0s and 1s.
>
> .
>
> Half a dozen television crews are expected to be on hand from Europe,
> Asia and the United States to capture the tension and the tears in
> Manchester.
>
> .
>
> Buzan, a writer and consultant, is a former editor of the Mensa
> International Journal. He links memory directly to IQ and believes
> anyone can get an approximate fix on his or her IQ by asking a friend
> rattle off a series of numbers and trying to repeat them. If you can
> master nine numbers you are said to be exceptional. I peaked at
> seven.
>
> .
>
> Real performers have confounded psychologists who only 10 years ago
> said the limit of the human memory would be about 30 numbers. This
> year's contenders are aiming to break 200. "Any human brain can do
> things that previously were the territory of genius," Buzan said. "We
> are resurrecting memory from its deathbed."
>
> .
>
> He blames edcuations systems in most countries for harming memory
> skills by boring students. "We have trained them to forget, and they
> have done it perfectly," he said.
>
> .
>
> Buzan also sees a clear relationship between a healthy mind and a
> healthy body - a concept that dates back to Plato. One can overcome
> weaknesses of the other. He believes, for example, that the
> cosmologist Stephen Hawking would have died long ago if he had not
> kept his mind active.
>
> .
>
> That worries me. I had a few other points to make in this article,
> but I can't remember what they were.
>
> .
>
> Michael Johnson is a former correspondent for Business Week and The
> Associated Press.

In a message dated 08/07/2004 5:38:07 AM Eastern Daylight Time, "aldolilly8" <
aldolilly8@...> writes:

>
> Huh?
>
> Aldo
>
>
>
> -- In wwbc@yahoogroups.com, JWMeritt@A... wrote:
> > "Can" or "Does"?  Two different things....

Or less.

Something perfect used might as well (operationally) not exist at all.




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

When I was a child, I had a watering CAN.
When I grew up, I took dawn walks in the woods and saw DOES.

I see what you mean!
Al



--- In wwbc@yahoogroups.com, JWMeritt@A... wrote:
> In a message dated 08/07/2004 5:38:07 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
"aldolilly8" <
> aldolilly8@y...> writes:
>
> >
> > Huh?
> >
> > Aldo
> >
> >
> >
> > -- In wwbc@yahoogroups.com, JWMeritt@A... wrote:
> > > "Can" or "Does"?  Two different things....
>
> Or less.
>
> Something perfect used might as well (operationally) not exist at all.
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I have to memorize about 75 Pharmaceutical products (ex. Vytorin, Actos,
Intron),
organized by the companies that produce them (ex. Amgen, Pfizer) and their
purpose (ex.
Diabetes, Anemia).  I wonder what the best technique is to memorize these.

I can use a Journey method for each company, ex. one journey is for Pfizer, each
point in
the journey sits an image that represents a drug and a linked image to identify
the
purpose of the drug.  But, is the journey method best?

Is it better to use a simple link system, ex. I have a friend whose name is Gen,
she might
represent Amgen and the first drug, Enbrel, I might picture her with an
Umbrella, the drug
is for Arthritis, I have a friend whose name is Arthur, perhaps I'd picture him
with an
Umbrella as the first link to Gen.  Then I'd have a second drug with purpose (2
links) to the
original Arthur with umbrella link...This would lead to about 10-16 links per
company (2
links per drug since it consists of the drug and benefit)...

Lastly, if I use the Journey method, what is your experience of using specific
locations in a
room as opposed to just the room itself, so instead of just using the rooms in
my house
with one object per room, I use 10 locations inside my kitchen.  This seems
tricky but it
would be nice to have so many more locations.

Thanks,

Miles

Miles

I think you are well on the way already.

A journey method would be best for several reasons.
You can, as you suggest, have a separate journey for each company. This
avoids having to create an image for the company name itself which will
cause interference because it will otherwise appear many times.
The journey should if possible have some association with the company
name (If you know the offices of the company then a journey around the
site would be ideal)

The choice of which image to link 'from' and 'to' may have some bearing.
I say this because it is better to link in the sequence that the
information will be used. If for example you want to remember what a
particular drug is used for, then link from the drug (Umbrella) to the
person (Arther). You may imagine a giant umbrella in the reception of
Pfizer, from under which Arthur pokes his head. Alternatively if you
want to know what drug is used for arthritis then you first of all think
of Arthur, you see Arthur dancing in the reception area then
disappearing as a giant umbrella floats down on top of him and hides
him. Think of the first image as (in computer terminology) the 'index'
that helps you locate the data you are searching for. Some people will
no doubt dispute this, but in my experience I link via a sequence of
events at a location and it is easier to remember the events
chronologically than otherwise. Also, it avoids confusion in some cases
where the sequence in important. You may also then link other images
that can (for example) be used to hold drug side effects or doses.

As for the different locations in a room, I personally rarely use more
than one or sometimes two locations in a room. The important thing is to
make the locations distinct and 'view' the location from the same
view-point each time.

I hope this helps.

Ian Docherty

milestaub wrote:

>I have to memorize about 75 Pharmaceutical products (ex. Vytorin, Actos,
Intron),
>organized by the companies that produce them (ex. Amgen, Pfizer) and their
purpose (ex.
>Diabetes, Anemia).  I wonder what the best technique is to memorize these.
>
>I can use a Journey method for each company, ex. one journey is for Pfizer,
each point in
>the journey sits an image that represents a drug and a linked image to identify
the
>purpose of the drug.  But, is the journey method best?
>
>Is it better to use a simple link system, ex. I have a friend whose name is
Gen, she might
>represent Amgen and the first drug, Enbrel, I might picture her with an
Umbrella, the drug
>is for Arthritis, I have a friend whose name is Arthur, perhaps I'd picture him
with an
>Umbrella as the first link to Gen.  Then I'd have a second drug with purpose (2
links) to the
>original Arthur with umbrella link...This would lead to about 10-16 links per
company (2
>links per drug since it consists of the drug and benefit)...
>
>Lastly, if I use the Journey method, what is your experience of using specific
locations in a
>room as opposed to just the room itself, so instead of just using the rooms in
my house
>with one object per room, I use 10 locations inside my kitchen.  This seems
tricky but it
>would be nice to have so many more locations.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Miles
>
>

Greetings Miles

Remember this is an ancient system that has been used successfully for
a long time by many people.

Right on the button!
This is a great example of how to use mnemonics to make the right
connections for learning.  Get a set of relevant concepts or things to
be remembered, and put them together appropriately.

The method of loci, or route, is incredibly useful as a retrieval
structure, even though it seems really irrelevant.  Make sure you
connect the relevant information together, as you say.  You can
connect them together on whatever journey you like, as long as you
make the right connections between concepts or facts. (paired
associations)

This is where Dominic Obrien's videotape metaphor breaks down.  In
fact, as long as you make the right connections between concepts, you
may "erase" the sequence on the route by going over it again with
other material.  However, you will probably still have the relevant
connections between the right concepts/facts, as long as you connected
the right stuff together in the first place.

The only thing to work on is that you represent the concepts or facts
smartly using meaningful images, and that you try to understand the
connections as much as you can.  Also, (probably very vitally) to make
sure you understand how to score points in whatever test you may be
taking!

You can put as many locations in one room as you like, as long as they
are distinct, and contrast with their neighbours. (this contradicts
ancient mnemonic prescriptions of placintion psychology research).  So
focus on reducing integ things 30 feet apart, and has been verified by
empirical educarference by making meaning, visual connections, and
distinctive contrasts.

Cheers
Al







-- In wwbc@yahoogroups.com, "milestaub" <milestaub@m...> wrote:
> I have to memorize about 75 Pharmaceutical products (ex. Vytorin,
Actos, Intron),
> organized by the companies that produce them (ex. Amgen, Pfizer) and
their purpose (ex.
> Diabetes, Anemia).  I wonder what the best technique is to memorize
these.
>
> I can use a Journey method for each company, ex. one journey is for
Pfizer, each point in
> the journey sits an image that represents a drug and a linked image
to identify the
> purpose of the drug.  But, is the journey method best?
>
> Is it better to use a simple link system, ex. I have a friend whose
name is Gen, she might
> represent Amgen and the first drug, Enbrel, I might picture her with
an Umbrella, the drug
> is for Arthritis, I have a friend whose name is Arthur, perhaps I'd
picture him with an
> Umbrella as the first link to Gen.  Then I'd have a second drug with
purpose (2 links) to the
> original Arthur with umbrella link...This would lead to about 10-16
links per company (2
> links per drug since it consists of the drug and benefit)...
>
> Lastly, if I use the Journey method, what is your experience of
using specific locations in a
> room as opposed to just the room itself, so instead of just using
the rooms in my house
> with one object per room, I use 10 locations inside my kitchen.
This seems tricky but it
> would be nice to have so many more locations.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Miles

Oh my!  Looks like the babelfish has had a go at it!

Its supposed to say:

This contradicts ancient mnemonic prescriptions of placing things 30
feet apart, and has been verified by empirical research)

Contrast is more important!

ALdo




  (this contradicts
> ancient mnemonic prescriptions of placintion psychology research).  So
> focus on reducing integ things 30 feet apart, and has been verified by
> empirical educarference by making meaning, visual connections, and
> distinctive contrasts.
>
> Cheers
> Al
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -- In wwbc@yahoogroups.com, "milestaub" <milestaub@m...> wrote:
> > I have to memorize about 75 Pharmaceutical products (ex. Vytorin,
> Actos, Intron),
> > organized by the companies that produce them (ex. Amgen, Pfizer) and
> their purpose (ex.
> > Diabetes, Anemia).  I wonder what the best technique is to memorize
> these.
> >
> > I can use a Journey method for each company, ex. one journey is for
> Pfizer, each point in
> > the journey sits an image that represents a drug and a linked image
> to identify the
> > purpose of the drug.  But, is the journey method best?
> >
> > Is it better to use a simple link system, ex. I have a friend whose
> name is Gen, she might
> > represent Amgen and the first drug, Enbrel, I might picture her with
> an Umbrella, the drug
> > is for Arthritis, I have a friend whose name is Arthur, perhaps I'd
> picture him with an
> > Umbrella as the first link to Gen.  Then I'd have a second drug with
> purpose (2 links) to the
> > original Arthur with umbrella link...This would lead to about 10-16
> links per company (2
> > links per drug since it consists of the drug and benefit)...
> >
> > Lastly, if I use the Journey method, what is your experience of
> using specific locations in a
> > room as opposed to just the room itself, so instead of just using
> the rooms in my house
> > with one object per room, I use 10 locations inside my kitchen.
> This seems tricky but it
> > would be nice to have so many more locations.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Miles

Elliott - haven't checked in here for a while but you still crease me - ur a
really funny guy. If not 4ur quest to bring headcase to the world and its
classrooms u might be a stand up comedian? Whatever the case, you make me
laugh & thanks - intelligence et humour is a good mix. Mr. Tony! Lord Buzan
of cortical hill!
----- Original Message -----
From: <elliott@...>
To: <wwbc@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, August 14, 2004 2:10 PM
Subject: Re: [wwbc] Tired of the Olympics? Try the Mind Olympics!


> Non sequitur alert! Beep, error! Mr. Tony's hardly an "IQ Expert" - he's a
> leading proponent of the notion that an "IQ" is a feeble unidimensional
> excuse for a picture of individual intelligence, like my late hero Stephen
> Jay Gould, advocating in contrast a phase-space with dimensions including
> inter- and intra-personal, verbal, mathematical and sexual intelligence.
>
> Mr. Tony is a great advocate of "mens sana in corpore sano" - keep your
body
> fit and your brain will tend to gambol joyfully, if sweatily, along with
it.
> (He also has a nasty tendency to describe oxygen as "food", but no-one's
> perfect.)
>
> Cheers...
> Elliott
>
> P.S. Those of you who, in your frail dotage, remember the Per and Beate
saga
> might be interested to hear that Tony actually knows Per, who was a world
> rowing champion, at least by reputation and a meeting - small world
syndrome
> strikes again.
>
>
>
>
> To unsubscribe via email: From your email program, send a blank message
to:
> wwbc-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>

Here is some great research on the tried and tested concept map!

http://www.cast.org/ncac/index.cfm?i=1669

http://www.ihmc.us/users/acanas/Publications/QuorumSoupST/SoupsST.htm

http://www.mlrg.org/clr-conceptmapping.html


Concept maps work!  As you might expect, student generated concept
maps tend to be more effective than teacher generated, and that does
agree with the supporting theory that meaningful learning is achieved
by using one's own connections and conceptualizations.

Also, the really good thing about them is that they stand alone.
Because they work key notes, rather than strictly keeping to keywords,
They can be used to communicate without the need for extra text or
explanation.

They are used for :
Learning
Creativity
Communication (shared understanding)
Evaluation
Teaching
Counceling
Designing
for fun!

And they look really pro, even in pencil!
Cheers
Aldo

Ian and Aldo,

Thanks for your speedy and insightful replies.  Journey method it is.

I have memorized 7-8 different lists using the Journey Method in the past and
all have
been actual indoor or outdoor journies.  Is it possible to make the journey a
list of people?

Silly case in point:  if I am going to memorize drugs produced by Johnson &
Johnson (JJ),
the first image that comes to mind is JJ Evans from Good Times, an American
sitcom from
the 70s.  I remember all of the characters.

So, can JJ be the first location and so I link him to a drug name and link those
two to a
benefit image (ex. drug image = Umbrella, benefit = my friend Arthur).  Then the
father is
the 2nd location, the mother the 3rd location...or is this not recommended.

The same with Eli Lilly products.  First thought: Lilly Munster, from the
Munsters, 1960s
sitcom (sorry, what else was there to do as a kid in Chicago?).  So Lilly is the
first location,
Herman the 2nd, Grandpa the 3rd...

Perhaps there's payoff for all of those hours in front of television.  Maybe we
can pass the
suggestion to the networks that they can dramatically improve peoples' memories
by
watching more tv?

If I can use a journey of people who aren't part of my Dominic Method (00-99),
then the
number of journies multiplies dramatically.  If I'm stuck with physical
locations, then I have
a bit of a struggle.

Thanks,

Miles

--- In wwbc@yahoogroups.com, Ian Docherty <icd@e...> wrote:
> Miles
>
> I think you are well on the way already.
>
> A journey method would be best for several reasons.
> You can, as you suggest, have a separate journey for each company. This
> avoids having to create an image for the company name itself which will
> cause interference because it will otherwise appear many times.
> The journey should if possible have some association with the company
> name (If you know the offices of the company then a journey around the
> site would be ideal)
>
> The choice of which image to link 'from' and 'to' may have some bearing.
> I say this because it is better to link in the sequence that the
> information will be used. If for example you want to remember what a
> particular drug is used for, then link from the drug (Umbrella) to the
> person (Arther). You may imagine a giant umbrella in the reception of
> Pfizer, from under which Arthur pokes his head. Alternatively if you
> want to know what drug is used for arthritis then you first of all think
> of Arthur, you see Arthur dancing in the reception area then
> disappearing as a giant umbrella floats down on top of him and hides
> him. Think of the first image as (in computer terminology) the 'index'
> that helps you locate the data you are searching for. Some people will
> no doubt dispute this, but in my experience I link via a sequence of
> events at a location and it is easier to remember the events
> chronologically than otherwise. Also, it avoids confusion in some cases
> where the sequence in important. You may also then link other images
> that can (for example) be used to hold drug side effects or doses.
>
> As for the different locations in a room, I personally rarely use more
> than one or sometimes two locations in a room. The important thing is to
> make the locations distinct and 'view' the location from the same
> view-point each time.
>
> I hope this helps.
>
> Ian Docherty
>
> milestaub wrote:
>
> >I have to memorize about 75 Pharmaceutical products (ex. Vytorin, Actos,
Intron),
> >organized by the companies that produce them (ex. Amgen, Pfizer) and their
purpose
(ex.
> >Diabetes, Anemia).  I wonder what the best technique is to memorize these.
> >
> >I can use a Journey method for each company, ex. one journey is for Pfizer,
each point
in
> >the journey sits an image that represents a drug and a linked image to
identify the
> >purpose of the drug.  But, is the journey method best?
> >
> >Is it better to use a simple link system, ex. I have a friend whose name is
Gen, she
might
> >represent Amgen and the first drug, Enbrel, I might picture her with an
Umbrella, the
drug
> >is for Arthritis, I have a friend whose name is Arthur, perhaps I'd picture
him with an
> >Umbrella as the first link to Gen.  Then I'd have a second drug with purpose
(2 links) to
the
> >original Arthur with umbrella link...This would lead to about 10-16 links per
company
(2
> >links per drug since it consists of the drug and benefit)...
> >
> >Lastly, if I use the Journey method, what is your experience of using
specific locations
in a
> >room as opposed to just the room itself, so instead of just using the rooms
in my
house
> >with one object per room, I use 10 locations inside my kitchen.  This seems
tricky but
it
> >would be nice to have so many more locations.
> >
> >Thanks,
> >
> >Miles
> >
> >

Aldo,

Thanks for this post.  I've always been underwhelmed by Tony Buzan's Mind Maps,
as they
are too rigid and DON'T allow for proper brainstorming, contrary to popular
opinion.
These Concept Maps look like they may help me in a variety of areas.

The Mars sample maps below were very good.  Do you have links to other map
samples?  I
know you have another post with links to educational articles on Concept Maps
but I don't
see actual map samples.

Thanks,

Miles

--- In wwbc@yahoogroups.com, "aldolilly8" <aldolilly8@y...> wrote:
> I realize it has probably been posted here multiple times before, but
> here is a great, motivating, and clear account of concept maps, which
> encourage accurate expectations about their usefulness and efficacy.
>
> The article is written by the developer, and tireless researcher,
> Prof. J.Novak.
>
> http://cmap.coginst.uwf.edu/info/
>
> Very motivating with no hype!
>
> Why have concept maps become so ubiquitously accepted in education,
> business, and professions such as electrical, mechanical, and systems
> engineering?
>
> Is it because they have been promoted using accurate scientific research?
>
> Any ideas?
> Cheers
> Aldo

Hello, Miles. Exactly what aspects of Buzan's Mind Maps do you believe to
hinder the brainstorming process? Are there features of a piece of Mind
Mapping software that you believe could surmount these hindrances?

My brain is busily churning away plotting ways to add concept maps and other
idioms to HeadCase, but I'm already in danger of biting off more than I can
chew and trying to concentrate on making the basic Mind Mapping behaviour
work as smoothly as possible. There may, however, be features that could
bridge the gaps you have identified, such as the verbose footnotes/tips that
HeadCase already supports, or a simple set of frames that I could add to
text with a couple of weeks work.

Cheers...
Elliott


----- Original Message -----

> Thanks for this post.  I've always been underwhelmed by Tony Buzan's Mind
Maps, as they
> are too rigid and DON'T allow for proper brainstorming, contrary to
popular opinion.
> These Concept Maps look like they may help me in a variety of areas.
>
> The Mars sample maps below were very good.  Do you have links to other map
samples?  I
> know you have another post with links to educational articles on Concept
Maps but I don't
> see actual map samples.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Miles

Elliott,

The 2 biggest problems I find with Mind Maps is that they:

1) Require you to start organizing quickly, ex. central theme, then next level,
then next
level.  Yes, you can have 5 levels in one branch and only 2 in another but any
idea needs
to go somewhere, needs to be linked to something.  I use a wonderful Mac OS X
application called Tinderbox, which lets you add notes without any connection to
other
notes until you want to connect them.  Ex. see this example ==>
http://www.eastgate.com/Tinderbox/Profiles/Fultz.html .

So, I can add lots of notes and, then, as themes start to appear, I can create
the themes
and tie the notes together.  Real brainstorming shouldn't force one into a
structure until
one is ready to build a structure.

2) Don't allow for visual interdependence , only parents, children and siblings.
Again,
Tinderbox (and The Brain for Windows), allows all types of interdepencies (ex.
cousins).
There are very few ideas that flow as neatly as a Mind Map requires.  Although
the layout
is very favorable, the reality isn't quite as clean.

Miles
--- In wwbc@yahoogroups.com, elliott@b... wrote:
> Hello, Miles. Exactly what aspects of Buzan's Mind Maps do you believe to
> hinder the brainstorming process? Are there features of a piece of Mind
> Mapping software that you believe could surmount these hindrances?
>
> My brain is busily churning away plotting ways to add concept maps and other
> idioms to HeadCase, but I'm already in danger of biting off more than I can
> chew and trying to concentrate on making the basic Mind Mapping behaviour
> work as smoothly as possible. There may, however, be features that could
> bridge the gaps you have identified, such as the verbose footnotes/tips that
> HeadCase already supports, or a simple set of frames that I could add to
> text with a couple of weeks work.
>
> Cheers...
> Elliott
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>
> > Thanks for this post.  I've always been underwhelmed by Tony Buzan's Mind
> Maps, as they
> > are too rigid and DON'T allow for proper brainstorming, contrary to
> popular opinion.
> > These Concept Maps look like they may help me in a variety of areas.
> >
> > The Mars sample maps below were very good.  Do you have links to other map
> samples?  I
> > know you have another post with links to educational articles on Concept
> Maps but I don't
> > see actual map samples.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Miles

This may be related to the thread on mind mapping and concept mapping.  Has
anyone tried Gabrielle Lusser Rico's NATURAL WRITING -- clustering?
If so, I'd like to get some opinions on it.

Linda

_____________________________________________________________
Get your FREE TheDoghouseMail email address at http://www.thedoghousemail.com


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi Miles

I believe you are right on the button!  One of the greatest aspects of
concept maps have is that they have been found to induce learning to
learn (without even instructing students about metacognition). You can
  teach people how to use them very quickly and they get metacognitive
benefits straight away.

This is because of their flexibility, and the fact that you can make
various types of association.  Also, because you can make the
association itself more explicit if you like.  It gets you thinking
about "where shall I go next, and how should these concepts be linked?".

It also fits closely with the location metaphor - you have places, and
routes going to those places.  In this respect the structure itself
can be more pictorial and the associations more playful than mind
maps, while at the same time encouraging the clutter reducing distinct
location awareness of mnemonics.

Of course it is useful for other simpler reasons (it clearly
encourages brief and uncluttered note making for learning and
communicating, and shows you how novel information can be associated
with your own knowledge).  They can even be made to improve writing
skills.

Researchers have been using and measuring them constantly since their
appearance and have consistently found that they help a great deal.
And they definitely enhance creativity! They are not set in a
particular pattern, and they give you the greatest range of freedom to
explore.

There are still a lot more interesting studies to come.

Cheers
Aldo

I'll post more links to these little beauties as I come to them!






--- In wwbc@yahoogroups.com, "milestaub" <milestaub@m...> wrote:
> Aldo,
>
> Thanks for this post.  I've always been underwhelmed by Tony Buzan's
Mind Maps, as they
> are too rigid and DON'T allow for proper brainstorming, contrary to
popular opinion.
> These Concept Maps look like they may help me in a variety of areas.
>
> The Mars sample maps below were very good.  Do you have links to
other map samples?  I
> know you have another post with links to educational articles on
Concept Maps but I don't
> see actual map samples.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Miles
>
> --- In wwbc@yahoogroups.com, "aldolilly8" <aldolilly8@y...> wrote:
> > I realize it has probably been posted here multiple times before, but
> > here is a great, motivating, and clear account of concept maps, which
> > encourage accurate expectations about their usefulness and efficacy.
> >
> > The article is written by the developer, and tireless researcher,
> > Prof. J.Novak.
> >
> > http://cmap.coginst.uwf.edu/info/
> >
> > Very motivating with no hype!
> >
> > Why have concept maps become so ubiquitously accepted in education,
> > business, and professions such as electrical, mechanical, and systems
> > engineering?
> >
> > Is it because they have been promoted using accurate scientific
research?
> >
> > Any ideas?
> > Cheers
> > Aldo

Hallo Miles et al

Here is a really nice clickable conceptualizatiousness map

http://cmap.ihmc.us/

Actually, I use concept maps a lot at work.  They make me look really
smart.  I started using them at university to summarize stuff, and
kept on using them because a really attractive Italian girl, who
reminds me of Sophia Loren, noticed them and excitedly exlaimed:

"Ai!  You must'a be very smart!";

That was very motivating because now I have them on the walls, I use
them in presentations, and summarise book chapters using them.  I have
journals full of them to help me keep track of new ideas and
knowledge.  I even gave some to another really attractive and highly
appreciative person to help her through a mind-crippling exam.

However, I find one of the most useful applications is for writing
funny stuff to stay sane.  Such as:

  Boss --- overworks the --- Managers --- who take it out on --- Office
staff--- who have to watch--- Football --- to help them imagine
kicking --- Boss, etc

I believe a similar process led to the discovery of the benzine ring
structure by Kekule.

The humour aspect is extremely valuable.
ATB
Victor

http://uk.f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/vicwood40/album





-- In wwbc@yahoogroups.com, "aldolilly8" <aldolilly8@y...> wrote:
> Hi Miles
>
> I believe you are right on the button!  One of the greatest aspects of
> concept maps have is that they have been found to induce learning to
> learn (without even instructing students about metacognition). You can
>  teach people how to use them very quickly and they get metacognitive
> benefits straight away.
>
> This is because of their flexibility, and the fact that you can make
> various types of association.  Also, because you can make the
> association itself more explicit if you like.  It gets you thinking
> about "where shall I go next, and how should these concepts be
linked?".
>
> It also fits closely with the location metaphor - you have places, and
> routes going to those places.  In this respect the structure itself
> can be more pictorial and the associations more playful than mind
> maps, while at the same time encouraging the clutter reducing distinct
> location awareness of mnemonics.
>
> Of course it is useful for other simpler reasons (it clearly
> encourages brief and uncluttered note making for learning and
> communicating, and shows you how novel information can be associated
> with your own knowledge).  They can even be made to improve writing
> skills.
>
> Researchers have been using and measuring them constantly since their
> appearance and have consistently found that they help a great deal.
> And they definitely enhance creativity! They are not set in a
> particular pattern, and they give you the greatest range of freedom to
> explore.
>
> There are still a lot more interesting studies to come.
>
> Cheers
> Aldo
>
> I'll post more links to these little beauties as I come to them!
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --- In wwbc@yahoogroups.com, "milestaub" <milestaub@m...> wrote:
> > Aldo,
> >
> > Thanks for this post.  I've always been underwhelmed by Tony Buzan's
> Mind Maps, as they
> > are too rigid and DON'T allow for proper brainstorming, contrary to
> popular opinion.
> > These Concept Maps look like they may help me in a variety of areas.
> >
> > The Mars sample maps below were very good.  Do you have links to
> other map samples?  I
> > know you have another post with links to educational articles on
> Concept Maps but I don't
> > see actual map samples.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Miles
> >
> > --- In wwbc@yahoogroups.com, "aldolilly8" <aldolilly8@y...> wrote:
> > > I realize it has probably been posted here multiple times
before, but
> > > here is a great, motivating, and clear account of concept maps,
which
> > > encourage accurate expectations about their usefulness and
efficacy.
> > >
> > > The article is written by the developer, and tireless researcher,
> > > Prof. J.Novak.
> > >
> > > http://cmap.coginst.uwf.edu/info/
> > >
> > > Very motivating with no hype!
> > >
> > > Why have concept maps become so ubiquitously accepted in education,
> > > business, and professions such as electrical, mechanical, and
systems
> > > engineering?
> > >
> > > Is it because they have been promoted using accurate scientific
> research?
> > >
> > > Any ideas?
> > > Cheers
> > > Aldo

Hi, Miles,

That immediately suggests a couple of compromise solutions. One is a
"Notepad", or "bin" facility which could be added to HeadCase to just throw
ideas into and drag them in and out of Mind Maps or other structures as
their role becomes clear. Another comes from the Tinderbox idiom of dragging
unconnected text notes around on the canvas - one could create groups
visually and then convert them between diagramming options automatically.
Definitely worth adding to my Phase 3 options.

It's worth mentioning that a software Mind Map is not necessarily as rigidly
structured as you describe. A hand-drawn Mind Map needs periodic revision
and rewriting as your understanding of the underlying structure clarifies,
but a computer Mind Map usually has at least cut-and-paste. HeadCase
actually has several ways of moving branches around, including the capacity
to drag an entire group onto a new node using the Control key, and
Ctrl/Shift-Arrow key operations to move branches around within their parent
group.

Cheers...
Elliott


----- Original Message -----
>
> The 2 biggest problems I find with Mind Maps is that they:
>
> 1) Require you to start organizing quickly, ex. central theme, then next
level, then next
> level.  Yes, you can have 5 levels in one branch and only 2 in another but
any idea needs
> to go somewhere, needs to be linked to something.  I use a wonderful Mac
OS X
> application called Tinderbox, which lets you add notes without any
connection to other
> notes until you want to connect them.  Ex. see this example ==>
> http://www.eastgate.com/Tinderbox/Profiles/Fultz.html .
>
> So, I can add lots of notes and, then, as themes start to appear, I can
create the themes
> and tie the notes together.  Real brainstorming shouldn't force one into a
structure until
> one is ready to build a structure.
>
> 2) Don't allow for visual interdependence , only parents, children and
siblings.  Again,
> Tinderbox (and The Brain for Windows), allows all types of interdepencies
(ex. cousins).
> There are very few ideas that flow as neatly as a Mind Map requires.
Although the layout
> is very favorable, the reality isn't quite as clean.
>
> Miles

Hi Elliott

At this rate your useful product will become an application totally of
your own conception inspired by many sources!  Are you a developer or
an inventor?  You obviously realise visual methods have a great deal
of possible features, and some fab and motivating theories to choose
from to explain their efficacy!  Mostly common sense!

Cheers indeed
Aldo






--- In wwbc@yahoogroups.com, elliott@b... wrote:
> Hi, Miles,
>
> That immediately suggests a couple of compromise solutions. One is a
> "Notepad", or "bin" facility which could be added to HeadCase to
just throw
> ideas into and drag them in and out of Mind Maps or other structures as
> their role becomes clear. Another comes from the Tinderbox idiom of
dragging
> unconnected text notes around on the canvas - one could create groups
> visually and then convert them between diagramming options
automatically.
> Definitely worth adding to my Phase 3 options.
>
> It's worth mentioning that a software Mind Map is not necessarily as
rigidly
> structured as you describe. A hand-drawn Mind Map needs periodic
revision
> and rewriting as your understanding of the underlying structure
clarifies,
> but a computer Mind Map usually has at least cut-and-paste. HeadCase
> actually has several ways of moving branches around, including the
capacity
> to drag an entire group onto a new node using the Control key, and
> Ctrl/Shift-Arrow key operations to move branches around within their
parent
> group.
>
> Cheers...
> Elliott
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> >
> > The 2 biggest problems I find with Mind Maps is that they:
> >
> > 1) Require you to start organizing quickly, ex. central theme,
then next
> level, then next
> > level.  Yes, you can have 5 levels in one branch and only 2 in
another but
> any idea needs
> > to go somewhere, needs to be linked to something.  I use a
wonderful Mac
> OS X
> > application called Tinderbox, which lets you add notes without any
> connection to other
> > notes until you want to connect them.  Ex. see this example ==>
> > http://www.eastgate.com/Tinderbox/Profiles/Fultz.html .
> >
> > So, I can add lots of notes and, then, as themes start to appear,
I can
> create the themes
> > and tie the notes together.  Real brainstorming shouldn't force
one into a
> structure until
> > one is ready to build a structure.
> >
> > 2) Don't allow for visual interdependence , only parents, children and
> siblings.  Again,
> > Tinderbox (and The Brain for Windows), allows all types of
interdepencies
> (ex. cousins).
> > There are very few ideas that flow as neatly as a Mind Map requires.
> Although the layout
> > is very favorable, the reality isn't quite as clean.
> >
> > Miles

This is very accurate information
Thanks!

I did wonder what Tony Buzan was up to talking about the "danger" of
using cluster diagrams and spider maps. He seems to be very negative
about cognitive maps in general. I notice he has used some very boring
and unrepresentative examples of cognitive maps in the mind map book.
He also uses very boring and messy examples of linear notes to dis
them and promote his own business.

He claims that the more you expand out with concept maps, the more
monotonous they will become. This is total hogwash! Expanding upon
cognitive maps will generally make them more shapely, while
elaborating upon and exploring a subject. You should see a room full
of brainstorming managers giggling like schoolchildren over the funny
shapes they can make. The results speak for themselves. Better
exploration of a subject!

The "guidelines" of mind mapping are definitely too restricting:

Start in the centre---so all your maps will be radial? Isn't this
monotonous?

Branch outwards--- why not inwards?

Write single words on lines-- Focusing on brief key notes would be
infinitely more flexible and better for language developent,
communication,..... and humour (thanks Vic).

Make the lines the same length as the word--- so now the line shape is
restricted by the length of the word.

Use loads of colour--- great on computer, but not so practical if you
are reduced to colour pens. Using monochrome would be more flexible
because that is generally what people have constant access to.
However, mindmaps work even worse in monochrome as they become both
ugly and more cluttered. Colour is great, but it should be way down on
the list.

The brain's structure? Knowledge and mental connections work in a
lattice, not a radial hierarchy. Not that it makes much difference to
learning, but cognitive maps are more accurate representations of both
knowledge and the structure of the brain.

Cognitive maps overcome all of these problems. Partly because the
developer does not infer they will turn you into Leonardo Da Vinci!

I cheerfully dumped mind maps (I referred to them as learning maps)
from my learning to learn course because they were either not used
afterwards, or the associated self help literature created confusion
and disappointment for the users. My clients (of all ages) are far
more satisfied and happier making and showing clearly well developed
cognitive maps.

Does anyone have any more ideas why cognitive maps are generally more
acceptable, useful and adaptable to both makers and viewers?

Regards
Ted



-- In wwbc@yahoogroups.com, "aldolilly8" <aldolilly8@y...> wrote:
> Hi Miles
>
> I believe you are right on the button!  One of the greatest aspects of
> concept maps have is that they have been found to induce learning to
> learn (without even instructing students about metacognition). You can
>  teach people how to use them very quickly and they get metacognitive
> benefits straight away.
>
> This is because of their flexibility, and the fact that you can make
> various types of association.  Also, because you can make the
> association itself more explicit if you like.  It gets you thinking
> about "where shall I go next, and how should these concepts be
linked?".
>
> It also fits closely with the location metaphor - you have places, and
> routes going to those places.  In this respect the structure itself
> can be more pictorial and the associations more playful than mind
> maps, while at the same time encouraging the clutter reducing distinct
> location awareness of mnemonics.
>
> Of course it is useful for other simpler reasons (it clearly
> encourages brief and uncluttered note making for learning and
> communicating, and shows you how novel information can be associated
> with your own knowledge).  They can even be made to improve writing
> skills.
>
> Researchers have been using and measuring them constantly since their
> appearance and have consistently found that they help a great deal.
> And they definitely enhance creativity! They are not set in a
> particular pattern, and they give you the greatest range of freedom to
> explore.
>
> There are still a lot more interesting studies to come.
>
> Cheers
> Aldo
>
> I'll post more links to these little beauties as I come to them!
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --- In wwbc@yahoogroups.com, "milestaub" <milestaub@m...> wrote:
> > Aldo,
> >
> > Thanks for this post.  I've always been underwhelmed by Tony Buzan's
> Mind Maps, as they
> > are too rigid and DON'T allow for proper brainstorming, contrary to
> popular opinion.
> > These Concept Maps look like they may help me in a variety of areas.
> >
> > The Mars sample maps below were very good.  Do you have links to
> other map samples?  I
> > know you have another post with links to educational articles on
> Concept Maps but I don't
> > see actual map samples.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Miles
> >
> > --- In wwbc@yahoogroups.com, "aldolilly8" <aldolilly8@y...> wrote:
> > > I realize it has probably been posted here multiple times
before, but
> > > here is a great, motivating, and clear account of concept maps,
which
> > > encourage accurate expectations about their usefulness and
efficacy.
> > >
> > > The article is written by the developer, and tireless researcher,
> > > Prof. J.Novak.
> > >
> > > http://cmap.coginst.uwf.edu/info/
> > >
> > > Very motivating with no hype!
> > >
> > > Why have concept maps become so ubiquitously accepted in education,
> > > business, and professions such as electrical, mechanical, and
systems
> > > engineering?
> > >
> > > Is it because they have been promoted using accurate scientific
> research?
> > >
> > > Any ideas?
> > > Cheers
> > > Aldo

Hi, Aldo,

I think that's the nature of invention and development - genuinely original
ideas from outside of the context of the culture they serve are probably
rather exceptional. I've tried to make HeadCase a unique animal, partly to
reduce the possibility of stumbling into a patent case or accusation of
plagiarism, but there has been a surprising amount of negative comment about
its deviation from other Mind Mapping software. A lot of users apparently
don't want the app to be TOO innovative, and tend to judge it by whether it
is sufficiently similar to Mind Manager!

Elliott


----- Original Message -----

> Hi Elliott
>
> At this rate your useful product will become an application totally of
> your own conception inspired by many sources!  Are you a developer or
> an inventor?  You obviously realise visual methods have a great deal
> of possible features, and some fab and motivating theories to choose
> from to explain their efficacy!  Mostly common sense!
>
> Cheers indeed
> Aldo
>