30.11.02
Site du jour
uptoten.com, le site qui captive les enfants (et rassure les parents)
600 activités éducatives et ludiques en ligne : voici ce que propose ce site qui, c'est plutôt rare sur le Net, s'adresse aussi aux parents. Approuvé ! (28 novembre 2002)
Le site. Boowa et Kwala, les deux principales mascottes du site uptoten.com invitent les mômes (jusqu'à 10 ans environ) à découvrir plus 600 activités éducatives et ludiques en ligne : histoires illustrées par des chansonnettes, coloriages (différents niveaux, certains sont même à imprimer), courses, jeux d'adresse, puzzles, casse-tête, etc. Mais méfiez vous tout de même et ne confondez pas site pour enfants et site enfantin : essayez donc, juste pour voir, de cliquer sur le jeu "La main sûre" et de faire sortir la balle du labyrinthe...
Originale, la rubrique "Evènements de l'année" permet aux bambins de se situer dans le calendrier et de faire correspondre une fête à des images. On trouve aussi les traditionnelles chansons sur les personnages-vedettes du site et autres thèmes musicaux à chanter à tue-tête en famille. Des couleurs vives et des gugusses rigolos tels que Pim, Zucchini, ou le duo Gebeuil et Lebon participent également à l'ambiance très réussie du site.
Mais, surtout, uptoten ne laisse pas les parents en reste. Il leur offre de nombreux conseils sur le thème " L'enfant et le multimédia ". En effet, le but de ce site est également de sensibiliser les papas et les mamans sur le rôle positif d'Internet dans l'éducation des petits. Les parents peuvent ainsi bénéficier de conseils de professionnels, dialoguer avec l'équipe d'Uptoten ou échanger leurs expériences avec d'autres utilisateurs. On apprend les raisons de certaines erreurs que commettent les enfants sur des jeux qu'ils connaissent pourtant par cœur. On découvre des suggestions pour leur faire éteindre le PC. On parcourt des liens vers d'autres sites et des conseils pour les enfants handicapés.
Il n'est donc pas surprenant que des institutions comme L'Education Nationale et que des journaux comme Le Monde, L'Express ou Libération aient apporté leur soutien à utoten.com. Approuvé (aussi) par L'Internaute !
L'Internaute a aimé... Le choix des animations variées et gaies, les duo enfants-parents et les chansons vraiment sympa, le système de navigation simple et intuitif...
L'Internaute a regretté... Presque rien, sauf peut être le trop petit nombre de jeux concernant l'alphabet.
[Marthe Beaulieu-Camus, L'Internaute]
Fiche d'identité du site
Adresse complète http://www.uptoten.com
Editeur UpToTen : 4 rue de Brazaville 75015 Paris ( 01 53 95 19 19)
Logiciel(s) nécessaire(s) Flash
Forum oui
Signe particulier Existe en plusieurs langues: hollandais, espagnol, anglais, coréen...
L'Avis de L'Internaute @@@
@ = bof / @@ = pas mal / @@@ = très bien / @@@@ = superbe!
26.11.02
24.11.02
Alliance for Childhood
Computers are reshaping children's lives, at home and at school, in profound and unexpected ways. Common sense suggests that we consider the potential harm, as well as the promised benefits, of this change.
Computers pose serious health hazards to children. The risks include repetitive stress injuries, eyestrain, obesity, social isolation, and, for some, long-term damage to physical, emotional, or intellectual development. Our children, the Surgeon General warns, are the most sedentary generation ever. Will they thrive spending even more time staring at screens?
Children need stronger personal bonds with caring adults. Yet powerful technologies are distracting children and adults from each other.
Children need time for active, physical play; hands-on lessons of all kinds, especially in the arts; and direct experience of the natural world. Research shows these are not frills but are essential for healthy child development. Yet many schools have cut already minimal offerings in these areas to shift time and money to expensive, unproven technology.
The emphasis on technology is distracting us from the urgent social and educational needs of low income children. M.I.T. Professor Sherry Turkle has asked: "Are we using computer technology not because it teaches best but because we have lost the political will to fund education adequately?"
Given the high costs and clear hazards, we call for a moratorium on the further introduction of computers in early childhood and elementary education. We call for families, schools, and communities to refocus on the essentials of a healthy childhood. And we call for a broad public discussion about these critical issues.
Let's examine the claims about computers and children more closely:
Do computers really motivate children to learn faster and better?
Children must start learning on computers as early as possible, we are told, to get a jump-start on success. But 30 years of research on educational technology has produced just one clear link between computers and children's learning. Drill-and-practice programs appear to improve scores modestly--though not as much or as cheaply as one-on-one tutoring--on some standardized tests, in narrow skill areas, notes Larry Cuban of Stanford University. "Other than that," says Cuban, former president of the American Educational Research Association, "there is no clear, commanding body of evidence that students' sustained use of multimedia machines, the Internet, word processing, spreadsheets, and other popular applications has any impact on academic achievement."
The sheer power of information technologies may actually hamper young children's intellectual growth. What is good for adults and older students is often inappropriate for youngsters. Face-to-face conversation with more competent language users, for example, is the one constant factor in studies of how children become expert speakers, readers, and writers. Time for real talk with parents and teachers is critical. Similarly, academic success requires focused attention, listening, and persistence.
The computer -- like the TV -- can be a mesmerizing babysitter. But many children, overwhelmed by the volume of data and flashy special effects of the World Wide Web and much software, have trouble focusing on any one task. And a new study from the American Association of University Women casts doubt on the claim that computers automatically motivate learning. Many girls, it found, are bored by computers. And many boys seem more interested in violent video games than educational software.
Must five-year-olds be trained on computers today to get the high-paying jobs of tomorrow?
For a relatively small number of children with certain disabilities, technology offers benefits. But for the majority, computers pose health hazards and potentially serious developmental problems. Of particular concern is the growing incidence of disabling repetitive stress injuries among college students who began using computers in childhood.
The technology in schools today will be obsolete long before five-year-olds graduate. Creativity and imagination are the prerequisites for innovative thinking, which will never be obsolete. Yet a heavy diet of ready-made computer images and programmed toys appears to stunt imaginative thinking. Teachers report that children in our electronic society are becoming alarmingly deficient in generating their own images and ideas.
Do computers really "connect" children to the world?
Too often, what computers actually connect children to are trivial games, inappropriate adult material, and aggressive advertising. They can also isolate children, emotionally and physically, from direct experience of the natural world. The "distance" education they promote is the opposite of what all children, and especially children at risk, need most -- close relationships with caring adults.
Research shows that strengthening bonds between teachers, students, and families is a powerful remedy for troubled students and struggling schools. Overemphasizing technology can weaken those bonds. The National Science Board reported in 1998 that prolonged exposure to computing environments may create "individuals incapable of dealing with the messiness of reality, the needs of community building, and the demands of personal commitments."
In the early grades, children need live lessons that engage their hands, hearts, bodies, and minds -- not computer simulations. Even in high school, where the benefits of computers are more clear, too few technology classes emphasize the ethics or dangers of online research and communication. Too few help students develop the critical skills to make independent judgments about the potential for the Internet -- or any other technology -- to have negative as well as positive social consequences.
Our Conclusion: Those who place their faith in technology to solve the problems of education should look more deeply into the needs of children. The renewal of education requires personal attention to students from good teachers and active parents, strongly supported by their communities. It requires commitment to developmentally appropriate education and attention to the full range of children's real, low-tech needs -- physical, emotional, and social, as well as cognitive.
Therefore, we call for:
1: A refocusing in education, at home and school, on the essentials of a healthy childhood: strong bonds with caring adults; time for spontaneous, creative play; a curriculum rich in music and the other arts; reading books aloud; storytelling and poetry; rhythm and movement; cooking, building things, and other handcrafts; and gardening and other hands-on experiences of nature and the physical world.
2: A broad public dialogue on how the emphasis on computers affects the real needs of children, especially children in low-income families.
3: A comprehensive report by the U.S. Surgeon General on the full extent of physical, emotional, and other developmental hazards computers pose to children.
4: Full disclosure by information-technology companies about the physical hazards to children of using their products.
5: A halt to the commercial hyping of harmful or useless technology for children.
6: A new emphasis on ethics, responsibility, and critical thinking in teaching older students about the personal and social effects of technology.
7: An immediate moratorium on the further introduction of computers in early childhood and elementary education, except for special cases of students with disabilities. Such a time-out is necessary to create the climate for the above recommendations to take place.
Computers are reshaping children's lives, at home and at school, in profound and unexpected ways. Common sense suggests that we consider the potential harm, as well as the promised benefits, of this change.
Computers pose serious health hazards to children. The risks include repetitive stress injuries, eyestrain, obesity, social isolation, and, for some, long-term damage to physical, emotional, or intellectual development. Our children, the Surgeon General warns, are the most sedentary generation ever. Will they thrive spending even more time staring at screens?
Children need stronger personal bonds with caring adults. Yet powerful technologies are distracting children and adults from each other.
Children need time for active, physical play; hands-on lessons of all kinds, especially in the arts; and direct experience of the natural world. Research shows these are not frills but are essential for healthy child development. Yet many schools have cut already minimal offerings in these areas to shift time and money to expensive, unproven technology.
The emphasis on technology is distracting us from the urgent social and educational needs of low income children. M.I.T. Professor Sherry Turkle has asked: "Are we using computer technology not because it teaches best but because we have lost the political will to fund education adequately?"
Given the high costs and clear hazards, we call for a moratorium on the further introduction of computers in early childhood and elementary education. We call for families, schools, and communities to refocus on the essentials of a healthy childhood. And we call for a broad public discussion about these critical issues.
Let's examine the claims about computers and children more closely:
Do computers really motivate children to learn faster and better?
Children must start learning on computers as early as possible, we are told, to get a jump-start on success. But 30 years of research on educational technology has produced just one clear link between computers and children's learning. Drill-and-practice programs appear to improve scores modestly--though not as much or as cheaply as one-on-one tutoring--on some standardized tests, in narrow skill areas, notes Larry Cuban of Stanford University. "Other than that," says Cuban, former president of the American Educational Research Association, "there is no clear, commanding body of evidence that students' sustained use of multimedia machines, the Internet, word processing, spreadsheets, and other popular applications has any impact on academic achievement."
The sheer power of information technologies may actually hamper young children's intellectual growth. What is good for adults and older students is often inappropriate for youngsters. Face-to-face conversation with more competent language users, for example, is the one constant factor in studies of how children become expert speakers, readers, and writers. Time for real talk with parents and teachers is critical. Similarly, academic success requires focused attention, listening, and persistence.
The computer -- like the TV -- can be a mesmerizing babysitter. But many children, overwhelmed by the volume of data and flashy special effects of the World Wide Web and much software, have trouble focusing on any one task. And a new study from the American Association of University Women casts doubt on the claim that computers automatically motivate learning. Many girls, it found, are bored by computers. And many boys seem more interested in violent video games than educational software.
Must five-year-olds be trained on computers today to get the high-paying jobs of tomorrow?
For a relatively small number of children with certain disabilities, technology offers benefits. But for the majority, computers pose health hazards and potentially serious developmental problems. Of particular concern is the growing incidence of disabling repetitive stress injuries among college students who began using computers in childhood.
The technology in schools today will be obsolete long before five-year-olds graduate. Creativity and imagination are the prerequisites for innovative thinking, which will never be obsolete. Yet a heavy diet of ready-made computer images and programmed toys appears to stunt imaginative thinking. Teachers report that children in our electronic society are becoming alarmingly deficient in generating their own images and ideas.
Do computers really "connect" children to the world?
Too often, what computers actually connect children to are trivial games, inappropriate adult material, and aggressive advertising. They can also isolate children, emotionally and physically, from direct experience of the natural world. The "distance" education they promote is the opposite of what all children, and especially children at risk, need most -- close relationships with caring adults.
Research shows that strengthening bonds between teachers, students, and families is a powerful remedy for troubled students and struggling schools. Overemphasizing technology can weaken those bonds. The National Science Board reported in 1998 that prolonged exposure to computing environments may create "individuals incapable of dealing with the messiness of reality, the needs of community building, and the demands of personal commitments."
In the early grades, children need live lessons that engage their hands, hearts, bodies, and minds -- not computer simulations. Even in high school, where the benefits of computers are more clear, too few technology classes emphasize the ethics or dangers of online research and communication. Too few help students develop the critical skills to make independent judgments about the potential for the Internet -- or any other technology -- to have negative as well as positive social consequences.
Our Conclusion: Those who place their faith in technology to solve the problems of education should look more deeply into the needs of children. The renewal of education requires personal attention to students from good teachers and active parents, strongly supported by their communities. It requires commitment to developmentally appropriate education and attention to the full range of children's real, low-tech needs -- physical, emotional, and social, as well as cognitive.
Therefore, we call for:
1: A refocusing in education, at home and school, on the essentials of a healthy childhood: strong bonds with caring adults; time for spontaneous, creative play; a curriculum rich in music and the other arts; reading books aloud; storytelling and poetry; rhythm and movement; cooking, building things, and other handcrafts; and gardening and other hands-on experiences of nature and the physical world.
2: A broad public dialogue on how the emphasis on computers affects the real needs of children, especially children in low-income families.
3: A comprehensive report by the U.S. Surgeon General on the full extent of physical, emotional, and other developmental hazards computers pose to children.
4: Full disclosure by information-technology companies about the physical hazards to children of using their products.
5: A halt to the commercial hyping of harmful or useless technology for children.
6: A new emphasis on ethics, responsibility, and critical thinking in teaching older students about the personal and social effects of technology.
7: An immediate moratorium on the further introduction of computers in early childhood and elementary education, except for special cases of students with disabilities. Such a time-out is necessary to create the climate for the above recommendations to take place.
E-learning, il web sale in cattedra
Ma l’insegnamento a distanza stenta a decollare
19 novembre 2002
di Anna Masera
Se ne parla al Comdex (www.comdex.com), la fiera informatica mondiale in corso questa settimana a Las Vegas. E’ al centro dell’attenzione delle aziende, che ne intuiscono le potenzialità. E’ al cuore di tutti i discorsi legati allo sviluppo di futuri contenuti online. Eppure l’e-learning, cioè l’apprendimento e la formazione a distanza (dove la «e» tanto per cambiare sta per «elettronica», cioè via Internet, online), stenta a decollare. Secondo un’indagine della britannica Nop Research (www.nop.co.uk), i bambini del Regno Unito conoscono meglio Internet che i libri. Il 60 per cento degli intervistati (un campione rappresentativo di mille bambini tra i 7 e i 16 anni) conosce il significato di «hard drive» ma non quello di «hardback» e conosce il senso di «home page» ma non quello di «prefazione». Il 70 per cento sa che www sta per World Wide Web.
Il 75 per cento usa Internet per le ricerche scolastiche e più della metà ha trovato online informazioni definite «utili». Il 69 per cento dichiara che Internet rende i compiti più facili, il 67 per cento che li rende più veloci da completare, il 66 per cento che li rende più divertenti. Il 66 per cento di questi bambini ha insegnato a usare Internet ad almeno un adulto. Certamente, questi bambini quando saranno adulti non troveranno nulla di strano nel seguire corsi anche avanzati online. Ma coloro che sono adulti in questo momento faticano a passare a questa soluzione. E’ per questo che la domanda di e-learning, in questo periodo, non cresce. Non è solo una questione di congiuntura sfavorevole. È anche un dubbio serpeggiante sull’efficacia dei corsi online: gli esperti di Prometeus (www.prometeus.org), la rete europea di e-learning nata quattro anni fa con l’obiettivo di creare un forum sulle nuove tecnologie dell’apprendimento, ammettono che di veramente «online» c’è ancora poco.
Forse perchè la maggior parte degli investimenti che le aziende hanno destinato all’e-learning sono stati dedicati alle piattaforme tecnologiche e non ai contenuti. Eppure, di progetti ce n’è da vendere. Come quello, patrocinato dal Ministero dell’Istruzione e dalla Commissione Europea, di Intel, che ha annunciato recentemente «Teach to the Future» (Insegna al Futuro) per promuovere la didattica sulle tecnologie dell’informazione (www.intel.com/italiano/education/scuola/index.htm). O quello di Microsoft: «Progetto Docente», in collaborazione con il Ministero dell’Istruzione, dovrebbe formare online 5 mila insegnanti delle scuole medie superiori d’Italia (www.apprendereinrete.it). La Elea (www.elea.it), società del gruppo De Agostini, ha addirittura annunciato un master in e-learning management.
Intanto, è di ieri la notizia che i professori italiani andranno finalmente a lezione di computer. Il «Piano nazionale di formazione degli insegnanti sulle tecnologie dell'informazione e della comunicazione» prevede infatti l'alfabetizzazione informatica per circa 180 mila professori di ruolo. Varato dal ministero dell'Istruzione a maggio scorso, dispone di un budget di 66 milioni di euro e dovrà essere portato a termine entro la fine del 2003. L'inizio dell'operazione è prevista entro gennaio prossimo. Era ora.
23.11.02
Power Learning New technologies offer social studies educators a powerful array of tools with which to achieve the laudable goals established by the National Council of the Social Studies. Power learning develops citizens who are prepared to tackle the baffling and bewildering questions and issues facing an Information Age society. Although the use of such technologies represents a major break with past traditions, the importance of the task and the need for such a break is underlined by repeatedly disappointing evaluations of current student knowledge and skill levels.
21.11.02
20.11.02
Computer Science Logo Style 2/e - 3 vol. set
Brian Harvey
Volume 1: Symbolic Computing
Volume 2: Advanced Techniques
Volume 3: Beyond Programming
"In the world of theatre `Harvey' is a large, white rabbit who happens to be invisible. Elementary computer science's `Harvey' is more like a tiger - clever, colorful, powerful, and, thanks to this revised edition of a classic set of texts, very visible indeed."
-- William Higginson, Coordinator; Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Group, Queen's University at Kingston, Canada
This series is for people--adults and teenagers--who are interested in computer programming because it's fun. The three volumes use the Logo programming language as the vehicle for an exploration of computer science from the perspective of symbolic computation and artificial intelligence. Logo is a dialect of Lisp, a language used in the most advanced research projects in computer science, especially in artificial intelligence. Throughout the series, functional programming techniques (including higher order functions and recursion) are emphasized, but traditional sequential programming is also used when appropriate.
In the second edition, the first two volumes have been rearranged so that illustrative case studies appear with the techniques they demonstrate. Volume 1 includes a new chapter about higher order functions, and the recursion chapters have been reorganized for greater clarity. Volume 2 includes a new tut
Brian Harvey
Volume 1: Symbolic Computing
Volume 2: Advanced Techniques
Volume 3: Beyond Programming
"In the world of theatre `Harvey' is a large, white rabbit who happens to be invisible. Elementary computer science's `Harvey' is more like a tiger - clever, colorful, powerful, and, thanks to this revised edition of a classic set of texts, very visible indeed."
-- William Higginson, Coordinator; Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Group, Queen's University at Kingston, Canada
This series is for people--adults and teenagers--who are interested in computer programming because it's fun. The three volumes use the Logo programming language as the vehicle for an exploration of computer science from the perspective of symbolic computation and artificial intelligence. Logo is a dialect of Lisp, a language used in the most advanced research projects in computer science, especially in artificial intelligence. Throughout the series, functional programming techniques (including higher order functions and recursion) are emphasized, but traditional sequential programming is also used when appropriate.
In the second edition, the first two volumes have been rearranged so that illustrative case studies appear with the techniques they demonstrate. Volume 1 includes a new chapter about higher order functions, and the recursion chapters have been reorganized for greater clarity. Volume 2 includes a new tut
19.11.02
11.11.02
10.11.02
3.11.02
Materiali LTE - Spunti per ricercare insieme Criteri di valutazione:
http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/evalcrit.html
Guida per insegnanti:
http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/6/32/s32-1250-f.html
Repertorio riferito all'educazione:
http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/eval.html
Esempi e esercizi:
http://users.skynet.be/ameurant/francinfo/validite/index.html
Griglia di valutazione strutturale (per comodità, la si può prelevare qui in formato .pdf):
http://ccfd.crosemont.qc.ca/cours/trousse/guide/accueil/analyse_eva.html
Presentazione sulla valutazione:
http://www2.widener.edu/Wolfgram-Memorial-Library/webeval/eval1198/index.htm
Per una sitografia...
http://www.vuw.ac.nz/~agsmith/evaln/evaln.htm
Altra sitografia:
http://www.lib.vt.edu/research/libinst/evalbiblio.html
http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/evalcrit.html
Guida per insegnanti:
http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/6/32/s32-1250-f.html
Repertorio riferito all'educazione:
http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/eval.html
Esempi e esercizi:
http://users.skynet.be/ameurant/francinfo/validite/index.html
Griglia di valutazione strutturale (per comodità, la si può prelevare qui in formato .pdf):
http://ccfd.crosemont.qc.ca/cours/trousse/guide/accueil/analyse_eva.html
Presentazione sulla valutazione:
http://www2.widener.edu/Wolfgram-Memorial-Library/webeval/eval1198/index.htm
Per una sitografia...
http://www.vuw.ac.nz/~agsmith/evaln/evaln.htm
Altra sitografia:
http://www.lib.vt.edu/research/libinst/evalbiblio.html
Materiali LTE - Obiettivi e compiti WEBSCUOLA.TIN.IT- Webwatching http://www.webscuola.tin.it/jumpch.asp?idLang=IT&idUser=0&idchannel=2
5 siti a piacere presi nelle seguenti fonti:
Pavonerisorse: mappa dinamica
http://www.pavonerisorse.to.it/pstd/brain3/default.htm
Esempio francese:
http://www.educnet.education.fr/res/casource.htm
5 a piacere individuati nelle proprie navigazioni.
Sitografia:
Valutare le risorse web:
http://www2.widener.edu/Wolfgram-Memorial-Library/webevaluation/webeval.htm
http://www.nsta.org/recommendedsites/default.asp
Bibliografia:
http://www2.widener.edu/Wolfgram-Memorial-Library/webevaluation/webstrbib.htm
http://www.aib.it/aib/cwai/WAI-trad.htm
http://www.education-world.com/best_of/2001/
Criteri:
http://www.hopetillman.com/findqual.html#2
http://www.edtech.vt.edu/edtech/kmoliver/webeval/AACE97.html
5 siti a piacere presi nelle seguenti fonti:
Pavonerisorse: mappa dinamica
http://www.pavonerisorse.to.it/pstd/brain3/default.htm
Esempio francese:
http://www.educnet.education.fr/res/casource.htm
5 a piacere individuati nelle proprie navigazioni.
Sitografia:
Valutare le risorse web:
http://www2.widener.edu/Wolfgram-Memorial-Library/webevaluation/webeval.htm
http://www.nsta.org/recommendedsites/default.asp
Bibliografia:
http://www2.widener.edu/Wolfgram-Memorial-Library/webevaluation/webstrbib.htm
http://www.aib.it/aib/cwai/WAI-trad.htm
http://www.education-world.com/best_of/2001/
Criteri:
http://www.hopetillman.com/findqual.html#2
http://www.edtech.vt.edu/edtech/kmoliver/webeval/AACE97.html
1.11.02
Rete e mappe concettuali
L’intreccio tra teoria, metodo, ambienti elettronici per la produzione e l’impiego di mappe concettuali da un lato e rappresentazione e navigazione delle risorse di rete dall’altro si è fatto in questi ultimi tempi sempre più significativo.
Sono infatti disponibili plug-in per i browser, particolari ambienti "virtuali", veri e propri software, che mettono l’utente di Internet in grado di usare questa modalità di organizzazione delle informazioni secondo prospettive diverse, tutte molto potenti sotto il profilo cognitivo.
Da http://www.webmap.com/, per esempio, si può scaricare un’aggiunta che consente al nostro "rovistatore di rete" di presentarci numerosissime risorse di rete visualizzate secondo una topologia fondata su categorie concettuali.
In http://www.museoscienza.org/museovr/cybergeography/ troviamo la traduzione italiana del tentativo originale di costruire un atlante della rete sviluppato in http://www.cybergeography.org in termini di "mappe e rappresentazioni grafiche delle geografie dei nuovi territori elettronici di Internet, del World-Wide Web e di altri Cyberspazi emergenti": una sua sezione si chiama proprio "Mappe concettuali del Cyberspazio".
In http://www.webbrain.com/ c'è poi un vero e proprio motore di ricerca organizzato per mappe concettuali. L’interesse di ciascuno di questi strumenti è ovviamente il mettere in evidenza l’importanza non solo delle relazioni tra le singole unità, ma anche e soprattutto di quelle tra aggregati e insiemi più vasti. Sottolineiamo quindi, come elemento di arricchimento culturale e didattico, la possibilità di visualizzare sia l’informazione al momento raggiunta sia il contesto/percorso in cui essa si è venuta collocando. In tutti i casi il ruolo dell’utente si limita alla fruizione di quanto realizzato da altri.
Ormai tutti i numerosi programmi per la produzione di mappe concettuali offrono a chi li utilizza la possibilità di associare a un nodo l'URL di una risorsa di rete. In tutti i casi, quindi, sarà possibile produrre mappe per la classificazione e la rappresentazione personale di insiemi di informazioni e delle loro relazioni. Ciascuna di tali mappe per altro sarà in grado di sfruttare i collegamenti dinamici interni ai sistemi operativi attuali, e quindi di richiamare i browser per visualizzare le risorse "mappate". Ogni ambiente di lavoro inoltre esporta in formato HTML, e quindi potrà generare pagine-mappa a loro volta collocabili sulla rete. Tra questi software ricordiamo Personal Brain (http://www.thebrain.com) perché si basa su un modello di mappa particolarmente flessibile, ovvero dinamico, a punto di vista variabile. Un esempio di questo particolare strumento di rappresentazione e di navigazione è visibile in http://www.pavonerisorse.to.it/pstd/brain3/default.htm. È quasi inutile sottolineare come il ruolo dell’utente di questi software vada ben oltre la semplice fruizione di risorse organizzate. Ne è quindi evidente l’interesse intellettuale, prima ancora che pedagogico.
Http://cmap.coginst.cwf.edu/index.html addirittura si propone di sostituire alla "tradizionale" navigazione via browser quella attraverso le mappe concettuali. Per scopi "educational" e "no profit" si hanno infatti gratuitamente a disposizione da una parte uno strumento multipiattaforma per la produzione di mappe e dall’altra una serie di server "pubblici", già ora ricchi di contenuti, sui quali pubblicare il risultato del proprio lavoro e interagire con altri, dai quali partire e far partire per visitare e sfruttare Internet in modo esplicitamente progettato e ordinato. Per qualche approfondimento sulla tematica delle mappe concettuali: - http://cmap.coginst.uwf.edu/info/ - The Theory Underlying Concept Maps and How To Construct Them, del professor Joseph D. Novak, Cornell University - http://users.edte.utwente.nl/lanzing/cm_home.htm - Concept mapping home page - http://www.to2000.it/irrsae/b/Default.htm, una mappa dinamica dedicata alle mappe - http://www.noiosito.it/mxt.pdf - sul rapporto tra mappe e scrittura di testi
Altri siti dai quali è possibile scaricare software free, shareware o trial per la produzione di mappe concettuali
- http://www.inspiration.com - Inspiration e Kidspiration, per bambini
- http://www.mindjet.it/ - Mind Manager http://mindmapper.com/ Mind Mapper e Mind Mapper jr. per bambini
- http://www.lynxlab.com/software/downloads_it.php - Promenade e Textis Plus
- http://web.singnet.com.sg/~axon2000/index.htm - Axon Idea Processor
- http://www.coco.co.uk - Visimap
- http://www.thinkmap.com - Thinkmap
- http://www.noiosito.it/index.htm#dl - Documentazione in italiano su alcuni programmi per la realizzazione di mappe concettuali.
In http://www.to2000.it/irrsae/ è disponibile una serie di ulteriori esempi di impiego delle mappe concettuali come strumento di rappresentazione e di invito alla navigazione per categorie.
Prof. Marco Guastavigna - IRRSAE Piemonte
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