Learn to use concept maps

Over the past few years I've provided a growing number of examples of how concept maps can be used to share information and to help people connect with each other.  I keep finding these on my LinkedIn feed.

Below is one that shows information about "main disciplines, foundations, tools, influences, and products" of a single ecosystem." It's called The Concept Art Map. click here to open

On the "about" page they wrote

"The Concept Art Map started from the struggle of trying to understand the concept art industry just by scrolling walls of text, posts, and random portfolio links. I never felt like I could see the bigger picture or where my own niche actually sat inside it.

So I decided to build a visual version of that picture. As an artist, seeing the whole system visually is the best way to understand how everything connects and how different roles, skills, and tools relate to each other.

I also believe the way we learn is shifting toward more interconnected, systematic presentation of information rather than static, isolated pieces of data and this map is my attempt to reflect that."

This pretty well summarizes my own reasons for creating concept maps.  I point to blogs and websites hosted by other people because most of the time they communicate an idea better than I do. 

I use my concept maps to help people navigate my library. Below is one example, which is showing the four sections of the Tutor/Mentor library. click here

If you compare the two maps you'll see that both are sharing information from a vast library, but in different ways. 

The first was built using Kumu.io.  In other articles I've shown how most Kumu maps are interactive, meaning you can move the nodes around.  And, you can turn layers of information on and off.  In the Concept Map Art map you can zoom in to more easily read the information in each node cluster.  You can also click on different nodes and see more clearly how that node is connected to others.  You can click on a node and get a side bar with descriptive information, often including a website address or social media link.

My map was built using cMapTools.  These don't have the interactive features that Kumu.io has, but at the bottom of each node are small boxes.  One includes links to external websites and the other has links to additional, related, concept maps.  Thus, while a KUMU map might show a vast ecosystem on one screen, the cMapTools map shows layers of information, as you move from one map to another. This section of the Tutor/Mentor library points to other visualization tools that you might use to do this work. 

One feature that I liked about the Concept Art Map was the "how to" page which you can open by clicking on the top right menu bar.

I'm just showing the first view of the "how to" page. You can actually scroll down through several sections that describe how to use the information they have collected.

In the "about" page the creator wrote,

Right now this is v1 of The Concept Art Map. It already covers the main disciplines, foundations, tools, influences, and products, but there are more features I’d like to add if there’s enough interest, things like a "personal niche" views and deeper paths for career development and artist networking.

If you’ve got thoughts, questions, or ideas for where this could go, feel free to get in touch!  

A feedback form is included.

I hope you'll take a look.

Students at every age level (6 to 96) could be learning to create information maps like these.  Volunteers could be helping them learn, and be learning themselves! 

In my "mapping participation" articles I show more examples and reasons to build such maps. 

One application might be mapping ICE activity, aggregating videos and written testimony showing where the law has been broken, and mapping information showing how citizens can respond to the growing Fascism in the USA.

Every day my social media is filled with more and more stories of attacks on democracy and harm to vulnerable people.  It makes it difficult to continue trying to draw attention to work needed to reach kids in high poverty areas with long-term programs that help them through school and into adult lives free of poverty  (and filled with opportunity).

This graphic shows the need for extra youth support in areas where poverty and structural racism mean kids have fewer supports and opportunities than do kids in more affluent areas.  One reason this problem persists over so many years is the random nature of interventions and funding.  I continue to post ideas like this, even in the middle of a full-blown crisis, because of the need for continuous support of programs that connect K-12 kids with extra adult and extra learning.

At the left is a photo of me providing a motivational speech at the annual year-end dinner for the tutor/mentor program that I led from 1975 to 1992.  I'm asking people to return for another year, and do more to help the kids and the program.

I'm still asking for this extra involvement.

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