Connectivism Mind Mapping

Organizational Development and the Use of Connectivism – Mind Mapping.

As I look for advanced methods of organizational development it is important for me to focus on the effects of planning. This is a topic that is use in education often. The need to plan and to prepare to plan is as much as a need as it is overlooked by many program developers, educators, and administrators. Many educators feel that because of their skills set and their time in a profession that they do not need to plan for instruction. I profoundly differ with this tone of perception.  I also find this a professional incompetence. You can never be too prepared to meet the needs of others. As often as I do the same task, I think of ways in which I can improve my performance with that task.

The use of “Mind Mapping” is new to me in terms of language; however it is not new in terms of application. I have always, written effective lesson plans and prepared for meaningful instruction. It has never been a professional neglect for me not to prepare for instruction in terms of: resources, assessments, needs assessment, organization of skills, documentation, and implementation. If not these best practices then which would be the best for instruction is a question that I pose to colleagues.

The Connectivism approach that I have sketched as it relates to Career & Technical Education in the Macon County Public School System has been designed for organization growth, development, and awareness. In order for the programs and services to be effective they must be communicated to our community and stakeholders. The identification of services and program wellness is a collaborative effort of which is inclusive of my leadership practices and support systems. As discussed in other post that I have provided, I value professional discourse per the implementation of programs and services. The module in this illustration will be used to communicate, enhance, and better deliver our current programs in our rural school system.  

Necessary for any organization are goals and objectives. These are the set priorities that guide instruction within the teaching and learning programs. The development of goals and objectives are germane towards any professional outcome. Within the instructional technology design learning that I am experiencing this week, I am determining how effective planning and “Mind Mapping” are in the instructional design process. I find that it is very similar in teaching and learning and instructional leadership to include instructional design with an online concentration. Knowing what you want to the outcome to be is equally as important as having learners master the concept. In planning, when you place all the material on the agenda you can then place the concepts and instructional outcomes in some type of sequential order. In the end, the learner benefits from effective and sound teaching practices. Yet, those that required planning and reflection.

In order for mind mapping to be successful, it is important that learners find a way to make the information relevant to their own lives. A great deal of research has indicated that the best way for learners to grasp a new concept is to construct a visual representation of it. Mind maps are a “useful tool for helping younger students with the process of building conceptual understanding of content and promoting achievement” (Mona & Khalick, 2008, p. 298). By using mind maps instead of traditional methods, students are able to visualize links between non-linear ideas, which in turn provides for creativity and meaningful learning. The use of color is often used to differentiate different ideas contained within the map, which “enhances the utility and meaningfulness to learners who construct them” (Mona & Khalick, 2008, p. 298). Because mind maps are essentially the visual representation of student thought, they allow for a greater retention of information.

As instructional technology designers we want to continue improving educational platforms for learning both site-based and distance education. It is important that there is exploration of multi-faceted opportunities and that they are interfaced equally in the learning environment. This assignment opportunity has greatly impacted my learning discovery in that, I am now able to have and show my vision for career and technical education in rural America in a visual format.

Resources:

Abi-El-Mona, Issam and Adb-El-Khalick, Fouad.

(2008). The Influence of Mind Mapping on Eighth Graders’ Science Achievement.
School Science and Mathematics, 180, 298-312.

by:
Melvin Alonza Lowe, III, EdD