How to Create a Concept Map in WordPad in a Creative and Professional Way?

WordPad is a free program similar to Microsoft Word and available for all operating systems. In addition, have unlimited options to complete a job, among them: writing texts, formatting texts, storage, location, copying blocks of text, searching for words, among others.

What are the main elements that a concept map should contain?

A concept map is a teaching or learning tool which consists of a graphic representation of a specific topic, helps to organize and understand a concept easily. Next we will tell you the main characteristic elements of a concept map:

• Main theme: You must identify within the text addressed the theme and the main idea that they intend to represent on the concept map.
• Connector: It is a verb or specific word usually, allows to connect all elements of the concept map with the topics through a straight line and a word that explains how they are related.
• Subtopic: They are one or more relevant concepts related to the central theme and essential to explain the main idea, it is recommended to organize them in a summarized way with keywords.
• Element: Are those details considered essential to understand the text.

You must take into account that, you must raise the most important ideas at the top of your worksheet, down to the less important elements that go at the bottom.

How to start creating my map in WordPad from scratch?

In this writing we will describe how to make a concept map easily and quickly in less than 5 minutes by doing use of office tools specifically with the WordPad program. To achieve this, you can insert formats from other programs such as Microsoft Word.

What tools can I use to make my map?

Shapes

With the shapes option you can have more creativity than what offer preset designs of concept maps in the different programs. For example, it allows you to create your timeline, you just have to access a WordPad sheet, select insert object, choose Word document, insert tab and click on the shape choice to choose the one of your preference.

Text boxes

If what you want is to organize the texts that they will form your concept map before the forms, you can use the tool on the insert tab called text box. To do this, we recommend: open WordPad, insert object, select Word document, insert tab and choose to draw text box.

SmartArt

If you prefer to work on pre-established formats, you must follow these steps: 1. Open a blank sheet of WordPad; 2. In the upper toolbar select the insert object tab. 3. Choose Word document. 4. Choose the SmartArt option in Word.

5. Select the hierarchical layout you want for your concept map. 6. Pour the topic and topics to address in the chosen design. 7. We save and close the editor document, so that it appears in WordPat. 8. If you want to edit something, double click on the image.

External programs that help me to professionally develop a concept map

A concept map is a teaching tool / learning that allows you to decompose and rank a topic to facilitate your understanding. It is therefore important that you know some websites that give you the opportunity to create or patent a concept map of a certain category.

Lucidchart

It is a web diagramming tool that allows users from all over the world work and collaborate in real time, said program works in all web browsers. Before accessing its official site, you must bear in mind that to enter Lucidchart you must have a Gmail account.

MindMeister

It is a website created to develop concept maps, if you want to access you must: Login with a Gmail account or Facebook account, dig a little into the maps that other users have created by categories, select the option to create a new map, customize it according to the tools it offers you, share it, download it or print it.

Cmap

To use it you must access their official site, fill out a form with your personal data and Gmail account, download the version according to your computer’s capacity, open the program and use the palette of options it offers to create your concept map.

Creately

It is a fast online instrument and colorful to create concept maps collaboratively. In addition to this, it has more than a thousand tools to use, it is linked to Google Drive and Slack.