Guide to Inspiration 8
Inspiration is a visual learning tool to enable students to organise ideas graphically. It employs the use of outlines, mind mapping and diagrams to visually create a picture of ideas and concepts. Inspiration is a networked application.
The Inspiration Starter Screen
Inspiration has 3 views Diagram View, Outline View and Mind Map View. To start a project click the appropriate icon.
Diagram View
Use the Diagram View to create a diagram that shows the relationship between ideas and concepts.
Click the Create a Diagram button – A new document opens with the Main Idea symbol centred on the screen. Type the name of your main idea and save your diagram preferably to your network space on your H: drive.
Using the RapidFire tool
Use the RapidFire button to add a series of ideas. Click on the RapidFire button when an idea is selected and press Enter to add a linked symbol to that idea. To add an unconnected symbol, click the RapidFire options button and select Without Links.
Click the RapidFire button again to turn the RapidFire tool off.
Adding Connected and Unconnected items
To add an unconnected symbol click in the open space of the diagram and type the name of your symbol.
To add a connected symbol select the symbol to be connected to and click the Create button in the direction you wish to place the symbol.
Search for an image
Inspiration provides a wide variety of pictures and images to represent concepts and ideas.
To search for an image select the Search tab in the Symbol palette. Enter the search word and click on the magnifying glass or press Enter. Inspiration will provide a variety of images; to scroll through press the ► button at the bottom of the Symbol palette. Click on an image to add it to the diagram.
Connect Ideas using the Link tool
Select the first symbol you wish to connect and click the Link button, then select the symbol you wish to connect to.
Arrange symbols
Inspiration provides the option to arrange the symbols in Tree, Web or Split Tree view. Click on the Arrange button and select the preferred option.
Choose the AutoArrange option to continuously arrange linked symbols as they are added to the diagram.
Labelling the connections between ideas
To add text to the link click on the link and type text into the box
Add a note to a symbol
Click on the symbol you wish to add a note to and click the Note button on the toolbar. Type text into the box. Use the Hide note/Show note next to the symbol to hide/view the note.
Outline View
Use outline view to create an outline of your ideas or to organise written documents, speeches or plans. It provides a hierarchical structure for your ideas allowing the user to adapt and change the flow of information.
Switch from Diagram View to Outline View
Inspiration will automatically organise data entered into the diagram view into an outline. To view click the Outline button in diagram view. To switch back, click on the Diagram View button.
Adding and moving Topics and Subtopics in Outline View
To add a topic click on the Topic button on the main toolbar. To add a subtopic click on the Subtopic button on the main toolbar.
In each case first select the topic/subtopic under which you wish to add the new topic/subtopic.
Use the Note button to make a note next to a chosen topic.
Move topics by clicking to the left of the topic you wish to move, drag it to the position required and release the mouse.
To hide subtopics click the ▼ symbol next to the topic and to view once more click the ► symbol.
Any changes made within Outline view will be automatically updated into the corresponding Diagram view.
Mind Map View
Use this view to create a mind map, building branches of associated topics around a central idea. This is a hierarchical diagram with a central idea or image at the centre of the map surrounded by branches that extend from the central idea.
Click the Create a Mind Map button – A new document opens with a Central Idea symbol centred on the screen. Type the name of your central idea and save the file. This screen will automatically start with four branches.
Add Branch Text
To add text to a branch click on the branch and type the name of your topic.
Adding a Subtopic
To add a subtopic either click on the + button at the end of the branch you wish to add to or click on the branch and select the Subtopic button on the main toolbar.
To hide or view these subtopics click on the ▼ & ► button next to the preceding topic.
As with Diagram view, the RapidFire tool may be used to add a series of ideas.
Moving Topics and Branches
To move topics simply select the topic and drag it to the required location. Any subtopics attached to the topic will move automatically with the associated topic.
To convert a branch to become a subtopic of another branch simply drag it over the branch you wish to move it to and release the mouse.
Connect Ideas using the Relationship tool
Relationships can be created between topics on the same branch, detached topics or those on two separate branches.
Click on the Relate button on the main toolbar, select the first topic to relate and then select the second topic. To label the link add text in the box positioned in the middle of the link.
Hyperlink
For each diagram Inspiration provides the facility to integrate resources from the Internet, or to hyperlink directly to a document created in Inspiration or another application.
To create a link to a website, select the topic to link and select the hyperlink button. Select Web Page Option and type the URL of the website in the Link To box.
To access this from the diagram simply click on the description of the topic and Inspiration will call up the integrated website.
Transfer
To transfer the diagram and notes to a Word document, click the Transfer button on the main toolbar. Select the appropriate transfer options and click OK.