Foster Collaboration with Digital Mind Mapping Tools

Promote collaborative thinking and brainstorming using digital mind mapping tools. We’re here to help you learn some effective mind mapping techniques, and showcase digital mind mapping platforms.

What is Digital Mind Mapping?

Mind mapping, also known as concept mapping, is a way to record information and make connections between ideas. It fosters creative problem solving, as well as collaboration when used in group settings.

Effective Mind Mapping Techniques

The general formula for creating a mind map is to create a main topic in the very center, then add branches and subheadings that spread outwards just like the spreading branches of a tree.

Use single words or short phrases to encourage quick turnaround and avoid visual clutter.

Brainstorming & Problem Solving

Let the ideas flow. You can worry about how to connect them and move them around later. Particularly if you are working in a group, being flexible in this phase can help get everyone talking and everything out on the table to get the project started.

Part of the beauty of mind mapping is that it allows you to draw connections between different ideas to as many other ideas as you think are relevant. You can also create sub-branches anywhere you need them. Sit back and allow the visual representations of your thoughts created by this process to reveal themes and main ideas.

Once patterns arise, don’t be afraid to re-organize, clean up duplicate ideas and fill in holes wherever necessary. You may want to create copies of the original document to keep the integrity of the original process when restructuring!

The branches of a concept map can break tasks down into more manageable chunks.

Note-Taking & Studying

Don’t be afraid to include images, colors or whatever else will help you make mental connections to your topic.

Concept maps can help you make sure you cover all the information pertaining to the area you are focusing on. They accomplish this by making sure everything pertaining to that topic is in one area, rather than spread out among different traditional list-style notes.

Digital Mind Mapping Platforms

Mindomo – Real-time editing & offline editing, AI-powered mind mapping, cross-platform, sync across devices, full history of changes, full-text search, hundreds of easy-to-use templates.

Canva – Come up with the best concepts and bring them to life. Brainstorm with your team easily and organize ideas through mind mapping. Customize mind map examples for free with Canva Whiteboards.

Xmind – The full-featured mind mapping and brainstorming app. Like a Swiss Army Knife, Xmind ® offers a complete toolset for thinking and creativity.

Lucidchart – Quickly visualize your team’s processes, systems, and organizational structure. Intelligent diagramming lets you visualize complex ideas faster, clearer and more collaboratively

mindmeister – Mind mapping starts with a main idea in the center of your mind map. Create unlimited subtopics and explore your thoughts, color coding for clarity and style. As your map takes shape, add context to topics with attachments, embedded media and more.

Coggle – Whether you’re taking notes, brainstorming, planning, or doing something awesomely creative, it is super simple to visualize your ideas with Coggle. Share with as many friends or colleagues as you like. Changes you make will show up instantly!

Miro – Miro’s mind map maker is the quickest, easiest way for teams to capture, organize, and map out their ideas in a structured way.

MindMup – Create unlimited mind maps for free, and store them in the cloud. Your mind maps are available everywhere, instantly, from any device. Brainstorm, create presentations and document outlines with mind maps, and publish your ideas online and to social networks.

Conclusion

Mind mapping is an incredibly useful brainstorming tool, and digital platforms have really taken it to the next level. We hope you’ve seen something in this post to help foster collaboration in your classroom today!