End of Your Weekly Tutor – The dawn of a new era

Posted by Faizel Mohidin on Jul 31, 2010 in Mind Mapping, News | 0 comments

This is the last of Your Weekly Tutor articles as you’ve come to know it.

If you are sad because you’ve been looking forward to getting a weekly tip into you email inbox, don’t worry, something else and hopefully something better will replace it.

I started the ‘your weekly tutor’ to serve two purposes. Firstly, to create content for my new blogging website, MindMapTutor.com and secondly, to get a mailing list of followers that could serve as a yardstick to measure my degree of success, or failure.

I am now happy that I have achieved both objectives. MindMapTutor.com is a well established Mind Mapping authority on the Internet. My list of followers have also grown satisfactorily.

But there was a problem with the Blog format. I wasn’t happy with the way the content was organised for you, the reader. I wanted you to be able to get maximum benefit from the content.

Blogs are organised chronologically by default. This means that it’s mainly the new articles that get focus. The older ones just drop of the map.

If you are interested in a particular branch of Mind Mapping, it is very difficult to follow related articles on MindMapTutor.com.

With this in Mind, I started UsingMindMaps.com. By starting a ‘normal’ website, I could organise the content in a structure that was more ‘reader friendly’. I’ve been running both in parallel for a few months now, but the duplication of effort has become too great to sustain.

To make things easier, I’ve decided to provide the following touchpoints:

1. Set up of a new UsingMindMaps Facebook page.

The UsingMindMaps Facebook page will allow a community of people that are using, or want to use Mind Maps in their daily lives, to grow. I want it to become a community of ordinary people doing extraordinary things with Mind Maps.

The community allows two way communication, where you can not only give input on how you are using Mind Maps, but also connect with fellow Mind Mappers. In this way, we can all learn from each other’s experiences.

I hope to attract both newbies and expert Mind Mappers, as we can learn the most by being in touch with fellow Mind Mappers.

The Facebook page will also enable me to get your input and give you insight on our latest projects.

I foresee an exciting and vibrant community that is willing to share and collaborate with each other to make a difference.

So, join us on Facebook now. The page is still young, so get in now and be one of the people that helps take the community forward.

2. MindMapTutor Blog

MindMapTutor.com will be run more as a Blog and News site than before. I will update the blog as and when I find useful information to blog about.

I have not been a traditional blogger until now, as my articles were ‘real’ articles. This means that they were researched, drafted and redrafted before being published.

The blog will be more off the cuff opinions and news about Using Mind Maps and progress updates of our MindMapTutor developments.

I hope that this will therefore be more personal. It will also allow you to comment on updates and give input into the type of material that you would like.

If you don’t do anything, you will still get blog updates to your inbox, but it will not be the same as the ones you get at the moment.

The updates may be more regular, but also more erratic. So, if you don’t want this, feel free to unsubscribe and you will immediately be removed  from the list.

I don’t want be accused of sending you junk mail. It is not my policy to spam you with marketing information, as regular readers know.

3. UsingMindMaps.com

This will be the content resource centre.

It already needs a bit of revamping to get the content categorised better. I will continuously try to ensure that the content is organised in a way that is easily accessible and gives you maximum benefit.

I also publish a monthly newsletter on UsingMindMaps.com. So if you want to still get the good quality content that you’ve become used to in your Email inbox, subscribe now to our monthly newsletter.

The monthly newsletter will highlight the articles of the previous month, as you may miss them on the sight because the website is not organised chronologically.

The newsletter will also highlight what’s coming and have some news on the latest projects and activities.

You will also be given the latest tips and techniques on using Mind Maps when you subscribe to our newsletter.

To encourage you to sign up, we are offering some valuable freebies. So sign up today to get maximum value from UsingMindMaps.com.

I hope these changes will make your Mind Mapping experience a good one and that you will be able to start reaping all the benefits that Mind Mapping can give you.

Google, The Internet, Mind Maps and Tribes

Posted by Faizel Mohidin on Jul 24, 2010 in Mind Mapping | 1 comment

Learning in the Digital Age…

This week’s article starts with a quote of Chris Brogan, which summarises some aspects of learning in the Digital Age.

“You probably don’t give yourself credit for all you DO know about social media:

• You know about YouTube, that it’s more than dogs on skateboards.
• You know about Facebook, that it’s not just for kids any more.
• You know about blogs, and at least two places you can blog for free.
• You know the difference in mainstream news and social news.
• You know where to find tech advice, marketing advice, sales advice, what matters to you advice.
• You know what a wiki is, what a Flickr is, what a twitter is.
• You know lots, and have helped others around you understand even more.

Who are you teaching? Where are you laying down your knowledge?”

While this quote is about Social Media, it is very relevant to learning in the digital age.

There is a wonderful diagram in ‘Use your Head’ by Tony Buzan, the inventor of the Mind Map. It has a person at the centre and lots of various disciplines radiating out of the person.

This depicts the fact that every piece of knowledge is somehow related to every other piece of knowledge.

If you are a knowledge worker, you probably spend a lot of time on The Internet. There is probably not a topic under the sun that you can’t Google and get results.

But, what I want to highlight in this article is not the fact that you get so many results, as most topics will bring back millions of results if typed into Google.

Have you noticed sometimes that the results seem unrelated and that you sometimes end up on a completely ‘wrong’ page?

This is no fault of your own, because as you surf The Internet, you click from one page to another via links on the various sites that you come across. A few minutes later, you come to a site that is completely different to the subject that you started searching for.

It is even worse if you are in a corporate environment, where you have to watch where you are going.

This is what Tony Buzan’s diagram means to me. In my previous article on maintaining lifelong learning, I quoted Leonardo da Vinci’s expertise in many disciplines. Many see him as the greatest mind that ever lived.

Using Mind Maps in your learning program will enable you to manage your various interests but also allow you to explore them to the fullest. It is the perfect complement to the digital age.

Now, let’s explore the tribe concept a bit

I’ll use the example of a computer programmer, as one of my passions is Information Technology. No programmer, or developer, as they are often called today is worth his/her salt without Google and The Internet. It is just simply amazing how many ‘Bloggers’ out there are sharing detailed knowledge of their programming skills and tips. They are not doing it for the money, or the fame. They are simply doing it for the love of it and their sense of belonging to a community.

Humans have always been gregarious by nature. The need to belong to a group or tribe has been wonderfully described in Seth Godin’s ‘Tribes’ concept.

Tribes are easier to form today because of technology. Years ago families became clans and clans became tribes. This was geographically determined, as people need to be able to bond and communicate to be in a successful tribe. Even with limited mobility, people joined various tribes and some even belonged to more than one tribe.

Now let’s fastforward to the present day. New tribes are being formed every day, based on the same principles of ‘belonging’, communication and sharing common interests. The only difference is that these tribes are being formed online.

There are some people that just ‘don’t get it’. This does not alter the fact that the Facebooks, Blogs and Twitters of this world have somehow appealed to a deep rooted need of many people and have millions of followers. Like any tribe, there are scandals, squabbles but more importantly, there is also a lot of connection, fun and a sense of belonging.

This is largely true of my endeavours on The Internet around Mind Mapping, lifelong learning and Using Mind Maps in your daily life to get a competitive advantage.

Every tribe needs a leader. I happen to be the leader of my own tribe. The people that subscribe to my blog, my newsletter and even the Facebook and Twitter followers all belong to my tribe.

My role as leader is to keep the tribe happy by providing them with information around common interests, i.e. lifelong learning, Mind Maps and getting a competitive edge by being able to learn faster and easier.

Most of the information is given freely in a spirit of sharing and growing the tribe. Yes, I do sell our learning management program, but that is done after getting the confidence of the tribe. Most of the people that end up purchasing are people that have been around for a while and visit the site regularly. They have built up a sense of trust and feel that whatever they buy will benefit them.

I, on the other hand, as the leader of the tribe try to ensure that what they purchase is worth more than what is freely available. I do this by providing concise, practical guides that cut through all the clutter.

As I said at the beginning of this article, if you Google any topic, you could get back millions of results -  some related and some not.

By taking any subject and putting it into a MindMapTutor, I am able to give you what is needed, but also allow you to expand it in your own unique way.

In this way, I hope to build up a bigger group of followers that willingly follow me, thus increasing the size of the tribe.

The new ‘virtual’ tribes cannot be dictators. After all, leaving the tribe is just one click away!

To conclude, I’ve posted a wonderful video on our Facebook page, showing how kids learn in the Digital World. How are you engaging with them?

Maintaining Lifelong Learning

Posted by Faizel Mohidin on Jul 18, 2010 in Learning Management Programme, Mind Mapping, Mind Maps in Education | 1 comment

When everything changes…

As a South African, I feel an extreme sense of pride and joy, as I am posting this article on the birthday of the great Nelson Mandela.

Today, 18 July, has been declared international ‘Mandela Day‘ by the United Nations General Assembly, where everyone is encouraged to do some good for humanity on this day.

This article, the free articles on MindMapTutor.com and UsingMindMaps.com, as well as the free weekly tips are all done in the spirit of giving before you get.

Today, I would like you to put together a plan for lifelong learning.

As Nelson Mandela said about education:

‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.’
Nelson Mandela

In South Africa, we are once again in the wake of another major educational change in our school curriculum. But it’s not merely the change to the curriculum that’s making waves, it is the change in the methodology that is causing so much debate and even disruption.

South Africa needed a change in its approach to education after the first free elections in 1994. This brought about major revisions to the curriculum and the methods of teaching and learning.

The ‘Brain Trust’, being the Educational Department, concluded that ‘Outcomes Based Education‘ (OBE) would be the new standard. With OBE came along new methods, new terminology and a learner centric approach to learning, versus a teacher centric approach. It all sounded great.

Unfortunately the practical implementation did not go as well as the academic discussions did.

This led to the current and previous revisions.

The biggest problem that this created, in my opinion, is uncertainty in both parents and students.

While the South African education problem has been, and will still be, debated to death, time marches on. Learners are still graduating every year. They are entering tertiary institutions like universities and colleges. They are entering the workplace and some are becoming entrepreneurs.

What is the message that must be given to them?

While I am not an academic, I am a ‘knowledge worker‘. I’ve made my living in an industry (information technology) that requires constant learning and innovation. My ability to learn faster than my competitor is a definite advantage.

This advantage has taken me from the ‘Third World’ to Europe, where I could apply my knowledge in my chosen field and learn a new language, Dutch.

It allowed me to change career focus as and when I needed.

And it afforded me to write this highly opinionated article today!

Luckily, I am married to an education specialist. She helped me put together a Learning Management Program that can be used to learn any subject under the sun. The program has been tested in the classroom, in the workplace and in self-study.

The strange thing about the program (to me anyway), is the interest that has been shown by people all over the world. Since the program has been packaged into an easily accessible Ebook format, it is now easy available for world wide access and instant download.

Does this mean that educational systems all over the world are in disarray? This conclusion would cause world wide anarchy. But is does mean that brains are in quandary, as Tony Buzan, the inventor of the Mind Map, states in ‘The Mind Map Book’. This is not a South African problem, but a world wide problem.

What has really changed?

With so many different opinions on educational systems all over the world, it is rather obvious to a non-academic like myself that none of them are correct – and all of them are correct. (That should cover me).

If you asked the question: ‘What is a knowledgeable person?‘ today, what would the answer be. Would the answer have been any different if it was asked centuries ago?

Would a person like Leonardo da Vinci be a great mind today?

The answer is a most emphatic ‘Yes!’

I am going to give you some characteristics that I think a brilliant mind should have. I am also going to show you that you can still acquire a brilliant mind if you start now.

And if you acquire these characteristics, you will immediately start improving your competitive advantage.

A great mind has a good memory

Throughout the ages, people have been astounded and impressed by people with great memories. Your ability to recall facts where and when you need it is indispensable. If you start applying memory techniques to your daily life, you will see almost immediate rewards.

The Mind Map is the ultimate mnemonic and memory tool. It is for this reason that Tony Buzan dubbed it the ‘Swiss Army Knife of The Brain’.

The articles on our website UsingMindMaps.com should get you started with Mind Mapping. Our Learning Management Program will really get you going.

No matter the country, the language, the education system – improving your memory can only give you advantages over those with poor memories.

A great mind can apply what has been learned

Once again, let’s look at Leonardo da Vinci. He has left behind a legacy of applying his knowledge. We know that he was a great mind because of the practical applications of his knowledge, not the volumes of textbooks that he wrote on the subject.

He even has a lot of impractical models that would never work, as a part of that legacy.

In other words, even he was not always right!

Don’t be afraid. Apply what you have learned. Use the scientific approach, which is as follows:

• You start with hypothesis
• You test the hypothesis
• You get feedback from the tests
• You do some more tests based on the feedback
• Continue until you succeed

There is a statement goes something like: ‘To succeed more often, you have to fail more often‘. In other words, the more attempts you make, the greater the likelihood of success, (but also the greater the likelihood of failure).

Thomas Edison, arguably one of the greatest inventors of the modern era, is reported to have failed 10,000 times before he successfully invented the incandescent light bulb.

A great mind shows insight

By continuously improving your memory and applying what you have learned, you will in a very short space of time begin to show insights that other people find amazing.

Those are the same characteristics that define a genius.

By improving your memory and applying what you have learned, you will start to make connections between diverse subjects. Those connections will bring about a new thinking, a new approach.

This is how human knowledge evolves.

Coming back to the great Leonardo da Vinci, you will see that he was a great mathematician, scientist, inventor, artist and lots more.

Does your current approach to learning enable you to do this?

Most people stop structured learning once they stop formal education. What they don’t realise is that their school, college and university qualifications are only the beginning.

It is with this in mind that our Learning Management Program was put together. There is nothing new in it, but it does package things in a simple 10 step program that virtually guarantees that you will learn faster and easier, than with having no system.

The program prepares you for learning by revisiting your vision, your goals, your time management and gets you motivated to succeed.

You then go about honing the skills needed: memory, reading and note taking.

After this, you refine the application of the skills by developing a method to learn, study and test your knowledge.

The program ends with advice on keeping sharp by looking after your Mind, Body and Spirit.

All this is done with Mind Maps, using our unique MindMapTutor concept.

Conclusion

While educational systems all over the world differ, the concept of a great mind is almost universal.

You therefore need an approach to learning that can be applied within any system – in any country.

It is with the universal principles of Recall, Application and Insight that our Learning Management Program was developed so that you can stay on a path of lifelong learning and maintain a competitive edge by being able to learn faster and easier.

I’ve given you enough information to develop your own program, but I recommend that you get hold of our Learning Management Program today, so that you can speed up the process of lifelong learning  – starting NOW!

Our methods are easy to learn, simple to use and produce fast results – no matter what educational system you are using.

Technique!

Posted by Faizel Mohidin on Jul 10, 2010 in Mind Mapping | 2 comments

Are you putting in more and more effort, but getting less and less rewards?

This is called the Law of diminishing returns.

Years ago, I purchased a book written by Tony Little called ‘Technique! Target Training for a Fat-Free body’. While he is quite a controversial character and self proclaimed “America’s personal trainer”, his advice on technique stuck with me.

If you look at any of the top performing athletes, you will see that most of them have a technical coach. As good as they are, they are constantly working on their technique.

We are coming to the end of the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup here in South Africa and you have to look no further than this amazing event to see the principle of ‘technique’ in action.

Not only individual technique, but also team technique was in many cases the differentiator between winners and losers.

The soccer players could train longer and harder and still underachieve, if the coaches did not focus on technique.

So whether you are a world record holder like Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps, a top tennis player like Venus and Serena Williams, or simply a person trying to get ahead in life, you have to focus on technique.

This is where Mind Maps and Mind Mapping come into their own. The Mind Map is such a great tool that it could help you improve your technique in just about anything.

Let’s assume you were a soccer player and you wanted to improve your kicking technique. Here is a simple example of how you could use a Mind Map to guide you:

You now have a simple tool to coach both yourself and others with.

The same goes for your learning and personal growth.

If you’ve been following my articles and the information on our websites, you will have noticed that we often quote that your ability to learn faster than you competitor may be your only sustainable competitive advantage (Arie de Geus).

It is with this in mind that we developed the Learning Management Program.

While the program is designed to help you manage your learning better, it focuses a lot on technique. All 10 modules:

• vision,
• motivation,
• goal setting,
• reading,
• note taking,
  
• memory,
  
• study methods,
  
• time management,
  
• exam technique,
  
• sound mind & sound body, focus on technique.

The Mind Mapping and other techniques in the program ensure that you are not only working harder, but working smarter.

Let’s use the Note Taking Module as an example

Tony Buzan, the inventor of the Mind Map, claims that 90% of the words use in traditional linear notes add nothing to the meaning. He goes on to say that memory is actually hindered by the fact that the important words are separated from each other by irrelevant words that add no value. The key principles of association and hierarchy are naturally lost in normal linear notes.

All this can be solved with Mind Maps and Mind Mapping.

If you continue to work harder without improving your note taking techniques, you are simply enforcing the principle of diminishing returns.

If you could improve just one aspect, e.g. your note taking technique, by purchasing our affordable Learning Management Program Ebook, you would already have gotten your money’s worth. We use a ‘hand holding method’ to take you from your traditional linear note taking methods to Mind Mapping using our unique MindMapTutor concept.

We also go into the Cornell Note Taking Method, which is a structured linear method.

It’s like running a marathon. You don’t just go out there and run 42 km on the first day. It takes months of training and preparation to get you running a marathon.

The same goes for Mind Mapping. You are not going to be an expert Mind Mapper in one day, but if you apply our techniques bit by bit, day by day, you will soon become a proficient note taker – simply because you are working on your technique.

Now imagine what you could achieve if you improved your technique in all the other areas covered in our Learning Management Program – You will have all the knowledge and skills to gain a competitive advantage by being able to learn faster and easier.

I would even go so far as to say that there is nothing new in our Learning Management Program, but you will have your own personal coach and tutor in one easy to read simple format to help you improve your technique.

Getting Things Done – The Pomodoro Technique

Posted by Faizel Mohidin on Jul 3, 2010 in Mind Mapping | 1 comment

The recent articles, Basic Ordering Ideas and Expanding Basic Ordering Ideas coincided with the launch of our new expanded Learning Management Program, which now consists of 10 Modules.

The program is available as an affordable Ebook as well as an interactive Mind Map, which needs the OpenSource software, Xmind.

This program gives you all the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values required to put together your own Learning Management Program. By following the instructions, advice and tips in the program, you will learn how to learn using methods that are easy to learn, simple to use and produce fast results.

But – You still have to go and do it. It only tells you what must be done and how to do it – It does not do it for you. YOU must still go and do it yourself.

We all (including myself), struggle with getting things done. Luckily, I found a wonderful technique called the Pomodoro Technique by Francesco Cirillo.

He has quite a comprehensive free Ebook, which can be downloaded on http://www.pomodorotechnique.com.

The Website also covers the technique in more detail than this article. Please note that I am not affiliated to them in any way, nor do I receive any commission for items you purchase on the website. You also download or buy anything at your own risk.

We cover our unique approach to time management in some detail in The Learning Management Program. A good introduction to time management using Mind Maps can be found on UsingMindMaps.com.

The Mind Map techniques allow you to easily prioritise and manage your tasks. Now all you need is a method to actually do the tasks.

I have found that the most difficult thing in the world is to concentrate on one thing only for an extended period of time. We simply have too many distractions in the modern world. Even when writing this article, there will be phone calls, text messages, emails, Facebook, Twitter and lots of other possible distractions. What do I do? When do I attend to them? How do I manage my productivity?

I recently tried this with my 18 year old son, who is studying for his finals. He is in his last year at high school. Getting him to concentrate on one thing for an extended period of time is almost impossible.

Luckily, in stepped the Pomodoro Technique.

Before I get stuck into the technique, let me tell you a bit about the word Pomodoro. (I know you are dying to know!)

Pomodoro is the Italian word for tomato. “What has a tomato have to do with time management?” you may ask.

Francesco Cirillo describes the origins of the Pomodoro technique in his Ebook. I quote:

“…One day in the classroom on campus where I used to study, I watched my classmates with a critical eye…It was clear to me that the high number of distractions and interruptions and the low level of concentration and motivation were at the root cause of the confusion I was feeling…So I made a bet with myself…’Can you study, really study for 10 minutes?’ I needed objective validation, a Time Tutor, and I found one in a kitchen timer shaped like a pomodoro (the Italian for tomato) – in other words, I found my ‘Pomodoro’…”

This is how the Pomodoro Time Technique was born.

Let’s look at the steps as listed on http://www.pomodorotechnique.com:

• Choose a task to be accomplished
• Set the Pomodoro to 25 minutes (the Pomodoro is the timer)
• Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then put a check on your sheet of paper
• Take a short break (5 minutes is OK)
• Every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break

Choose a task to be accomplished

This step assumes that you tasks have already been identified and prioritised. We suggest that you use Mind Maps to organise and prioritise your tasks.

Choose one task and only one task to do and then follow the technique to complete the task.

Set the Pomodoro to 25 minutes (the Pomodoro is the timer)

Cirillo recommends 25 minutes as the unit of time that you choose. I think that you can choose any unit that works for you. At the moment, I stick to the 25 minute rule.

I use my mobile phone as my timer, but you could purchase a proper pomodoro timer. You can also get free pomodoro software for your PC, Mac, iPhone, or Android Phone.

Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then put a check on your sheet of paper

This is the most important step for me. Work on the chosen task until the Pomodoro rings. Focus on nothing else.

This requires some preparation beforehand, as you need to ignore phone calls, text messages, the urge to surf the net…

You need to ignore ANY interruption that will prevent you from accomplishing the task.

You then work until the Pomodoro rings – AND THEN YOU STOP.

The urge will be there to continue working, but the technique works well if you stop immediately and take a break.

This will be one Pomodoro unit. Record the completion of the unit using a mark on a page, in a book or on your computer.

A Pomodoro unit is always a complete unit.

Take a short break (5 minutes is OK)

This is important. Resist the urge to continue working, even if you didn’t work flat out during your Pomodoro unit of work.

You will get better at focusing on one task at a time and giving it 100%.

Your productivity and effectiveness will increase over time and soon you will be able to measure your effort in Pomodoro units, which are real units of work done and not just elapsed time.

Every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break

If each Pomodoro consists of 25 minutes and a five minute break, then two Pomodoros make up an hour’s work. Four Pomodoros equate to two hours work and is referred to as a Pomodoro Set.

After a Pomodoro Set, take a longer break.

This means that you will be taking a longer break every two hours. How long you break, is up to you. Cirillo once again recommends a 25 minute break.

Conclusion

I don’t always use the Pomodoro technique, but I do use it when learning, or when writing, or when I need to dedicate my time to a known task.

As many of you may know by now I write an article once a week, which gets posted to my website and delivered to my email subscriber list. To prepare for this article, I do research and then create a framework of what I would like to write about (Using Mind Maps of course).

But when it comes to the actual writing of the article, I try my utmost to set my Pomodoro and do nothing but write. I don’t browse the Internet, look at email or answer phones. I ignore Twitter, Facebook and other Social Media distractions. I try to focus on the task at hand.

I don’t say that I always win – But I am definitely more productive and more effective by applying the Pomodoro technique.

Thank you Francesco Cirillo!

Expanding Basic Ordering Ideas – The Birth of the MindMapTutor

Posted by Faizel Mohidin on Jun 26, 2010 in Mind Mapping | 0 comments

I am often asked whether I oppose, or disagree with, Tony Buzan’s Mind Map Principles. (For those of you that don’t know, Tony Buzan is the inventor of the Mind Map.)

Nothing is further from the truth! I pay lots of homage to Tony Buzan, as he is the master. I am but a humble student.

But, I have taken his instructions to Accept, Apply and Adapt and used it in the development of the MindMapTutor concept and use it as a Tutor or Teacher.

The MindMapTutor is used to not only teach by using Mind Maps, but to teach without the use of a physical teacher. In other words, it has been designed for self-study.

The MindMapTutor is self-sufficient in that it delivers both detailed content and Mind Map Summaries. This enables me to deliver content in areas where I am the Subject Matter Expert. It also allows me to engage with other subject matter experts and get them to deliver their knowledge using Mind Maps.

This allows you to reap the benefits of engaging your whole brain in the learning process and putting you in the centre of the learning process.

This is made possible by linking Basic Ordering Ideas and detailed information in a single MindMapTutor.

To understand this concept a bit better, I am continuing on the subject of Basic Ordering Ideas in this article, and expanding on it.

I highlighted the importance of Basic Ordering Ideas in last week’s article. This article shows you how to expand on the Basic Ordering Ideas to give you the full picture.

According to the Mind Map Book, it was Barry Buzan, the brother of Tony Buzan that introduced the concept of Basic Ordering Ideas. He believed that the real power of Mind Maps lies in the Basic Ordering Ideas.

I tend to agree with him.

If you are struggling to extract your Basic Ordering Ideas, you could get hold of our Learning Management Program Ebook, which shows you how to extract the important information when reading. This can be applied to any text, including difficult academic text books.

Once you have your Basic Ordering Ideas, you need to start filling in the details. This is where most people struggle and also the reason for us developing the MindMapTutor concept.

Tony Buzan encourages us to create a Mega Mind Map, and this is where I started.

I used to get a big writing pad, which is often hard to come by and often very expensive, but it works. This was before I used software to create my Mind Maps. I created huge Mega Mind Maps, which were hand drawn, organic and colourful.

It became a problem for me though, as those big pages were difficult to carry around with me. It also forced me to revise at home only because of this.

After searching for a solution to this dilemma, I discovered the Cornell Method of linear Note Taking. This had Key Words in the left hand column and details on the right hand side. I then used Mind Maps only for the summaries and the Cornell Notes for the details. The Cornell Method is also covered in our Learning Management Program Ebook.

This worked very well for me and still works very well.

The initial MindMapTutor concept developed out of this, where I display a Summary Mind Map followed by explanatory text. Our Learning Management Program Ebook is written in this fashion. There are also some more examples on this MindMapTutor page and throughout UsingMindMaps.com.

With Mind Map Software, I was able to take this even further by including both the summary Mind Map and the detailed text in the same Mind Map. The next generation of the Learning Management Program is being written in this format and will be available from 1 July 2010. You can get it free, if you buy the affordable Learning Management Program Ebook before 30 June 2010.

The MindMapTutor is a departure from classical Mind Map Theory as taught by Tony Buzan. Classical Mind Map Theory (as I am calling it), requires one Key Word per line and everything on one Mega Mind Map.

I still use all of Tony Buzan’s Mind Map Principles when I am using Mind Maps during brainstorming or thinking. One Key Word per line allows the brain to generate an infinite number of ideas and allows unbelievable creative thinking.

The Mind Map also separates the thinking process from the writing process. You don’t have to worry about grammar, syntax, concord and other details during the thinking process, if you use Mind Maps.

But I use the MindMapTutor concept when using Mind Maps to teach or tutor.

I thought that a Mind Map is too good a tool to waste, when it comes to teaching, yet people battled when I gave them my personal Mind Maps, which were based on the Mind Map Principles. The fact that each branch had a single Key Word became a hindrance. I had to give them more details. But as I added more details, the number of branches exploded and the Mind Map became unwieldy.

I gradually started to put more words on a branch, but I wasn’t happy about this, as it breaks too many Mind Map Principles.

I found that having a summary Mind Map with all the necessary text to be the best compromise.

With the discovery of XMind, an OpenSource solution became available, where I could charge people for my knowledge and expertise and not for the tool.

The latest Learning Management Program is therefore an interactive Mind Map that provides all the details contained in the Ebook. You simply click on a branch to read the details.

Every detail is just a click away.

You can view samples of the New Interactive MindMapTutor here, to give you an idea of what is to come. Click on the outline button to get an idea of the content.

The version you get will be fully interactive. You can add your own thoughts, hyperlinks, Mind Maps, images, or whatever you want to.

The MindMapTutor contains Ten detail Mind Maps and an Overview Mind Map in one Xmind Workbook.

While the OpenSource version of XMind is great, you could also buy the Pro version of Xmind, which gives you added functionality and features, including project management, presentations, audio notes and lots more.

This approach allows you to get started quickly and cheaply, but also allows you to expand when you are ready.

But first get hold of our Learning Management program today and Mind Map your way to Effectiveness. Don’t forget, that if you buy on or before 30 June 2010, you will get the Interactive Mind Map Free.