In the sequence of steps below, references are made to Bars and Palettes, which are used to perform a variety of functions and make changes in your evolving diagram:

• Diagram Tool Bar (just above screen)
• Draw Tool Bar (just below screen)
• Symbol Palette (to left of screen--use the F8 key to make the Palette appear or disappear).

Inspiration™ contains standard word processing features. For example, you can use the Format menu on the Diagram Tool Bar to change the type, size, or style of Font, or to justify Font. You also can delete or change text, and delete symbols and linking lines, by first "selecting" the item and then using the Delete or Enter keys (or typing over the selected text). Special instructions are given below on moving text, symbols, and linking lines within your diagram, and making changes to the symbols and linking lines.

A concept map on pollution accompanies this handout, and the steps given below are to help you recreate this concept map. This concept map is a modification of a more robust map on pollution, constructed by a West Virginia University preservice teacher to accompany a learning cycle lesson on pollution.

1. Changing Diagram Properties. These changes will make drawing your first diagram a bit easier and get you familiar with how to change the settings for a diagram. Select "Diagram Properties" from the File menu:

a. Within "Options," unselect Grid Snap. This way, your concepts will stay WHERE YOU PLACE THEM, as opposed to where the screen wants them.

b. Within "Options," you also may unselect Page Lines if you do not want to see them

c. Within "Link," change the "Ending Point" to None. This way, YOU have the choice of placing or not placing arrowheads at the end of lines that link two concepts together.

Note: Diagram Properties allows you to change many other settings (e.g., fill color) for a diagram.

2. Entering Main Idea. Click in the box that appears (Your "main idea" box), and type in the concept Pollution.

If your Main Idea or entire diagram ever disappear from your screen, simply choose "Select Main Idea" from "Edit" on the Diagram Tool Bar.

3. Saving Your Work. Choose "Save As" from the File menu, and save your work to your floppy.

4. Adding a Second Concept. Click anywhere on the screen and type in the concept Environment. A symbol (a box--the default symbol) automatically appears as you begin to type.

Note: Alternatively, you can click the "Symbol" button on the Diagram tool bar (top of screen) and click on the screen: A symbol appears, into which you type Environment.

Note: Yet another way to proceed is to click the "Create" button on the Diagram tool bar: This results in a symbol. It also results in a connecting line if the previous symbol is "highlighted" (squares and diamonds appear on the perimeter of symbol) when you click the Create button.

5. Positioning and Resizing the Symbol Containing Environment.

a. To move a symbol about, simply highlight the symbol (click anywhere within the symbol so that diamonds and squares appear around the perimeter) and drag it. In this case, drag Environment to the left and below Pollution.

b. To resize a symbol, highlight the symbol and grab the lower right hand square. Moving that square in or out/up or down will resize the symbol.

Note: If you had on the screen and wanted to move > one symbol at once, just hold down the shift key as you highlight the additional symbols, and then move them after the last symbol is highlighted. You also can click Position on the Diagram Tool Bar if you want to move everything on your screen at one time.

6. Linking Two Concepts (Pollution and Environment). Highlight (i.e., click on) the symbol containing your main idea: Pollution. Grab the diamond at the bottom and drag it into the Environment box UNTIL this symbol also is highlighted. Let it go.

7. Entering Linking Words. To explicate the relationship between two or more concepts, you can enter linking words within the connecting line:

a. Click on the connecting line and a rectangular space appears.

b. Click in that space, and type in the linking words, affects the.

8. Entering Another Concept (Types) and Linking it to Pollution. Repeat steps 4 through 7 to enter the concept Types, and to link Pollution to Types.

9. Entering Two More Concepts (Plants and Humans) and Connecting Environment to Them with the SAME Linking Words. There are several methods that work. Trying greater than one of the below (a. through d.) will get you familiar with the variety of options/functions that Inspiration provides.

a. Enter the concepts of Plants and Humans into separate symbols and position them. Highlight Environment, grab the lower diamond, and drag it into Plants. Highlight the line and type in the linking words which affects. Next, Highlight the line again and:

1. depress the "Ctrl" and "Shift" keys,

2. grab the line below the linking words, and

3. pull the line to the right until the upper portion becomes perpendicular to Environment.

Now, select the Line tool from your Draw Tool Bar (bottom of screen) and draw a line from which affects to Humans. Unselect the Line tool.

b. Highlight Environment and use the Create Tool (click on arrow that goes down and to the left) to make a symbol (into which you type Plants) and a link (into which you type which affects). Refer to a. above to complete the process.

c. Enter the concepts of Plants and Humans into separate symbols and position them. Then, click on the screen and type which affects. Highlight the different symbols containing these concepts and make the linking lines from Environment to which affects and from which affects to Plants and to Humans. Then, remove the symbol "housing" (i.e, the box) that surrounds which affects by clicking on symbol that contains which affects and then the "A" (A surrounded by dotted line) in the Symbol Palette (hit F8 key to see Palette if not visible). The symbol is now removed but the text remains.

d. Enter the concepts of Plants and Humans into separate symbols and position them. Use the Text Box Tool (A inside square) from the Draw Tool Bar to create a box into which you will type which affects. Then, use the Line tool from the Draw Tool Bar to connect Environment to which affects and from which affects to Plants and to Humans.

10. Changing the Background Color of Symbols. Change the background color (to green) of the symbol containing Plants by clicking on that symbol and doing ONE of the following:

a. Click the right hand mouse key. In the menu that appears, go from Fill/Line to Fill Color and click on the color (e.g., green) you want from the grid that appears

b. From the Effect menu on the Diagram Tool Bar, choose Fill Color and select the color (e.g., green) you want from the grid that appears.

Repeat the above for the concept Humans--choose brown. Note that both of the above methods also provide options to change many other "effects," such as color of text.

11. Changing the Background of the Concept Word(s)--Referred to as Text--to White. Change the background color of the text Humans to white by highlighting the symbol containing this text and then selecting "White Text Background" from the Effects menu on the Diagram Tool Bar.

12. Using Different Symbols. Add the concept Animals using the animal symbol for a turtle. To do this:

a. Select the Symbol Palette (depress F8 to make palette appear) and search the symbol library. You can go through one library at a time using the right or left arrow keys (appear at top of palette), or you can see the full library using the down arrow key. The turtle symbol is found in library "07 Animals Domestic."

b. Click on the turtle, then click on your screen. The turtle symbol is now on your screen. Highlight the turtle symbol and type Animals into the box that appears immediately below the symbol.

Now, go ahead and link Animals to Environment, using the linking words "which affects" that already are in your diagram.

13. Changing Symbols Already in Your Diagram. Change the rectangular symbol containing Plants to an oval:

a. In your diagram, highlight the symbol containing Plants

b. Then go to your Symbol Palette (you need to be in the library "00Basic") and click on the oval symbol (top left).

If you like, change the oval to a plant, or change other symbols that appear in your diagram, using the various libraries within the Symbol Palette.

14. Moving Concept Words (text) from Below to Inside the Symbols. Depending on which symbol you are using, the concept words may be placed below your symbol. For example, the concept Animals appears below the turtle symbol in your diagram. To practice moving concepts to inside of symbols:

a. Enter the concept Habitat using the doghouse symbol (library "07 Animals Make Believe"), and link it to Animals using the linking words "and their."

 

b. Highlight the doghouse symbol in your diagram, and then select "Captioned Symbol" from the Symbol menu on the Diagram Tool Bar.

Note: Sometimes you will have to change the background of the text to white (Step 11. above) in order to see your concept. For example, if you moved Animals into the turtle symbol, you could not see it unless you changed the background to white.

15. Using the Text Box on the Draw Tool Bar to Place Concepts Within Symbols. Another way to enter concept words into symbols is to use the Text Box (A inside of square) from the Draw Tool Bar. You have already used this Text Box if you tried step 9.d. above. To practice using this Text Box and changing the color of text:

a. Expand your Pollution map by adding in the concepts Health (smiley face symbol "15 Funsym" in library) and just an apple symbol (click on screen, then click on apple symbol in "11 Fruits" library) and connecting these to Humans using the linking words in many ways.

b. Click Text Box from the Draw Tool Bar and position your cursor within the apple: Draw a rectangle.

c. Type the concept Food Production into the apple.

d. Highlight the text Food Production

e. From the Effects menu on the Diagram Tool Bar, choose Text Color and change the color of the text (Food Production) to white.

16. Bending a Linking Line While Connecting Two Concepts. The Link menu on the Diagram Tool Bar allows you to choose preset types of links, such as "curved link, 3 points" or "auto 90." However, you can put in as many curves or bends as you like using the following method, and this is sometimes necessary in order to maneuver lines between concepts (etc) on your diagram. To practice this, link Plants to Food Production:

a. Highlight symbol containing Plants and grab the right diamond.

b. Beginning drawing the line. When you are ready to make a bend, depress "Ctrl" and "Shift" (while keeping Ctrl depressed), then let up the Shift key.

c. Continue drawing (while holding down Ctrl key) until you are ready to make another bend: Depress Shift key

d. Continue in the above manner until all of your bends are made and you drag your line into a diamond on the symbol containing Food Production.

e. Enter your linking words (needed for).

17. Adding Arrow Heads to Linking Lines. Highlight the link on which you wish to place an arrow head. Then, from the Link menu on the Diagram Tool Bar, choose "Arrow Head Ending Point" and select the arrow head of your choice. Do this for the link that connects Plants to Food Production.

18. Finish Replicating the Concept Map (or Edit/Expand as Desired).