Earlier this week I was sitting at work (I'm a lab consultant in the main comp lab) and a student approached me asking how to create a webbed concept map, complete with arrows, with MS Word. Instead of fumbling around trying to look like I knew anything of what I was talking about, I showed him where to find the Inspiration program and walked him through it quickly and easily. I suggested that he use Inspiration because it was more user friendly than using Word to make a concept map, and he took the advice and attempted it. A few minutes later he had completed his concept map, generally free of anxiety and frustration, and was very thankful for having been shown this new program. This was the first time I had been able to apply my skills learned in class to something outside of our classroom, and I must admit that it worked extremely well. I had an easy time explaining how to use the program to this one student, which leads me to believe that I will be able to use it in a classroom of my own some day with great ease.
