Knowledge construction

Abstract: This thesis presents a conceptual and computational framework for the Semantic Geospatial Problem Solving Environment, an enabling technology for geographical problem solving under todayâ??s open, heterogeneous environment. The framework adopts an open software architecture to integrate different geospatial information technologies, employs the dataflow-based visual programming interface to facilitate front-end user task construction, and most importantly, utilizes structurally represented semantic knowledge to assist and automate the construction of geographical applications. The major contribution of this thesis is the development of a semantic model of geographical problem solving, which synthesizes aspects of knowledge representation and reasoning to capture and model the meanings of geospatial information technologies and geographical applications. Three levels of semantics are addressed according to C. S. Peirceâ??s theory of pragmatism, including the first level semantics about individual resources, the second level semantics about relations, and the third level semantics related to geographical applications. Correspondingly, the idea of proxy representation is introduced to signify the meanings of individual resources under different interpretation contexts, and the first order model theory is adopted to build the logical structures that connect individual resources together. Then automated problem solving tools are developed based on cognitive models of problem solving and automated planning techniques, which support three useful modes of reasoning in geographical application construction, including incremental problem solving, prototype refinement, and task decomposition. After that, the proposed semantic model is implemented based on the World Wide Web Consortiumâ??s Web Ontology Language to facilitate the sharing of semantics on the Semantic Web. Finally, a reference implementation is described to illustrate the concepts and ideas discussed in the thesis.

 Problem Solving Environments;  Knowledge construction;  

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Abstract: This book uses practical applications and an accessible writing style to present a summary of psychological research on students' learning of academic subject areas. The book is organized into two main sections: the general principles of learning, memory, higher-order thinking, and motivation that apply to any school-related skill and specific developmental trends in the acquisition of skills in the areas of reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies. Unlike typical books on cognitive development, these general principles are explicitly translated to classroom practice. The reader will learn what children can understand and do at various ages in these domains

 Knowledge construction;  Cognitive Learning Theories;  learning Psychology;  

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Abstract: The authors' perspective on KM is human-centered-focusing not on knowledge as information stored in repositories but on a continual process. This process creates knowledge as a byproduct of work, integrates the knowledge in an open and evolving repository, and disseminates it to others in the organization when it is relevant to their work. The authors review the problems and promises of KM from this perspective. They also illustrate the conceptual frameworks and prototype systems they've created to integrate knowledge creation, integration, and dissemination.

 Knowledge construction;  knowledge management;  

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Abstract: Despite the widely recognised importance of knowledge as a vital source of competitive advantage, there is little understanding of how organisations actually create and manage knowledge dynamically. Nonaka, Toyama and Konno start from the view of an organisation as an entity that creates knowledge continuously, and their goal in this article is to understand the dynamic process in which an organisation creates, maintains and exploits knowledge. They propose a model of knowledge creation consisting of three elements: (i) the SECI process, knowledge creation through the conversion of tacit and explicit knowledge; (ii) ‘ba’, the shared context for knowledge creation; and (iii) knowledge assets, the inputs, outputs and moderators of the knowledge-creating process. The knowledge creation process is a spiral that grows out of these three elements; the key to leading it is dialectical thinking. The role of top management in articulating the organisation's knowledge vision is emphasised, as is the important role of middle management (‘knowledge producers’) in energising ba. In summary, using existing knowledge assets, an organisation creates new knowledge through the SECI process that takes place in ba, where new knowledge, once created, becomes in turn the basis for a new spiral of knowledge creation.

 Knowledge construction;  SECI;  

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Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework for discussing five approaches to understanding knowledge acquisition and representation. These approaches are behaviorism, schema theory, social perspective theories, connectionism, and situated cognition. We describe these approaches as lying on a continuum running from an experience-centered view of knowledge acquisition to a mind-centered view, with a more interactive view at the center. All five approaches are explicated in light of this continuum. Specifically, assumptions about knowledge acquisition and representation, the strengths and weaknesses of the approach, and the potential or actual impact on schooling are highlighted for each theory. We suggest that although each of these theories has merit in explaining certain aspects of knowledge acquisition, no approach adequately addresses the issues of consciousness, self-awareness, and self-reflection. Also, we argue that viewing cognitive functioning through the lenses of machine metaphors is never likely to lead to an understanding of these issues. Thus, what is required is a conception that embodies the sophistication of the computer metaphor with the added ability to evolve, feel, and adapt-in short, a biological metaphor.

 Knowledge construction;  situated knowledge;  

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Abstract: This book addresses the generation-old question of why the Japanese are so successful in business. The authors, professors of management at Hitosubashi University, contend that Japanese firms are successful because they are innovative, that is, because they create new knowledge and use it to produce successful products and technologies. They identify two types of organizational knowledge: explicit knowledge, contained in procedures and manuals, and tacit knowledge, learned only by experience. U.S. managers tend to focus on explicit knowledge and stress approaches such as benchmarking, while the Japanese focus on tacit knowledge. Using corporate examples such as Honda, NEC, Nissan, 3M, and GE, the authors provide insights that reveal how to blend the best of both worlds. This scholarly volume is highly recommended not only for academics (especially in organizational theory) but also for readers doing business in and with Japan.?Joseph W. Leonard, Miami Univ., Oxford, Ohio Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

 ontology;  Knowledge construction;  

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