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For some time I have been looking for an on-line tool to create diagrams for a variety of tasks, and I have recently rediscovered draw.io which I am finding very useful for doing simple mindmaps  and venn diagrams (which I use in teaching as a basic logic tool).  For both of these functions there are specialist tools, but I am finding draw.io easier to use than most - and sufficient for what I want to do.

The programme will connect to a  range of cloud storage facilities so you can save to Google Drive, Idrive etc, and it automatically saves changes there.  You can then either publish links to your diagrams or embed them in web pages.  The embedded files do take a little while to load so my plan is to embed them while I am still developing them (they, then get automatically updated) but will replace them with static versions when I am finished.  There are a couple of examples on my website in the approaches section where I wanted to start with a mindmap rather than text.

An improved google site show what you can do with graphs on google.  Very useful.

https://developers.google.com/chart/

And for balance - tutorials on excel charts - http://blogs.office.com/2012/05/30/our-eight-best-tutorials-on-excel-charts/

A couple of resources on mindmapping and Problem Based Learning.

 

 

A prezi presentation on the PBL process http://prezi.com/t_-sasj4femd/pbl-mind-map/

 

On pub med I found this article - Clin Teach. 2010 Dec;7(4):236-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1743-498X.2010.00395.x.

Mind mapping as a teaching resource.

Edwards S1, Cooper N.

 

 

An article on using mindmaps in PBL - http://www.cetl.hku.hk/conference2010/pdf/Fonteijn.pdf

 

A study done on the use of mindmaps for study in SMD at Queen Mary - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2923.2002.01205.x/abstract

 

David Andrew

HEA CPD Manager
Senior Tutor
 


Centre for Academic and Professional Development
Queen Mary, University of London

Mile End, London E1 4NS

 

 

www.capd.qmul.ac.uk

 

02078822803

02081446753

 

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/12/21/100-diagrams-that-changed-the-world/

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