Mindmaps are very powerful pictorial (visual) representations of how your brain connects ideas, concepts and information. Mindmaps can be used for many different things:
To brainstorm ideas about a topic and record them pictorially;
To record your notes as you are doing research; and
To plan, problem-solve or generate new ideas and so much more.
You can generate your own mindmaps (either on paper or using a Web 2.0 tool or App) or you can use mindmaps that have already been created to stimulate your thinking.