Balf Mind Map

Back when I was at school, especially during Higher and Advanced Higher Computing, my teacher (who is also now my colleague) inspired me to use mind maps. Throughout my own time going through education, my undergraduate Computer Science, my PHd and my Post-Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE), I have used mind maps in one way or another. 

I was initially familiar with Mind Genius and obtained a copy from Heriot-Watt when I started my undergraduate degree. Whilst I found my undergrad easy enough and second nature, some elements of it were not. Particular areas around mathematics in computer science were the key points where I struggled. Mind-mapping the key ideas was really useful for revising and understanding the issues I might have.

Anyway, fast-forward twelve years, and I'm teaching and finding that mind maps are a great resource to help pupils, just as they did for me. However, I'm limited. 

So this is where it gets fun. Three or four weeks ago, I was making my final preparations to present my practitioner enquiry, which focused on recalling key information. My main focus here was using mind maps to help pupils recall information from what they already know before we start a new unit of work. I had been using draw.io for making mind maps and found it's very powerful, but not specific enough for anything - it's more of a UML application than anything.

So, as I do with most things, I decided to break the wheel. And then reinvent it.

What I mean is, meet Balf Mind Map. It's free, no data is collected, and no login is required, which is crucial for schools.