Vertical vs Horizontal Networks

Do you ever wonder how I come  up with ideas for articles on this blog?   My daily travel through social media stimulates many ideas.  As I think of something I post an email to myself so I won't forget what I wanted to write about.   

Last week I decided to write about my PDF essay on "vertical and horizontal" networks and how concept maps in my library have a vertical and horizontal format.  

Then, I saw that I had written a similar article almost a year ago, in December 2022.  I hope you'll read it.

I included this PDF essay:

Understanding Difference Between Vertical and Horizontal Networks from Daniel Bassill

Now let's view my collection of concept maps, starting with the one shown below.

This strategy map is one of the first ones I created in mid 2000s to visualize commitment I'd made through the Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present) to help kids in high poverty areas move through school and into jobs and careers by their mid 20s. I created this article last year to explore the elements of this map.   

I've updated this concept map often and over the years I created additional concept maps to show more of the ideas and resources that I've been sharing. 

This concept map has a flat, horizontal layout.  That means there are a lot of related ideas.  What I think is valuable about cMapTools is that while I have a lot of information visible on the map, I don't have "everything" like you see using other concept mapping tools. 

Instead, you can open new maps by clicking on the right hand small box at the bottom or many nodes.  Thus, if you follow the arrow from the middle of the blue box, straight down you'll see a box with text saying "Four-part Strategy to Achieve this goal".   Click on the small node and open the cMap you see below. 

The nodes showing Step 1 through Step 4 each open to additional concept maps, and to external nodes.

If you return to the strategy map shown above, you can open additional maps. 

For example, in the lower left center of the map is are the nodes shown in the graphic at the left.  The text says "leadership provided by business, hospitals, universities, etc."

Click on the right hand node and you'll see two links. Open the one saying "Strategic investment by business" and you'll see the concept map shown below.

In the middle you'll find another node saying "as Workforce Development strategy (open new map) which opens to the concept map below:

On the left side is a yellow node saying "Expands network of employee-volunteers".  Click the small box at the right and you have three choices.  The bottom one says "Business Investment in Youth Orgs Motivation."  Open that and you see the concept map below.

Open the links under each node and you go to external websites or to other concept maps.

All of the concept maps and links I point to are intended to support on-going efforts to help kids in high poverty areas move through school and into adult lives, with  jobs and careers, that enable youth to raise their own kids free of poverty's grip.

It's a long-term commitment, which requires vertical, or sequential,  thinking. It's like building  a tall tower. You need to start at the bottom, and work floor-by-floor, until you reach the top. With kids, you start when they are born.

Just getting people together at a conference or on-line forum to share ideas does not automatically result in applying these ideas to actions that advance this goal in one or a thousand different places.

Read the article I wrote last December and review the PDF essay.   Since I recognize that many people may not dig through the many layers, I created this page to show all of the concept maps that I've created. 

There is a lot of information in this and other articles on my blog. That's why I invite students and volunteers to create videos and other presentations that guide other people through these. Here's how Wona Chang, an intern from South Korea, guided people through one of my concept maps. 



Visit this intern blog and see how many interns have created similar projects.

If people from my networks do the same more people will dig through the vertical layers in my concept maps and blogs and use these ideas to help kids in their own communities. 

Thank you for reading and everything you do to help kids. 

I'll be 76 on December 19th.  Please support Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC with a gift in honor of my birthday.  click here

Or, make a contribution to my annual Fund T/MI campaign. click here

Thank you!