What is a Mind Mapping? Why we use it?

When I was a student at the school, I didn’t like the subjects that needs to memorize, so I was drawing a something look like the map for the whole chapter in one paper, it shows the relationship between all elements of the chapter, to facilitate the process of studying, conservation, remembering and und understanding, I didn’t know that what was drawn has a scientific name which is Mind Mapping.

Using concept mapping a very powerful constructivist learning tool to:

• help the students to be engaged more in the lesson.
• thinking deeply about the task at hand.
• to be creative and to think.
• make connections for themselves using higher order thinking. 

Mind Mapping programs such as C-Map assist children in brainstorming, writing and constructing organized, complex, and systematic diagram suitable to help the young to explain their ideas in form of graphical representation of interrelationships between groups, word webs, association diagrams using text, symbols, and spoken words. By using a Concept Map kids can enhance clarity of relations, improve memorization and coherence.

 

I hear about Mind Mapping software for the first time from my sister, it was really interesting to learn how to use it. Unfortunately, I did not have enough time to apply it in my classes because we need to train students in how to design a map using the concept mapping program cutting a very precious time from the already full curriculum of the subject.

Do we need to use the Mind Mapping in all Computer subjects?

In my opinion for a subject that has a lot of theoretical part such as networking subject, the answer will be yes but for the others, the practical parts the answer will be no. 

Web Quest

Web Quest is a very interesting topic for me, because in Web Quest you can replace the worn and dull papers used by the teacher in providing the lesson, to a site that is designed in an attractive way with pictures and videos to give you everything new about the lesson and to ensure that the students will have a full understanding.

Web Quest is not just a site that offers information, but its inquiry based lesson, which encourages the students to the open learning, where the teacher proposed a project based problem for the students, and a solution should be presented by the group. In order to find a solution, the students should search for it using the resources provided by the teacher in the Web Quest such as web links.

In this way, the students can save their time because they will focus on the information that provided by the teacher, because he works to develop resources that fit with their level of thinking instead of searching for resources that are not suitable with their level. In addition, teachers are able to provide multiple websites, allowing students to use the resource that works best of their level of understanding.

Web Quest increase the students motivation, it enhance the way the student think to include higher level thinking (analysis, synthesis and evaluation) since after they finding a solution for their problem, they used the rubrics to evaluate their solution and modify it creating a better optimized solution. In addition, searching for information enhance the students self directed learning, technological competencies, problem solving, cooperating learning and scaffolding.

But we can't apply the Web Quest in some cases, because of the time limitation, although the intensive used of the Internet can be very bad for human eyes and health, also there are still families in Bahrain that can't afford to have Internet or even buy a Computer.

An Example of a Web Quest:

http://elearning.raypec.k12.mo.us/mod/resource/view.php?id=9965