I remember a college assignment that required the creation of a mind-map. Once students got past worrying about whether they were doing it “right” or “wrong”, it was actually pretty fun to create. Mind-mapping can be a useful tool, because it helps us see the forest – the big picture – the macro-view. It’s about being aware of the connections and the inter-relatedness of things.
I think visualization tools like this can be especially useful when we’re trying to understand things that are really, really big. As many of you know, I have a strong interest in Wikipedia, the user-created online encyclopedia. I came across an amazing Wikipedia visualization this morning. I would love to see the 5′x5′ version and will probably buy the poster when it becomes available (you MUST check out that ‘buy the poster’ link – nerdy nirvana!).
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