Assistive Learning with Mind Maps

In this inspiring and practical session, Dr. Brian Friedlander shares how mind mapping has been a cornerstone of his work in assistive technology and education for over 25 years. He explores how visual tools like MindMeister and Ayoa support students with learning challenges and discusses their evolving role in teaching, course planning, and inclusive learning design. Packed with real-world demos and practical advice, this conversation offers educators and specialists powerful ways to help all learners think, write, and organize more effectively. Timestamped Themes & Topics [00:00:05] – Introduction & Origins Brian reflects on his early exposure to mind mapping and assistive tech in the 1990s and how Inspiration software sparked his journey. [00:03:24] – From Psychologist to Educator Transition from school psychologist to education professor; mind mapping becomes central to course delivery. [00:07:01] – Choosing MindMeister for Teaching Shifted from MindManager to MindMeister for easier sharing with students via platforms like Google Classroom and Moodle. [00:10:11] – Teaching Future Educators Brian’s students are mostly graduate-level aspiring special educators; he models mind mapping for planning and instruction. [00:13:02] – Students’ Familiarity with Mind Mapping Most are aware of paper-based “spider maps,” but digital mind mapping tools remain relatively unknown. [00:14:34] – Coaching Teachers to Integrate Tech Discusses the need for more implementation support and coaching in schools. [00:16:44] – Enduring Tools in Assistive Tech MindMeister, Inspiration, and MindManager highlighted as stable, reliable tools with long-term educational value. [00:19:15] – Business vs. Education Market Gaps Observations on why software companies favor corporate over educational audiences due to complexity of selling to schools. Why Mind Mapping Helps Learners [00:22:10] – Visual Thinking Supports Learning Helps with grouping, recall, and understanding; especially useful for students with reading/writing difficulties. [00:23:35] – Mind Mapping for Writing Organizes sequencing, reduces cognitive load, and transforms visual maps into outlines for structured writing. [00:25:28] – Building a Central Hub for Learning Mind maps function as digital project organizers—housing links, PDFs, audio, and task tracking. [00:26:15] – Executive Function Support Helps students with ADHD or organizational challenges keep everything in one accessible place. [00:28:06] – Note-Taking Benefits Enables keyword-based summarization, movement of ideas, and more active learning processes. Live Map Demonstrations [00:30:01] – MindMeister Course Map Example Shows an assistive technology course map with embedded videos, links, and tools like Crick Software and XMind AI. [00:32:54] – Benefits of AI in Mind Mapping Helps students get started by generating structure and ideas to overcome blank page anxiety. [00:34:01] – Updating & Sharing Course Content Demonstrates dynamic editing, collaborative updates, and simplified sharing via embed or link. [00:36:24] – Educators Capturing Student Input Live Teachers can add questions and discussion points into maps during lessons and share updated versions instantly. [00:37:01] – Audio Integration & Rich Media Recording voice notes or lectures directly into map nodes for deeper context and accessibility. Using AI Tools Like Ayoa & Diffit [00:42:36] – Ayoa Mind Mapping with AI Brian creates a sample mind map on global warming using AI to scaffold student writing and thinking. [00:47:08] – Citation Support in Ayoa Highlights Ayoa’s built-in citation formats to support academic referencing for students. [00:51:31] – Differentiated Instruction Using Diffit Demonstrates how teachers can generate text at different reading levels and feed it into a mind map for comprehension. [00:53:13] – AI Summary Function Pastes raw text into Ayoa and uses AI to auto-structure it into a digestible mind map. [00:55:23] – Assistive Layers: Text-to-Speech & Word Banks Shows use of Chrome extensions for reading and word prediction layered over mind mapping tools. Closing Reflections [00:58:41] – Layering Tools for Learner Success Mind mapping sits at the center of a toolkit that includes assistive apps, AI, and teaching strategies. [01:00:22] – Dual Purpose of Mind Mapping Helps both educators in teaching and learners in understanding—an essential but underutilized tool in education.