[Type here] MindGenius v6: A revision tool This document looks at how you can use Mind Genius for creating Mind Maps to help with revision. MindGenius can also be used for planning essays and presentations. Last updated Faye Brockwell September 2017 This document and other Information Services documents are held online on our website: https://staff.brighton.ac.uk/is/training
University of Brighton Information Services Contents 1 Workshop requirements... 3 1.1 System and software... 3 1.1.1 Mind Genius 6... 3 1.1.2 Internet access and a web browser... 3 2 What is MindMapping?... 4 2.1 The Origin of MindMapping... 5 3 The Screen Layout... 7 4 Creating a New Map... 8 4.1 Saving a Mind Map... 8 4.2 Editing and Adding Branches... 9 5 Testing yourself using your Mind Map...10 5.1 Collapsing and expanding branches...10 5.2 Focus on a particular area using the Map Explorer...10 6 Adding colour and pictures...11 6.1 Changing the colour of branches automatically...11 6.2 Editing the appearance of one branch...12 6.3 Adding a boundary...13 6.4 Editing the appearance of all branches of the same level...14 7 Adding Pictures...15 8 Adding notes and attachments...17 8.1 Adding links to websites and linking to other files...18 8.1.1 Adding links to websites...18 8.1.2 Adding links to a document...19 9 Using Filters to create a timetable for your revision...20 9.1 Creating filters using your categories...22 9.2 Renaming categories...23 10 Additional help and resources...23 Page 2 14 th July 2015
MindGenius v6: A revision tool 1 Workshop requirements No files are required for this workshop 1.1 System and software 1.1.1 Mind Genius 6 This document uses MindGenius v6. MindGenius is not available for Apple Mac. Within the university: All Windows computers in student pool rooms and teaching rooms have MindGenius 6 installed. Any new university Windows computers have MindGenius 6 installed. Most staff Windows computers have MindGenius installed, but some may have an older version as the upgrade to MindGenius 6 was not pushed out to computers automatically. If you don t have MindGenius installed on your computer, or you find you have an old version, all staff can request free installation of this on their university Windows computer by contacting the Service Desk on 4444. Home installation: All staff and students can also install Mind Genius 6 on their home windows computers for free. For more information: visit https://staff.brighton.ac.uk/is/computing and click on the Software link in the left-hand menu click on the Discounted software for staff or Discounted software for students link on the page Mind Genius on ios devices The Mind Genius app is available for free from the App Store. Whilst the functionality of the app is minimal, you can use the app to create the structure of a mind map, which you can then email to yourself to work on further using the desktop app. 1.1.2 Internet access and a web browser This is required for adding links to the internet to your mind map. Page 3
University of Brighton Information Services 2 What is MindMapping? Mind mapping (or concept mapping) involves writing down a central idea and thinking up new and related ideas which radiate out from the centre. By focussing on key ideas written down in your own words, and then looking for branches out and connections between the ideas, you are mapping knowledge in a manner which will help you understand and remember new information. Page 4 14 th July 2015
2.1 The Origin of MindMapping MindGenius v6: A revision tool Linear Note Taking: We tend to write notes linearly, writing on lines and in sentences. However, this process is lengthy and unfortunately valuable key information is lost within masses of information quickly. Highlight Keywords: When reviewing information we tend to highlight or underline keywords little nuggets of information that are important within the body of text. Eliminate Insignificant Information: MindMapping takes this a stage further. By highlighting and focusing on keywords you eliminate at least 90% of the notes and are left with the highlighted, important text. Connect keywords: The keywords don t mean much on their own but when you connect, order and associate them they form a comprehensive summary. Categorise the Information: The use of colour helps to distinguish and categorise information. Your brain is more likely to be excited by colour and as a result become more interested in the subject content. Personalise the Information: Create your own personal images and symbols that will help you understand and remember the relationships between your thoughts. Mind Maps can be applied to most of life's situations providing clarity of thought and purpose in whatever needs tackled. Page 5
University of Brighton Information Services Exam preparation can be assisted by using MindGenius. You could use it to assist with: Dissecting past papers Structuring example answers Organising your notes to make them more memorable MindGenius enables you to display concise information and by adding visual aids to your map it can enhance your ability to memorise and recall the information. Page 6 14 th July 2015
MindGenius v6: A revision tool 3 The Screen Layout Before we begin to work with MindGenius it is important to understand the screen layout. 1. File tab 2. Ribbon 3. Map Explorer 7. Navigation Pane 4. Notes editor 6. Map editor 5. Task pane 1 The File tab is where you will find the key functions such as save and print. 2 The ribbon appears at the top of the screen. The icons on the ribbon allow quick access to functions in MindGenius. Icons are grouped together on tabs. 3 The Map Explorer appears at the left hand side of the Map Editor and is used to navigate large Maps. The Map Explorer immediately allows you to focus in on an area of the Map 4 The Notes Editor is displayed below the Map Explorer. It is a text editor allowing you to add related notes to any selected branch Note: You can change the location of the Notes editor by clicking on the button on the Task Pane. This will move the Notes Editor to the bottom of the screen (as found in PowerPoint). 5 Below the notes editor is the task pane. This is a series of buttons that give you easy access some features of MindGenius such as Word Cloud and Picture Gallery. Clicking on an icon in the Task Pane loads the function into the window above. 6 The Map Editor takes up the largest part of the screen and is where maps are created and edited 7 The Navigation Pane appears at the right hand side of the Map Editor and comprises a template gallery with many pre-defined templates to get you started, as well as resources to help you use Mind Genius. Page 7
University of Brighton Information Services 4 Creating a New Map Ok, we understand the screen layout; let s use MindGenius to create a new map. For the purpose of this workshop we have chosen a subject area for you (20 th Century Fiction), but this can be adapted to your own subject if you wish. Open MindGenius on your computer (on a university student computer you will find MindGenius within the Applications folder). Click on the File tab and click to select New from the menu or click on New Blank Map in the Navigation Pane. In the dialogue box type the text for the root branch of your map and click OK. The Root Branch is the first branch in a map; it describes what the map is about.. Exercise A Create a new mind map 1 Create a new map with the title 20 th Century Fiction 4.1 Saving a Mind Map Click on the File tab and click to select Save from the menu. Specify a location to save the map. Students working on university computers should save the map to One Drive or to a memory stick. Specify a name for the map and Click on Save. Exercise B Save your map 1 For this exercise, save your map to your desktop. Note that if you are using a university computer you should never save your work to the desktop or the C drive as these are deleted when you log off. This exercise assumes you do not really want to keep the map after the exercise has finished. If you want to keep your file, save it somewhere else, such as a USB stick. Page 8 14 th July 2015
MindGenius v6: A revision tool 4.2 Editing and Adding Branches Double-click on a branch to edit the text. To add a new branch: o o o click once on the parent branch type the text for the new branch press the Enter key on your keyboard. To add another new branch at the same level: o o type the text for the new branch press the Enter key on your keyboard. Exercise C Editing and adding branches to your map Let s practice that. We ll edit a branch or two to start off with. 1 Single click on the branch 20 th Century Fiction and then type Modernist and then press the Enter key on your keyboard. The new branch has been added to the parent branch 20 th Century Fiction 2 Use these techniques to build the map as shown below: Keep this map open as we will be using it throughout the workshop. Page 9
University of Brighton Information Services 5 Testing yourself using your Mind Map Here are a few ideas of how you can use your map to test your knowledge of the subject. 5.1 Collapsing and expanding branches Collapsing a branch will hide any sub-branches. Collapse a branch and see if you can remember what the sub-branches for that topic are. To collapse a branch, click on the minus sign to the left of the parent branch you want to collapse. To expand a branch, click on the plus sign to the left of the parent branch you want to expand. Exercise D Collapsing and expanding branches 1 For this exercise, we ll test our knowledge of Modernist writers. Have a look at the sub-branches of the Modernist branch for a few moments and then collapse the Modernist branch. 2 How many names on the sub-branches can you remember? 3 Expand the Modernist branch to check your answer. 5.2 Focus on a particular area using the Map Explorer A complicated topic can seem overwhelming. Focusing on one area of a time helps you to concentrate better and retain information. You can use the Map Explorer on the left of the screen to display only that topic in the Map Editor window. If the Map Explorer is not visible, click on the screen to make it appear. at the top left of the Click on a topic in the Map Explorer to select it. The Map Editor will display only that topic and the subbranches associated with that topic. Click on the top level in the Map Explorer to show the entire map again. Page 10 14 th July 2015
MindGenius v6: A revision tool Exercise E Using the map explorer Let s have a go: 1 In the Map Explorer, click on the to expand the branch list. 2 In the Map Explorer, click once on the text Modernist to select that branch. The map displayed in the Map Editor will shrink to only show the Modernist branch and its children. 3 In the Map Explorer, click once on the text 20th Century Fiction. The entire map will be displayed in the Map Editor. 6 Adding colour and pictures Revision is all about the retrieval of information. This is made easier when not overwhelmed with information, and where key facts are easily available and memorable. A mind map can help you pull out key information and display that information in a way that could help you retain it. Making information memorable can be assisted by adding pictures and using colours, so let s look at how we can do this with our Mind Map. 6.1 Changing the colour of branches automatically If colour helps you to distinguish between areas of your map, try the auto-colour function: Click on the Format tab. Click on the Auto-colour icon. Click on the Auto-colour icon again to turn it off. Page 11
University of Brighton Information Services 6.2 Editing the appearance of one branch Click once on the branch you want to edit to select it. Click on the Format tab on the ribbon at the top of the screen and use the icons to format the branch. For example, use the Solid Fill option to change the colour of the Branch to Light Green. For more formatting options, click on the icon in the Branch group on the Format tab (under the Connector Style icon) to open the Branch Appearance dialogue box. For example, click on the Branch Shape tab to edit the style of your selected branch including the Shape Style, Line type/colour and Fill Colour. Click on the Font tab to edit the appearance of the text within the branch. Click OK to finish editing the branch. Exercise F Edit the appearance of one branch 1 Click once on the Modernist branch. 2 Click on the Format tab on the ribbon at the top of the screen and use the icons to format the branch. For example, use the Solid Fill option to change the colour of the Branch to Light Green. Try editing Font Colour and Font Size and the Shape Style, Fill Colour and Line Style of the Modernist branch. Note: if you would like to apply this formatting to any other branches on your map: Click on the Save as style button, type a name for this branch style and click OK. To apply the style to a selected branch: Click on the branch to select it. Click on the icon in the Branch group on the Format tab to open the Branch Appearance dialogue box. Choose your style from the list in the Existing Style box and click OK. Page 12 14 th July 2015
MindGenius v6: A revision tool 6.3 Adding a boundary You can add a boundary to an area of the map for extra emphasis and to group areas together. Click once to select the highest branch of the area want to add the boundary to. On the Format tab, within the Boundary group, use the Style and Fill options to apply a boundary to the selected branch and all of its sub-branches. Exercise G Adding a boundary Let s try that. 1 Add a boundary to the Modernist node of your map. That section of your map may now look something like this: Page 13
University of Brighton Information Services 6.4 Editing the appearance of all branches of the same level What if MindGenius default colours and shapes used in a map are not working for you? Simple: you update the styles used in the map. Unless you specify otherwise, a new map is based on MindGenius default template. From this template the map inherits styles. The styles determine how the map looks. That is to say, how each branch at each level of the map is displayed in terms of fonts, branch shapes, connectors, etc. The styles of a map can be edited at any time. Editing a style saves you time as if you update the formatting for a certain branch level, the changes will automatically apply to all branches of the same level. Click on the Format tab. Click on the Edit Map Style icon to open the Format Styles window. On the Style Formatting tab choose the branch level to update. Format the branch as required using the icons on the tabs. Click on OK. This will apply the changes to the map. If the changes are not applied to the map, check that the Style Assignment tab has the correct assignments. Exercise H Editing the appearance of branches of the same level Let s change the look of the Core and the Level 1 Branches: 1 On the Format tab, click on the Edit Map Style icon, then click on the Style Formatting tab 2 Select Core from the list of levels on the left (this will allow us to change the root level of the map) Page 14 14 th July 2015
MindGenius v6: A revision tool 3 Click on the Branch Shape Tab and choose Ellipse from the Shape Style List, note the sample changing 4 Try changing the font colour for Level 1 to red. Then change the branch fill to be yellow. Click OK when you have finished 7 Adding Pictures It is believed that the memory's storing and recalling powers can be enhanced through the use of pictures for emphasis and association. In other words adding associated pictures to a branch may help you remember the information held in that branch. So let s add some pictures! Click once on the branch that you want to add the picture to. On the Insert tab click on the Pictures icon. Locate the picture file on your computer, click once to select it and then click Open. To change the size of the picture, click on node containing the picture and then use the and icons within the Pictures group on the Insert tab. To change the position of the picture within a node, use the Position icon within the Pictures group on on the Insert tab. To delete an image from a node, click on the node, on the Insert tab click on the icon within the Pictures group on on the Insert tab. Exercise I Add a picture from file 1 Add some pictures to your map. For real maps you can find and save your own pictures but for now look in the My Pictures folder or library on your computer and choose a picture file to add. Page 15
University of Brighton Information Services Your map may now look something like this: Page 16 14 th July 2015
8 Adding notes and attachments MindGenius v6: A revision tool Notes and attachments can be used in your map to hold more detailed information about each topic within your map. Notes is more detailed text that can be typed directly into the Notes Pane for the relevant branch and will be displayed whenever the branch is selected. Attachments/links can be added to a branch and will appear as clickable links when hovering over a relevant branch. You can include links to website as well as links to documents on your computer. Exercise J Adding Notes 1 Click to select the branch you want to add notes to. For this exercise click on the James Joyce sub-branch. 2 In the Task Pane, click on the icon to display the Notes Editor. 3 Above the notes pane, click on the icon to dock the notes panes below the map and to make more formatting options available. 4 Click inside the Notes Editor and type the following: James Joyce Born: 2 February 1882, Rathgar, Dublin, Ireland Died: 13 January 1941 (aged 58), Zürich, Switzerland Literary movement: Modernism, and imagism Influences: Homer, Aristotle, Dante Influenced: Beckett, Eco, Orwell 5 Note the formatting tools above the notes editor including numbered and bulleted lists. 6 Click anywhere on the map. An icon will appear on that branch to indicate that there are notes associated with the branch. To view the notes you will need to click on the branch. Page 17
University of Brighton Information Services 8.1 Adding links to websites and linking to other files In addition to adding Notes to a branch you can also add attachments. Let s say you have found a website that provides additional information that could help with the revision of a subject. The website address can be added as an attachment to a branch and can then be accessed directly from a branch, making it easier to retrieve the information. 8.1.1 Adding links to websites Let s say you ve found a collection of useful websites that you would like to refer to in your assignment or essay, adding them to a branch would be a useful way of storing and using the links, so here s how: Click on the sub-branch that you want to add a link to. On the Insert tab click on the on the Hyperlink icon. In the dialogue box that opens up type the details of the website and then click on OK.. Exercise K Adding links to websites 1 For this exercise, add the details above to the James Joyce sub-branch. 2 You will see an icon has appeared on the relevant branch (the icon will be the icon for your default internet browser). 3 Now add a second website of your choice, following the instructions 1 3. The icon will change to 2 paperclips. Hover over this icon with your mouse, you will notice a list appear, detailing the web sites you ve just added. To visit one of the sites simply click on the title. Page 18 14 th July 2015
MindGenius v6: A revision tool 8.1.2 Adding links to a document It s possible to add attachments to your map. For instance, if you ve created a separate document containing your detailed notes for a certain topic, you can add a link to this document to your map. To add a link to a document: Click on the sub-branch that you want to add a link to. On the Insert tab, click on the Attachment icon. In the Add Attachments dialogue box, type the description of the file in the Description box. Click on the Browse icon. Locate the document file on your computer and double-click to select it Click OK. An icon will appear on your selected branch to indicate that an attachment has been added. For instance, if you add a Word document, you will see the logo. If you add multiple attachments to one branch, the icon will change to a paperclip Exercise L Adding a link to a document 1 Try adding a file attachment to one of the branches in your map. Page 19
University of Brighton Information Services 9 Using Filters to create a timetable for your revision Mind Genius comes with a number of features that enable you to sort the information in your map. With a bit of creative thinking these tools could be used to help you create a realistic timetable for your revision. We re going to look at using Categories and Filters to help with this. Let s say you ve given yourself a week in which to revise the subject in your map. You will revise Monday to Saturday and will leave Sunday free for a rest. Using the Category function you could assign a category, which relates to a day of the week (one for each day of the week), to the branches that you want to focus on that particular day. Then you can apply a Filter that helps you to display the information you plan to revise on that particular day. This will help you focus on just that information without being distracted or overwhelmed by the remaining branches. Select the branches that you want to apply a category to. To select an entire branch and its children, click and drag with your mouse to draw a box around the branches that you want to select. To select multiple branches or areas of the map, hold down the CTRL button on your keyboard whilst you use your mouse to make your selection. Click on the Analyze tab and click on the display the available categories and the category options. to Click to select the category you require. Exercise M Adding the Categories Let s practice that. We are going to use the Brainstorming categories for our purpose. This group has 6 colour-coded categories. We will use on category per day (Monday to Saturday). 1 Select the Modernist branch and all its children. 2 Click on the Analyze tab and click on the to display the available categories and the category options. Page 20 14 th July 2015
MindGenius v6: A revision tool 3 Click to select Category 1 from the Brainstorming category group. (If you cannot see the Brainstorming categories, click on More Categories and click to select Brainstorming). All of the selected branches in your map will now be colour-coded. 4 Repeat steps 1-3 to apply categories for the rest of the week as shown below: All of the branches of your map are now categorised, ready for us to apply the filter. Page 21
University of Brighton Information Services 9.1 Creating filters using your categories Now we can filter the map based on your categories. This will mean that you can emphasise the information for the category you have filtered. Click on the Analyze tab and click on the drop down arrow below the Quick Filter icon. Click to select the category you want to filter by. The colours on the map will change. All branches will be grey except those assigned to the category you have selected. Exercise N Creating filters using your categories Let s try that to emphasise the topics that we are going to revise on Friday (represented by category 5 in our example). 1 Click on the Analyze tab and click on the drop down arrow below the Quick Filter icon. 2 Click to select Category 5. 3 Your map will look something like this: Page 22 14 th July 2015
MindGenius v6: A revision tool 9.2 Renaming categories It is possible to rename categories and even create your own categories to make them easier to use. On the Analyze tab and click on Edit Categories. Click on the category you want to rename and click on Rename. Type a new name for the category and press ENTER Click OK when you have finished. 10 Additional help and resources To learn more about using Mind Genius, Click on the Tools tab Click on Help Contents. This will take you to the help section of MindGenius which is very simple to use. For more information on using Mind Maps see: How to Mind Map: The Ultimate Thinking Tool That Will Change Your Life by Tony Buzan Buzan's Study Skills: Mind Maps, Memory Techniques, Speed Reading and More! (Mind Set) by Tony Buzan www.mind-mapping.co.uk http://www.mindgenius.com For more help with revision tips see the Academic Study Kit website (the Undergraduates area has information about exams, including revision). http://about.brighton.ac.uk/ask/ and good luck with your exams! Page 23