About

Ako Maps is an integrated set of tools for learning ideas in context

How Does Ako Maps Help You Learn?

Ako Maps is an interactive platform for thinking and learning.

At first glance an Ako Map looks like a very advanced mind map, but the software comes with a whole toolbox of additional features.

For example, you can…

Link video or audio files to a map to see different views of the map as the video plays,
Test or reinforce learning with quizzes at the end of your presentations,
Automatically generate ‘smart’ flashcards from the topics in your Ako Map,
Test your ability to remember your map with the ‘Recall’ feature,
…and much more!

The origin of the name ‘Ako Maps’

‘Ako’ is the te reo Māori word for teaching and learning; it recognises the knowledge that teachers and students share during the learning journey.

The Team Behind Ako Maps

Ako Maps is a proud product of Cognitive Performance Labs, a Kiwi company founded in 2018 and based in Auckland, New Zealand.

Dr Kerry Spackman, our CEO and co-founder, was inspired to develop Ako Maps from his experiences as a maths teacher and from studying maths at the University of Auckland. At the time, he mapped out every concept he learned on sheets of brown paper – so big they covered the entire kitchen table! Kerry won the Senior Prize in Applied Mathematics, and years later this study technique was modernised as Ako Maps.

Meet the Team