John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) was an English economist whose ideas fundamentally changed the theory and practice of modern macroeconomics and the economic policies of governments.

As an educator, I am always somewhat wary of anyone who proclaims a new technology as radical and game changing. Sometimes the technology is revolutionary but we have all seen technologies introduced with great fanfare, only to watch them disappear. Hence, we can’t always blame our schools for being so slow to embrace new technology and change.

Nevertheless, mind mapping, and visual thinking in general, is presenting a great opportunity for improved learning in schools and work. We can do a lot more to promote mind mapping for learning in schools and workplace, but not by naively promoting mind maps as the magic bullet. Mind maps work for some people but don’t work for others, for various reasons.

Key is to share examples, best practices, real stories, and case studies that show how mind maps add value to learning, how they help manage and make sense of information, and other key benefits of mind maps, so that others give mind maps a real consideration for implementation in schools and workplace. Stories about how mind maps can help solve problems, and improve teaching and learning, are much more powerful, and easier to embrace, than stories about how mind maps work like brains.

It\'s not about mind maps. It\'s about benefits/solutions that mind maps provide.

I hope this presentation will spark at least few students, teachers, and others, to try mind mapping. I’m sure they’ll be glad they did. Thank you.

From Collecting Dots to Connecting Dots