Selected Publications
The follow is a selected list publications categorized by topics. A (more or less) Complete List of Publications is also available.
A large percentage of my effort in the last few years has been in the area of representing and sharing knowledge using concept maps, and the development of CmapTools software to support this effort. The following is an introduction to concept mapping and how to use it, particularly in education:
- The Theory Underlying Concept Maps and How to Construct Them, J. D. Novak & A. J. Cañas (2006), Technical Report IHMC CmapTools 2006-01, Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC), 2006. (The paper is also available as a pdf and as a high-resolution pdf suitable for printing.)
To learn about concept mapping and how to use it in different settings, I recommend the Cmappers.Learn section of Cmappers.net. Some of the documents available at Cmappers.Learn are listed here.
The following paper includes a history of concept mapping that is more extensive than in other of our publications:
- The Origins of the Concept Mapping Tool and the Continuing Evolution of the Tool (higher resolution for printing), J. D. Novak & A. J. Cañas, Information Visualization Journal 5, 175-184 (January 2006).
Publications on Concept Mapping in Education
We have been working on the development of a concept map-centered learning environment based on CmapTools that enables a New Model of Education. This is covered in a couple of papers, and is described in:
- Building on New Constructivist Ideas and CmapTools to Create a New Model for Education, J. D. Novak & A. J. Cañas. This is a revision of the paper published in: A. J. Cañas, J. D. Novak & F. M. González (Eds.), Concept Maps: Theory, Methodology, Technology. Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Concept Mapping. Pamplona, Spain: Universidad Pública de Navarra (2004).
At the closing talk at the 2nd International Conference on Concept Mapping we re-examined the theoretical foundations of concept mapping, recalling that "events" are also concepts that can lead to Cmaps with more dynamic links, including cyclic Cmaps. We also examine the importance of the focus question and how it affects the quality of Cmaps constructed, leading to discussing questioning in general, and how interviewing techniques can lead to improve questioning.
- Re-Examining The Foundations for Effective Use of Concept Maps, A. J. Cañas & J. D. Novak (2006). In A. J. Cañas & J. D. Novak (Eds.), Concept Maps: Theory, Methodology, Technology. Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Concept Mapping (Vol. 1, pp. 494-502). San José, Costa Rica: Universidad de Costa Rica.
Publications on CmapTools
CmapTools is the knowledge modeling software kit that we have developed at IHMC. This paper summarizes the characteristics and features of the software, and is the main reference/citation for it:
- CmapTools: A Knowledge Modeling and Sharing Environment, A. J. Cañas, G. Hill, R. Carff, N. Suri, J. Lott, T. Eskridge, G. Gómez, M. Arroyo, R. Carvajal (2004). In: A. J. Cañas, J. D. Novak, & F. M. González (Eds.), Concept Maps: Theory, Methodology, Technology, Proceedings of the First International Conference on Concept Mapping (Vol. 1, pp. 125-133). Pamplona, Spain: Universidad Pública de Navarra.
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