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It's theoretically possible to let the Turtlebot drive on its own and generate its own maps, but I've found that I get much more accurate maps when I drive the robot around myself using teleop. This is detailed in the tutorial:

http://wiki.ros.org/turtlebot_navigation/Tutorials/Build%20a%20map%20with%20SLAM

There are some good posts out there detailing the methodology to get more accurate maps. Some things that have worked for me are:

1. Keep the speed reasonably low, ie, the teleop defaults.
2. Make sure your laser always has a wall/feature in view, preferably a corner or something distinguishable rather than just a straight line.
3. Try to avoid in-place turns, instead taking turns while also moving forward.
4. Once you've closed loops by driving around the perimeter of the rooms, then you can start exploring more open areas.

Hope this helps