Hi
Just to add to the discussion around mind mapping and concept mapping in relation to information literacy. We have used these techniques both to improve our own understanding of our particular domain (quality improvement in health care) in order to provide a better service to a particular group (nursing). You can see some examples of this in: "Mapping health on the Internet" (http://www.radcliffe-oxford.com/books/bookdetail.asp?ISBN=1+85775+593+6). We also describe the techniques in an online module about information literacy for RCN members.
 
 A major (as yet unpublished) study of information needs points to a high demand for information skills training from nurses themselves. The recognition and use of mind mapping and concept mapping as essential skills is long overdue. As Joseph Novak, champion of concept mapping, commented wryly: "Hopefully, by the year 2061, this will come to pass." (http://cmap.coginst.uwf.edu/info/printer.html).
 
Ross Scrivener
Information Manager, Quality Improvement Programme
Royal College of Nursing Institute
20 Cavendish Square
W1G 0RN

Tel: 0207 647 3825
email: [log in to unmask]
"working with healthcare professionals to improve the quality of patient care"

-----Original Message-----
From: S.Webber [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 17 February 2005 18:29
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Mindmaps again

Hi - interesting to hear about all this mindmapping.


Bill Johnston and I did a half-day seminar on "Mindmapping: developing creativity and information literacy" for SINTO in 2004. I thought I'd done a blog entry, but seems I never got round to it. I talked about using it when teaching information literacy (see below). Bill introduced the concept, its use in different contexts, and talked about how he uses it in a Creativity class he runs as part of Strathclyde Business School's entrepreneurship programme. Delegates created their own group mindmaps around concepts like "creative work" and "barriers to creativity".


I gave a paper, about using mindmapping in my Information Literacy class, at the Online conference in Dec 2002 called "Mapping a path to the empowered searcher" and you can download it from

http://dis.shef.ac.uk/sheila/sw-mindmap-2002.pdf

The students have to do mindmaps as part of an individual and a group search exercise (both not assessed), and for their coursework they get marks for before and after mindmaps of an individual search topic they have to do (they go into pairs and set each other search topics - mostly not academic ones. The main part of the courseworks asks them to describe and reflect on their development in the "7 pillars" of information literacy, with special reference to this particular search). They also have a compulsory exam question where they have to do a mindmap.


There is also the feature in Library and Information Update which Bill and I contributed short pieces to, and there are longer items by Adrian Dale and Sheila O'Flynn.

Dale, A et al. (2003) "Information: it's all in the mind." Library and information update, 2 (4). http://www.cilip.org.uk/publications/updatemagazine/archive/archive 2003/april/update0304b.htm


Sheila



---------------------

Sheila Webber, Lecturer, Department of Information Studies, University of Sheffield, Regent Court, 211 Portobello Street, Sheffield S1 4DP, UK.

Email [log in to unmask]

Tel. (0044) 0114 222 2641

Fax 0114 278 0300

The Information Literacy Weblog: http://ciquest.shef.ac.uk/infolit/




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