Tools for Knowledge Construction and Visualisation Martin Sillaots 19 April 2006

2 Goal of presentation ● To give overview of knowledge (information) construction and exploration methods ● To give ideas how to improve effectiveness of learning (shorter learning time, deeper understanding of relations...) ● To collect additional ideas and feedback

3 Social-Constructivist learning theory ● Knowledge is actively constructed by learner ● Learning must be related with actual and meaningful content ● Learning is more effective in collaboration with co-students

4 Construction ● Seeing relations ● Sorting ● Seeing differences ● Comparing ● Systematising ● Restructuring

5 Construction enables ● Get overview of information ● Browse or navigate in information ● Focus on details ● Select details ● Change, order, create relations To see details in a pig picture

6 Visualisation ● Visualisation – define information with colour, size, position, relations ● Why it is important to visualise information? ● Students learning styles are different ● People have strong need for visualisation of information

7 Learning styles ● Visual – student like diagrams ● Aural – student prefer listening ● Reading/Writing – making notes ● Kinesthetic – simulations and practice Perceptual preference by VARK Ref:

8 Why visualisation is important? Ref:

9 Classification of methods ● One-dimensional – text, list, timeline... ● Hierarchical – outlined list, tree,... ● Network – concept map... ● Two-dimensional – metaphor of map, matrix,... ● Three-dimensional ● Multi-dimensional ● Other metaphors – building, human body, outer space

10 1-D ● Text mural or lens ● Tag or keyword cloud ● Simple list ● Time line* To see details and large picture

11 Mural for text presentation Ref:

12 Text Mural or lens for search

13 Video DNA Ref: Dulce Ponceleon and Andreas Dieberger IBM Almaden Research Center

14 Tag or keyword cloud Bigger font = most popular topic Ref:

15 Hierarchical ● Outline list ● Tree ● Hyperbolic tree* ● Tree map* ● Content map* Each node has a single parent node Sub-nodes can be hidden Details vs pig picture

16 Outline list Structure of Multimedia course Created with MS Project

17 Tree Ref:

18 Hyperbolic tree Ref: Jörg Walter Universität Bielefeld Ref: John Lamping, Ramana Rao, and Peter Pirolli Xerox Palo Alto Research Center

19 Hyperbolic tree examples ● StarTree ● Walrus - Gallery: Visualization & Navigation ● BubbleBrowser

20 Hyperbolic tree tools ● HyperTree based on Java2 ● StarTree commercial ● Walrus - Graph Visualization Tool based on Java3D and ● Additional packages iv.slis.indiana.edu/sw/index.html

21 Tree map Usenet Hierarchies

22 Concept map Inspiration What if one node have more than one parent?

23 Network ● Computer network topology ● Concept map* ● Gantt chart* ● Arrow diagram (ADM)* ● Precedence diagram (PDM)*

24 Visual Thesaurus (concept map) Ref:

25 news.com Big Picture (concept map)

26 Cmap (concept map) Ref:

27 2-D ● Geographic maps - displaying data on map ● Map metaphor (flour, city, fields) ● Matrix

28 Geographical maps Population density

29 Map metaphor Colour = novelty or importance, size = popularity or capacity, position = relations Ref: hot.news.com

30 City metaphor Ref: Andreas Dieberger, Emory University

31 Matrix Ref: A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge

32 3-D and Multi-D ● Table lenses ● Multidimensional scaling ● Items are described with three or more attributes ● Usually presented on 2 – dimensional screen with multiple sliders

33 Table lenses Ref:

34 Explorea Ref: Kaipainen

35 Spotfire Ref:

36 Time-line* ● Single time-line* ● Gantt chart ● Arrow diagram (ADM) ● Precedence diagram (PDM)

37 Flash authoring system Ref:

38 Gantt Chart Created with MS Project

39 PDM Chart Created with MS Project

40 Conclusion ● Selection of tool and method depends on user preferences ● Using of different tools make learning process more interesting and effective ● Its probably not possible to integrate all methods (metaphors) ● Preparation process is longer learning process shorter ● Give students tasks to construct knowledge

41 The End