viz.

Notes for the Instructor: This assignment is designed to introduce students to OmniGraffle and give them practice in using it. However, instructors may also tweak the assignment to achieve specific goals related to the course; for example, OmniGraffle is an excellent resource for, among other things, brainstorming ideas for paper topics, or thinking about structure and organization in writing (it presents a more flexible, visually-organized model than, for example, a “Roman-numeral” outline). It can also be used to complement reading exercises as a way to “visualize” how arguments or texts are constructed. This assignment asks students to take specific set of topics, or topoi, (selected either by the students or by the instructor), and map them, creating a visual representation of the various connections between ideas. Instructors can plan on using one full class period to work on this project, at the end of which students can submit their maps to the teacher folder saved as .pdf files. As points of reference, you can see one example on this page, and another example is attached.

Sample OmniGraffle mindmap

About OmniGraffle: OmniGraffle is a flowchart program that enables users to create a “mind-map” of a topic or set of ideas. It is very easy to use and employs a simple drag-and-drop interface, so very little class time is needed to show students how to make their idea maps. Since OmniGraffle enables a range of useful projects, any class can benefit from its use. Students can create visual representations that explore a range of topics, from an individual work (such as a poem, an editorial, or even a video clip) or idea to the complex interactions among different texts, ideas, and discussions. For more information about this software and its applications, see the CWRL’s page on OmniGraffle and other “mind-mapping” technologies.

Assignment Description: Becoming familiar with OmniGraffle and mapping connections between various topoi

Category: Individual or Group project

Goals: This project is designed to introduce students to the OmniGraffle software and give them practice in producing mind-maps, visual representations of their own ideas that will help them “see” the connections between various topics.

Tasks:

• Working either individually or in groups, students will create OmniGraffle projects based on topoi related to the first writing assignment.