Life+Map


 * The Life Map for Jodie Riek (so far)**



LIFE MAP REFLECTION

I used Inspiration as my tool to design my Life Map, because I already had a copy of this software on my laptop. I really like Inspiration, Kidspiration and Webspiration and have used these frequently in the past for both working with my students in the classroom but also for making visual maps of concepts I am presenting in a managerial situation. I have used other online mind mapping tools but I tend to gravitate back to Inspiration, due to the “prettiness” of the final product.
 * Awareness**

In regards to my life map - I am obviously aware of the various aspects of my life, but having to map it out took far more time than I would have predicted, and it looks a lot busier than I would have thought!

Initially I found Inspiration really difficult to use, so it took a few times of playing around with it and seeing what it could do and what I could achieve with it. Lucky for me at the time of using it for the first few times I had some great learning peers to help and explore it with me - four and five year old students! They were great! They were like try this and try that, so we all learnt together. Inspiration soon became a favourite tool to use to visualise our thoughts.
 * Exploration**

When working on my life map for this module I had to actually cut out some areas of my life e.g. friends; which I was going to include just due to the sheer size the map was becoming and really the relevance to this course. In the end I thought it best to narrow it down to family, interests, education and work as these all have relevance to the course whilst still giving my peers a good sense of who I am and where I have come from.

Although I really like inspiration and it is my preferred visual mapping tool, I wouldn’t say that it is in my foremost mind as an everyday tool for work. I would say it is on the fringe of the scope of tools that I use, and that is probably because it is a tool that has a very specific use, rather than a wide range of uses (or maybe I am just not using my right brain enough on this one!).
 * Filtration**

In my life map I did notice (although I was already aware of this) that education permeates a great proportion of my life. I live and breathe education - not just for work but also for personal fulfillment. I really enjoy learning and sharing knowledge, ideas and connections. The mind map has just reinforced my personal view of my own life, which is that education is a big part of who I am. I am a seeker, learner, facilitator, coach and teacher all rolled into one.

As it has been a little while since I used Inspiration I did have to relearn a few aspects of the program like how to link branches. I’m still not convinced I got it right though! A bit more re-learning is to be had I’m thinking. I’m thinking that might be an upcoming project for me, this might also help me reconsider it’s use in other aspects of my life.
 * Learning**

I can not yet see how I would use Inspiration in my personal life, however it has been very useful in my professional endeavours. Professionally, I have often used it to help young children visualise concepts in a variety of key learning areas of the curriculum. This has really assisted the students in connecting the abstractness of a concept to the concrete application to their world. I have collaborated with students using Inspiration to make resources they can refer to whilst completing new learnings. It has also assisted in professional presentations, allowing colleagues and supervisors to gain a quick grasp on concepts and conclusions I have come to as a result of research. Using a mind map jpg file which I’ve made in Inspiration to illustrate my findings and recommendations has been at times instrumental in conveying my message to project supervisors.
 * Personal & Professional Application**

Going through and putting my life map together made me really take a good look at my life so far. I have to say I LOVE MY LIFE. I have an awesome family, and an amazing husband who is more of a best friend who will do anything to support me (and I him). Seeing my life laid out in a visual map enabled me to see future pathways and connections I want to see when I do this process again in five years time! After having gone through this process, I would recommend everyone do this on a regular basis ( 5 yearly) to give them a sense of where they have been, how they have grown, how they have achieved, and see future possibilities.