Online Search Education

Many people use note cards to help them memorize information when studying for an exam. The reasoning behind using note cards is that it allows for the organizing of information into a format that can be quickly processed and recalled. While it is true that information on note cards is easier to memorize than information in a textbook, there are also more effective means for enhancing memorization. Mind Mapping is one such effective way, because it allows the learner to make use of colors, visual images, words, and symbols to “map” out concepts on paper. This process of mapping out ideas, rather than listing them on note cards, is thought to allow the brain to process information in a manner that more naturally facilitates recall.

How to Organize Information for an Exam Using a Mind Map

Consider, as an example, a learner who is trying to memorize vocabulary words for an anatomy test. When using a Mind Map to organize information for memorization, the overall subject matter to be memorized, such as “Anatomy Vocabulary Words” should be represented by a central image located in the center of the map. Here, the learner may use a picture of a textbook to represent the anatomy textbook where the vocabulary words are found. Next, the main categories the vocabulary words fall under should be shown on the “branches” that are attached to the central image. Thus, the learner might label the “branches” “parts of the heart”, “parts of the brain”, and so on. On these branches, the learner can continue to add colors and images that he or she associates with each label, such as red for the “parts of the heart” branch. The vocabulary words to be memorized should then be attached to the “branches” with “child branches”. Again, the learner should use imagery and color associated with each of the words. Lastly, the actual definitions of each word should be attached to word via the “twigs” of the Mind Map, along with any further colors or images the learner wishes. The attached Mind Map is an example of a diagram that might be used to memorize words for an anatomy exam, organized in the manner described above.

Exam Memorization Using the Mind Map

In the attached Mind Map diagram, the vocabulary words, definitions, and the categories to which they belong, are spread spatially across the page. Moreover, the Mind Map includes not only text, but images, colors, and graphics as well. This diagram can be contrasted with listing the same vocabulary words on standard note cards, where only text is used. The learner, when putting together their own Mind Map, would use the graphics and images that he or she associates with each of the vocabulary words, giving him or her many points of visual reference when memorizing the word. By allowing the author to visualize and learn the vocabulary words in this manner, the Mind Map provides him or her with a more intuitive form a memorization.

Technology is a truely amazing thing. Life is so much easier because of it, in pretty much every way.

One of such areas in which technology has made life a lot easier is in the area of searching for information.

Gone are those days of spending long hours, days or even weeks looking for the information you want.

For example, 20 years ago if you were searching for a particular book you would have to  hysically visit the Library.

As if that isn’t manual work enough, you would then have to spend laborious hours searching
through the vast amount of books inside, all in the effort of locating the book you where after.

And who says you would end up getting what you want?

Most times you hardly ever get the book you want, even with the help of the librarians.

These days are a thing of the past.

Now it only takes a couple clicks from your computer mouse to find the information you want.

If for example you are looking for a particular audio book, you can get started from the search engines.

Simply visit any of the major search engines like Google and type the book title you are looking for with the word “audio book” included.

This simple procedure presents you with the results you were looking for.

Specifically, you can get the particular audio book you are looking for by going directly to an audio book website such as Spoken Network:

www.spokennetwork.com?cam=ama0013

This online bookstore has a special search feature on the site which you can use to find
the particular audio book title you are searching for.

This search feature is used just like the way in which you would use your
favorite search engine.

The major advantage is that you are searching the database of the particular bookstore (very focused search), unlike the search engines which search the entire websites that they have in their database (obviously unfocused search).

All you need to do is go to this online bookstore and enter the specific audio book
title you are searching for.  If you know the exact title or author name, put it in the search.

With disadvantages associated with having audio books in CD formats such as length, costs, convenience, etc, it is now a better option to have them in downloadable digital formats.

When you have audio books in downloadable digital format there are no issues regarding lengths, costs,
convenience, etc.  For example, unlike audiocassettes and CDs that can’t carry an audio book except in many tapes and CDs, downloadable digital formats have no length restrictions.

In other words, having audio books in digital formats now defies the limitations and is advantages that both audiocassettes and CDs have.

A great advantage of digital audio books is how fast you can deliver the product from the producer the customer.

For instance, within a few minutes of the audio book being made it can be downloaded by customers… with downloadable digital format. But this can't happen with audiocassette tapes and CDs.

Also, the cost to the producer is very low, unlike the cost associated with audiocassette
tapes and CDs.

Even with all of these pros, there are still cons. Below is possibly the largest disadvantage of using a digital format for audio books

Bandwidth issues: Eventhough music downloads have become very poplar, audio books are harder to download due to their large size.

While a musical song can be just 4 minutes long and take very little time to download, an audio book of about 3 hours would take far longer time to download, something close to 5 or more hours - depending on the Internet connectivity of the person downloading and the state of the server at the time of downloading.

This may seem like a really negative point however below are ways you can still get full advantage of audio books in downloadable digital formats, despite this problem:

Possible solution for the bandwidth issue: This issue can be fixed by doing the download at your free time, not when you want to get the audio book at the same time.
For instance, when you leave the house for a few hours, or go to sleep at night you could begin the download.When you get back or wake up your download would have completed.

Or if your home internet connection is poor you can download the audio books in a different location.  If you have faster Internet connectivity in the office, you can do the download there.

But ensure it is allowed to do that in the office. In other words, talk to your employer about this first to be sure it is allowed.  After downloading the audio book you can then take it with you via a zip disk or a flash disk to listen to at home.

An additional solution to bandwidth and internet speed problems is to actually search to find audio books in a special format, for people with low-bandwidth Internet connections. These formats are usually those with the highest
compression ratio - thereby making the download lighter and faster.

An excellent source that I have found for audio book downloads is Spoken Network. You can find them at:

www.spokennetwork.com?cam=ama0015