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Permissions and Access Controls in CmapTools (.pdf )
The CmapTools software suite is an environment that enables and encourages collaboration and
sharing in the construction and manipulation of Knowledge Models1 based on concept maps
(Cmaps). The CmapTools permissions scheme is a simple yet powerful mechanism by which users can
control who can access their Cmaps and resources, and the type of access they are allowed.
Support for Constructing Knowledge Models in CmapTools (.pdf )
The CmapTools software suite allows users to construct concept maps representing their
understanding of a domain of knowledge. In the case of a large domain, or of a detailed
representation of a domain, a single concept map can become unmanageable for the user to
comprehend, display, and manipulate. To facilitate the construction of large representations,
CmapTools allows the user to split them into collections of concept maps (Cmaps). To show the
relationships between the Cmaps in the set, the software facilitates the linking of Cmaps, enabling
the navigation from one Cmap to another. Additionally, the user can establish links to other types
of resources (e.g. images, videos, sound clips, text) that help explain and complement the
information in the map.
Synchronous Collaboration in CmapTools (.pdf )
The CmapTools software suite is an environment that enables and encourages collaboration and
sharing in the construction and manipulation of Knowledge Models1 based on concept maps
(Cmaps). Collaboration must be provided through useful tools that users can benefit from, and
that will allow them to share and expand their knowledge. One of these tools is the synchronous
collaboration, which allows concurrent editing of Cmaps by multiple users, where they can see
the changes others make in real time. It is a complement of the Knowledge Soups and Discussion
Threads capabilities, other collaborative tools included.
The Network Architecture of CmapTools (.pdf )
The CmapTools software suite was designed with the purpose of providing an
environment that would enable and encourage collaboration and sharing in the
construction and use of knowledge models1 based on concept maps (Cmaps). The client
program works fine as a standalone tool, allowing the user to construct concept maps and
store them on the user computer’s hard drive, establish links among maps and to
resources2 in the hard drive, and print the maps. However, the ease with which
knowledge models can be shared and collaboration can be established through Places
(servers) is what makes CmapTools unique.
CmapTools, Web Pages & Websites (.pdf)
The CmapTools software suite was designed to support collaboration and sharing among users.
Its client-server architecture allows users to copy or publish their Knowledge Models (Cañas, Hill,
& Lott, 2003) to CmapServers making them readily available to users through the CmapTools
client, or to construct the Knowledge Models directly on a server. However, it is clear that the
World Wide Web (WWW) is the best way to make information available to the largest possible
number of users. CmapTools facilitates sharing through the WWW by automatically converting
Cmaps saved on CmapServers to HTML (web pages) that can be browsed immediately using an
Internet Web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Safari, Netscape). The CmapServer includes a
WWW Server that delivers HTML versions of the Cmaps it stores, and as such can support
Cmap-based websites. |
