Idea Map #39 - Food Pyramid

Daniel is a senior at the University of South Florida, and did his summer at a large automotive company in southeastern Michigan. One of his first assignments his manager gave him was to read the Idea Mapping book. I met Daniel in June and he was already becoming a huge fan and user of MindManager.

One of Daniel's learnings was how to live on his, so he created the food pyramid map because when he first got to Michigan he had no idea what he needed to eat everyday. Because he does lots of sports including triathalons, he wanted to eat healthy. He went online to a government site on health and diets and found the food pyramid. Daniel decided to made it into an idea map since it is easier to read, and he could easily point out the pictures in order to see what he needed for a healthy diet. He also had the foods he ate most next to each category so he could remember what he needed to get at the grocery. He put this map on the refrigerator and it helped him follow a healthy diet for the 3 months that he was in Michigan. Maybe Daniel will send us an idea map of one of his subjects this fall, and we can see how he applies his new learning to his studies???

You can see a clearer pdf version of this map on my website under "Additional Maps". If you click on any column it will sort alphabetically and you can then search by author or title (Food Pyramid) of the map.

Idea Map #38 - Back to School After 48 Years

Next month I will be heading to MTSU (Middle Tennessee State University) to teach 3 workshops for the 5th year in a row. Each year Dr. Carol Ann Baily (Director of Adult Services) gathers nearly 150 students for two 3-hour Idea Mapping Workshops and another 30 or so faculty for a workshop the following day. Last year Darlene Houston was one of the student participants. Her first map from last year is above. Here's her story in her own words:

"I was taking 15 credit hours as a full-time non-traditional student. Those first few weeks I felt overwhelmed by college Algebra since it had been 48 years since I'd taken it in High School. I was letting self-doubt for conquering Algebra take over my mind and it was effecting all my work. It was apparent that if I didn't change my thought patterns I would be defeated in my quest for a college degree before I really began. I needed to let "I Can" explode through the 'can't'.

After the Idea Mapping Workshop the previous week, I decided to prepare for an upcoming Stagecraft test by turning my linear notes into an idea map. My test score was 96 using the map. I thought I was too busy to map for the next test, but I sure found using linear notes did not produce the same result. That score was 69.

Weeks after I did my map, I looked at it again and drew an exploding "I Can" coming up through the middle. There were several things I drew that were essential to know on the test. I can still see the "I Can" visual in my mind, and I draw upon that mental image to carry me through when the task looks too difficult."

Idea Map #37 - Planning a Meeting

Don Snyder (better know as Don The Idea Guy) introduced me to Jim Canterucci, the author of a book called Personal Brilliance. Last month Jim and his wife Holly were in town, and I had a chance to meet with them in person. When Jim started the meeting he pulled out this map that he created using MindManager. I was so impressed that I had to show off his work. You'll hear more about Jim in the future, but for now here is your introduction. To discover your Personal Brilliance Quotient, go to www.mypersonalbrilliance.com.

Idea Map #36 - Learning French & Hint #13

As another school year begins, learners around the globe might be encouraged to see an Idea Mapping example created by a fellow student, Erica Ervin. In 2002, Erica was a junior at Willow Run High School in Ypsilanti, Michigan. It was the first of several school years where I taught Idea Mapping to the students and faculty. In this map she outlines a chapter in her French book. Hint #13 is to create a map of a subject you need to remember, then review it on a daily basis until you can recreate it from memory. The 55 students who participated in this first group improved their average GPA's by nearly half a point as a result of applying idea mapping to their studies.

Idea Map #35 - An Idea Tree

Roberto Vidales is an ecologist and has been using what he calls "idea trees" as a tool to develop an ecological-holistic view and consciousness about nature and the big challenges we are facing now as human beings -- like the global warming or climatic disaster. He uses this idea tree as an educational tool to share with friends, neighbors, local government authorities, and different audiences in Mexico City and surrounding areas. This is Roberto's second contribution to this website. To see his other map in spanish see http://ideamapping.blogspot.com/2007/06/idea-map-19.html.

Idea Map #34 - Preparing For a Debate

After my July workshop at ACH, one of the participants (Karen Southworth) told one of the guys she worked with (Duane Lawrence) about the class. He is really interested in attending the upcoming October offering. This is what Karen shared with me:

"Duane looked at Ray's Idea Mapping book the other day, and checked out your blog. He is going to school at night and mapped a chapter of a course he was taking. They had to do a "debate" in the class, and he referred to his idea map...everyone else was flipping through the book as they were preparing their arguments. Others in the class wanted copies of his map. It was done in pencil and didn't follow the same kind of logic we used in class, but he used symbols and added stuff on as he went along. He really found it useful."

Duane sent me his map so that I could share it with you!

Idea Map #33 - A Medical Makeover

In the June 22, 2007 blog posting, I shared an idea map that had been created by a friend of mine from EDS. I had lost track of her. In the June 26, 2007 posting, I shared how Janet and I miraculously reconnected and another one of her extraordinary maps. Today is the third map from Janet featured in this blog. It talks about a medical makeover.

Since the photo taken around 1995 on the June 26 posting, Janet has implemented that medical makeover to a degree that would inspire anyone. I'll include a link to her diary of photos and progress that led to her success a few years ago. You'll be astonished at the difference.

Need To Plan a Project? Make a Map!

Congratulations to the 23 new idea-mappers, jugglers, learners, memorizers, visionaries, and drawers! Last week 23 ACH employees attended the 2-day Idea Mapping Workshop. Attached are a few photos from the class.

We were all entertained by Glenn's dynamic "Make a Map" presentation.

I'll share their portraits, idea maps, and stories in future blogs.