Hi,
Whenever I start a new topic with my students, I like to to a "brainstorming" session.
"Brainstorming is useful in the initial stages of a task, for example for gathering a range of ideas or finding out what students already know collectively.
It's useful to set some ground rules for brainstorming, which can include:
* Everyone's contribution is valued, and no criticism is given until all the contributions are listed;
* Everyone participates in turn, and anyone without anything to add at that moment can say "pass" without recrimination;
* Wild ideas are as welcome as sober ones in the ideas-generating stage;
* Everyone's idea must be expressed (say) in a single sentence or written on a single post-it (to avoid over-dominance by those with most ideas)."
(Phil Race and Sally Brown, "ILTA Guide", 2002).
I've begun development on a Moodle activity, "Brainstorm", which facilitates brainstorming:
1. The teacher sets a topic or question, and each student can enter one idea in response. When the students return to the brainstorm activity, they see the list of all responses to date.
2. After the students have responded, the teacher can categorise the responses and the results are then displayed in categories.
3. The categorised responses are optionally displayed in the form of a "Mind Map" (also called a "Concept Map" or "Learning Map").
As well as wanting to "give something back" to Moodle - as I have enjoyed using it for the last year, and have begun training my colleagues here at Athlone Institute of Technology - it has also helped me understand the workings of the Moodle activities modules code.
Part 1 is done, and I'm about to begin work on part 2. I thought I'd check in the the Moodle Module developers and let you know what I'm doing. Should I submit what I've done so far, or wait until I have it all completed?
Regards,
Cormac McClean.
Fantastic! please publish in CVS
2. Can (in your fantasy on point 2) a teacher delegate the harvesting and categorising to a (group of) student?
2.b Can non-editing students vote for importance of issues?
3. Are you thinking of an internal mindmapping mechanism (Preferred) or using a tool like the CMAPToolserver from the University of West Florida? (you can run this server in the background on one of your own machines..)
Hi Ger,
Thanks for your encouragement and for the feedback - you've given me further ideas to work on.
I like the idea of students being able to harvest and categorise the responses - that will be a feature.
I hadn't thought of the idea of voting on the relative importance of the responses, but that would be useful.
Finally, my plan is to use an internal mindmapping mechanism, but thanks for making me aware of the CMAPTool, I hadn't come across it.
I'll tidy up the code and submit it later today.
Regards,
Cormac.
Thanks for your encouragement and for the feedback - you've given me further ideas to work on.
I like the idea of students being able to harvest and categorise the responses - that will be a feature.
I hadn't thought of the idea of voting on the relative importance of the responses, but that would be useful.
Finally, my plan is to use an internal mindmapping mechanism, but thanks for making me aware of the CMAPTool, I hadn't come across it.
I'll tidy up the code and submit it later today.
Regards,
Cormac.
Sorry was Dutch..
I think that the semantic structure of Cmap is for this purpose to complex, and a built-in modul is better tomaintain. I reach now the point that I can kill all other "local"web-apps in favor of one:Moodle
Another tool I look at http://kmi.open.ac.uk/software/onlineservices.html
(and D3E from the same KMI group)
Hi Cormac,
sounds really exciting. Bravo!
Some comments:
- What's the meaning of "categorise the responses and the results"?
- How this type of activity should be graded (collaborative, by the teacher...)?
- Can somebody post some links to see some brainstorm examples?
Finally, mi 1st contribution to the module.
Ciao
sounds really exciting. Bravo!
Some comments:
- What's the meaning of "categorise the responses and the results"?
- How this type of activity should be graded (collaborative, by the teacher...)?
- Can somebody post some links to see some brainstorm examples?
Finally, mi 1st contribution to the module.
Ciao
Hi Eloy,
1. The idea is that the initial responses are free-form, and then categorised to focus discussion or decide what topic to cover.
For example, I teach Linux System Administration. Most students are only familiar with MS Windows and seem put off by the idea of learning a new operating system. So we brainstorm about operating systems - students suggest ones they've used, or even heard of, and then we categorise them into, for example, desktop, server, embedded.
Initially the teacher will be the one to decide on the categories and then allocate each response to a category (next version); a later version will allow students to have control of this process.
2. To allow students to open their minds for brainstorming, I don't grade it - it's say what you think, without pressure of being graded for it. Free Speech! I'd like to keep it that way, although if required, grading will be added.
3. I've been testing this in small groups: I'll setup a demo version and make it available, hope that's ok.
I love your brainstorming images. The current icon is very basic (my artistic skills need a bit of work!).
Regards,
Cormac.
1. The idea is that the initial responses are free-form, and then categorised to focus discussion or decide what topic to cover.
For example, I teach Linux System Administration. Most students are only familiar with MS Windows and seem put off by the idea of learning a new operating system. So we brainstorm about operating systems - students suggest ones they've used, or even heard of, and then we categorise them into, for example, desktop, server, embedded.
Initially the teacher will be the one to decide on the categories and then allocate each response to a category (next version); a later version will allow students to have control of this process.
2. To allow students to open their minds for brainstorming, I don't grade it - it's say what you think, without pressure of being graded for it. Free Speech! I'd like to keep it that way, although if required, grading will be added.
3. I've been testing this in small groups: I'll setup a demo version and make it available, hope that's ok.
I love your brainstorming images. The current icon is very basic (my artistic skills need a bit of work!).
Regards,
Cormac.
Hi
This looks like a great idea and would be very useful. I haven't had time to read the details yet but I'm aware of the concept and I look forward to developments of this module.
One small thing - in UK secondaries we're not meant to refer to "Brainstorm" any more. I can't remember exactly why but it's something to do with political correctness, eg somebody with specific mental problems might be offended by the term "Brainstorm". We tend to talk about "Ideas Web" or "Mind Map" these days. Might it be possible to alter the name of the module and other refernces to Brainstorm within it?
Just my 2d's worth. Carry on the good work!
Dale
This looks like a great idea and would be very useful. I haven't had time to read the details yet but I'm aware of the concept and I look forward to developments of this module.
One small thing - in UK secondaries we're not meant to refer to "Brainstorm" any more. I can't remember exactly why but it's something to do with political correctness, eg somebody with specific mental problems might be offended by the term "Brainstorm". We tend to talk about "Ideas Web" or "Mind Map" these days. Might it be possible to alter the name of the module and other refernces to Brainstorm within it?
Just my 2d's worth. Carry on the good work!
Dale
Hummmmmmm. That is a thought. I wonder therefore if another of Eloy's images might be more appropriate.
Hi Dale,
Interesting point. I had considered that there would be two main uses for this module: brainstorming as a starting point for a new topic, and mindmapping as a revision tool for a completed topic. So I would consider changing the name - maybe next version (later this week).
I like the term "Mind Map", but I'd be surprised if Tony Buzan doesn't have a copyright on it. In fact, I've jut checked
and Mind Map is a registered trade mark. So I'll see what alternatives are available.
Regards,
Cormac.
Interesting point. I had considered that there would be two main uses for this module: brainstorming as a starting point for a new topic, and mindmapping as a revision tool for a completed topic. So I would consider changing the name - maybe next version (later this week).
I like the term "Mind Map", but I'd be surprised if Tony Buzan doesn't have a copyright on it. In fact, I've jut checked
and Mind Map is a registered trade mark. So I'll see what alternatives are available.
Regards,
Cormac.
I do NOT like the word Mindmap (or Brainmap) either. It is suggesting (misleading) that you make a map of a process in the mind, while it is just a bag of ideas, dropped on (electronic) paper. (more like the cartoon of BrainRain) maybe some name I saw in another forum: Noodle-Moodle. (From the slogan: Use your Noodle, do Moodle.)
We used for children in the past the word: Word-spider / Idea-spider
(By the way is the book Mindstorms also forbidden in UK?)
Hello All!
How about "Idea Bag"?
Please, if possible, include "Rubric" as a way to assess students in this activity along with other assessment tools so Instructors could have an additional tool for assessment if they want to give some type of grade for this.
WP1
How about "Idea Bag"?
Please, if possible, include "Rubric" as a way to assess students in this activity along with other assessment tools so Instructors could have an additional tool for assessment if they want to give some type of grade for this.
WP1