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Subject: RE: [xtm-wg] Fwd: Concept maps
Murray: This is almost identical to the blurb that appeared in the Knoxville paper about a month ago. Looks like somebody has a good PR department Jim Mason (late at night in Austin) > -----Original Message----- > From: Murray Altheim [SMTP:altheim@eng.sun.com] > Sent: Sunday, March 04, 2001 01:23 p.m. > To: XTM Authoring Group > Subject: [xtm-wg] Fwd: Concept maps > > FYI. Another one of these... > > "We have looked at everything we can find that is similar, or > designed for the purpose of knowledge management, and we find > concept mapping to be light-years ahead," said Barry Brosch, a > senior consultant with Cincom. > > Either they need to look harder, or we need better publicity. > > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: Concept maps > Date: Sun, 4 Mar 2001 07:56:29 -0800 > > Date: 20-02-01 > Source: Associated Press > Subject: Software may start a new page on the Web > > PENSACOLA, Fla. - Since Johann Gutenberg invented the printing > press nearly six centuries ago, people have been organizing > information page by page. Even in age of the Internet, > information is still organized on Web pages. > > That perplexed researchers at the University of West Florida's > Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, which works to make > computers more useful and user-friendly. > > "Why should we organize it as pages? There's no reason," said > associate director Alberto Canas. "It's just that we're used to > it." > > Canas heads a team that took a learning tool called concept > mapping, developed with paper and pencil in the 1970s, and turned > it into a pageless method of browsing Web sites. > > It will not replace Web browsers, but any existing browser can be > used to view concept map, or Cmap, sites, Canas said. > > "If you can do something about helping humans better exploit the > sort of information ghetto on the Web, you've got lots of > customers," institute director Ken Ford said. "They all know that > their browser's no good because when you ask them which button > they click most, they all say the back arrow." > > The patented software is written in the Java computer language and > runs on a variety of operating systems including Windows, Mac and > variations of Unix. > > Government agencies, schools, students and others using the > software for nonprofit purposes can download it free from the > institute's Web site. > > The software is not yet available for commercial use, though the > institute is considering licensing it and has been approached by > private companies. > > One of them is Cincinnati-based Cincom Inc., which is seeking > licensing rights for software it designs for manufacturers. > > "We have looked at everything we can find that is similar, or > designed for the purpose of knowledge management, and we find > concept mapping to be light-years ahead," said Barry Brosch, a > senior consultant with Cincom. > > A Cmap is just what the name implies - a graphic representation of > a subject that shows how it is linked to related topics and > subtopics. > > Geoffrey Briggs, director of the Center for Mars Exploration at > NASA's Ames Research Center in California, is among the first > users. He created a Mars concept map on the Internet. > > "Mars" appears in a red box at the top with lines connecting it to > related concepts including "Search for Evidence of Life," > "Exploration Strategy," and even "Science Fiction." Clicking on > concept box icons can open additional maps or provide links to > appropriate Web sites. > > "That's a powerful means, from my perspective, of communicating > information and giving people an immediate grasp of the subject," > Briggs said. > > He also wants to use Cmaps to brainstorm the selection of Mars > landing sites. Scientists each could do a concept map on a > preferred site and then discuss, compare and criticize each > other's ideas by computer. > > The software was developed as part of a broader $6 million > federally funded project that includes the creation of related > tools for NASA and the Navy, which plans to use concept maps for > on-the-job training aboard ships. > > The software also has advanced the original purpose of Cmaps, said > Joseph Novak, who developed the idea about 25 years ago while at > Cornell University, where he is a professor emeritus of education > and biology. > > It has been used to help education researchers present large > amounts of data in a concise and cogent way, and for course > planning and knowledge-sharing. Students are also assessed by > having them build Cmaps. > > Other concept-mapping software is available commercially, > including Inspiration by Inspiration Software Inc., Decision > Explorer by Banaxia Software Ltd., MindManager by Mindjet and > VisiMap by CoCo Systems Ltd. > > The institute's version has the advantage of being free for > nonprofit uses - schools all over globe have used it - and its > features include a method for easy access to other Web sources, > said Novak, a senior research scientist at West Florida. > > "All the fundamental assumptions that underlie concept-mapping > have been embedded in the ways in which the software works," Novak > said. "It facilitates building them the way they ought to be > built." > > > To Post a message, send it to: xtm-wg@eGroups.com > > To Unsubscribe, send a blank message to: xtm-wg-unsubscribe@eGroups.com > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > ------------------------ Yahoo! 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