Mind Maps

This semester, I have taught a new course at the Department of Musicology at the University of Oslo: MUS2640 – Sensing Sound and Music. Since I have been “bought out” to run RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion since 2018, I haven’t taught a regular class in many years. However, all my colleagues were busy with other things, and I thought it would be fun to engage with bachelor’s students again on a regular basis, so I took the challenge. ...

Many people rely on what I will call linear presentation tools when they lecture. This includes software such as LibreOffice Impress, Google Presentation, MS PowerPoint, or Keynote. These tools are great for smooth, timed, linear lectures. I also use them from time to time, but mainly if I know exactly what to say. They are also good when I lecture with others, and we need to develop a presentation together. However, linear presentation tools do not work equally well for general teaching, where spontaneity is required. For example, I often like to take questions during lectures. Answering questions may quickly lead to a different presentation order than what I had originally planned. For that reason, I have explored different non-linear presentation tools. ...

After reading Ola’s blog entry about content management, I decided to give MindManager a try. Except for the price tag (luckily they have educational discounts), I like it a lot. It is the first mindmapping software I find useful, and I particularly like the possibility to make notes on any entry. This makes it possible to really use it for mind mapping, and not only as a visualisation tool. Previously, I have tested NovaMind, which creates some fancy-looking mindmaps, but the GUI is much too clumsy for me, and it seems focused on creating printable mindmaps. Freemind is another (free) alternative, but it is not in UB-version, and I am not sure if it is still in development. ...