Sound Knowledge Strategies

New Knowledge Tools for Lawyers

My colleague Patrick Hindert, Managing Director of S2KM,  posted a revised version of "Web 2.0 for Lawyers" in his blog yesterday. Web 2.0 for Lawyers is a resource-rich visual knowledge model that provides an overview of web 2.0 and its implications for lawyers and law firms.

The embedded podcast provides a guided tour of the suite of concept maps.

How can visual knowledge models such as this one create value for attorneys and law firms? A portfolio of concept maps I have created to assist small businesses to increase employee effectiveness provides a couple of examples.

One promising use is to help juries understand the conceptual landscape and inter-relationships among the key points key arguments presented during a trial. The current standard methods for summative presentations to juries are PowerPoint and graphic drawings on flip charts or presentation boards.

The limitations to these methods are:

1) the "recency effect" means that the last point is the one that people tend to remember and while that may the most important, the "beyond reasonable doubt" requirement means that the jury needs to feel comfortable in adopting that final point.

2) it is difficult to impossible, using these methods, for the jury build a cognitive model of the case and arguments that in any way approximates that of the defense or prosecuting attorney. The cognitive load is simply too great.

Imagine that as a defense attorney, when you made your summary presentation to the jury, the presentation could unfold a conceptual model of your arguments that made clear the high-level concepts and the key inter-relationships?

What if photos, diagrams, audio or video recordings could be displayed in the context of this model, so that the impact and implications of their content would be apparent?

What if, as defense attorney, you could bring the jury along during the trial to support them to develop a "mental model" of the case that corresponds to your mental model?

Concept mapping software, and the embedded presentation tool, accomplish this by being constructed of "knowledge claims" or propositions. Cognitive research has revealed that the brain stores knowledge in the form of propositions - two concepts connected by a linking phrase, i.e., "Knowledge" "is" "Power." Propositions are the bite-sized chunks the brain uses to build internal knowledge representations.

Patrick Hindert has been using concept maps to define the business landscape for the structured settlement industry. He has been able to share his insights about new opportunities created by regulatory changes as well as to clearly communicate how different industry players perceive "hot issues" such as factoring.

The concept mapping tools my firm uses differ from other so-called concept mapping and mind-mapping tools in the extensive cognitive research that informs their design and the use of propositions as the core unit from which the concept map is constructed.

As pre-eminent knowledge workers, lawyers deserve the best knowledge tools and knowledge assets available. Concept mapping tools, such as InsightTM and CmapToolsTM, offer great promise.

I 937: Washington State Energy Independence Act

Last November, Washington State voters passed I 937, Washington State's "Energy Independence" Act. The initiative requires "qualified utilities" in WA State to increase their use of renewable energy sources to 15% by 2020.

The creation of economic opportunities through new renewable businesses and family-wage jobs are seen as secondary benefits. These new business opportunities may be funded, in part, by the qualified utilities which are required to invest 4% of revenue in renewable energy sources.

This suite of concept maps represents the conceptual hierarchy and interdependencies of I 937.  The 11-page text of the Initiative is attached to the "I 937" concept node at the top of the map.

For more information on concept mapping, see posts from September, 2006 in the Archives - in the right column of this page.

I welcome your comments and feedback.

MIT Enterprise Forum: The Future of Digital Learning, Part 4

Investment Opportunities

The panel offered these ideas for investment opportunities in the digital learning industry.

• Companies making homeschooling software for K-12.
  
• Tutoring software. No Child Left Behind has created a market for tutoring software so that young people can pass the high-stakes tests, especially the high-school test that determines whether the student will graduate from high school. Companies that make math instruction software, especially Algebra and Algebra II were mentioned as prime candidates.
• Companies making laptop computers selling for <=$100. for sale to developing nations.
• There will be consolidation in this industry. Smaller companies that are profitable, and that have a growing market, are good acquisition candidates and could be good investment opportunities.

Companies such as Webex that make web conferencing solutions are notable in their absence from this list. For me as a consultant, web-based virtual seminars are an effective and cost-effective way to gain new knowledge and stay current. I am a frequent-flyer. The offerings seem to be growing rapidly, as does the choice of applications.  My most recent web-based seminar was: Enterprise companies adopting virtual learning for training.

Based on the data and capabilities of virtual learning this seminar offered, companies that provide virtual training solutions may be worth investigating as investment opportunities. It's  increasingly being used as a way to cut costs, increase effectivesness and maximize a company's human capital resources. Both the companies providing effective virtual learning solutions, as well as those employing these solutions to increase their profitability, may be worth investigating.

Caveat emptor applies. The above ideas are offered for educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment recommendations.

Your comments on these and other ideas for investment opportunities in the digital learning arena are welcome.

MIT Enterprise Forum: The Future of Digital Learning, Part 3

The Present Situation

Digital learning is being used widely for corporate training and performance support. Panelists identified the "sweet spot" as the knowledge gap that results in a performance gap that can be filled by technology. Technical training and on-boarding new employees are two places where a spectrum of technology solutions have been adopted by businesses and corporations.

The "three weeks in Dallas for training" scenario that used to be standard fare for new corporate employees has become a much more time and cost-effective practice. New employees engage in self-paced online learning before face-to-face training. This blended learning approach is rapidly gaining favor because it delivers superior learning results-- enabling employees to be more effective on the job--for less money and less time.

New product training increasingly includes a digital learning component. It's cost-effective, convenient and permits the learner to repeat any part of the content that he may not have thoroughly understood on the first pass. This learner-driven flexibility can reduce anxiety, enabling the learner to be more cognitively effective.

The use of digital learning for high-performance training in simulations in the military was not discussed in this presentation, but has been an application for decades.

Trends and Prospects for the Future

Last September, I participated in a web-based seminar, Increasing the Strategic Value of the Learning Organization presented by Bersin & Assoc. I encourage you to explore this presentation. It's a rich information resource that addresses how a learning organization develops bench strength and competencies needed for the future.

The comments of the panelists, together with this presentation, make it clear that digital learning applications for corporations is a growth industry--not only in the U.S. but globally.

I'd be delighted to hear about your experiences as learner, solutions provider or corporate manager.

MIT Enterprise Forum: The Future of Digital Learning, Part 2

The Present & Future of Digital Learning in Education
Panelists (see my previous post for names) provided an interesting range of responses to the questions posed by the moderator:

What's Working in the Present?

• The power of the Internet for learning is being recognized and utilized more.
• Homeschooling is creating demand for mathematics instruction software. Most parents of home-schooled children are not able to teach algebra and calculus.
  
• Kids with health and emotional issues who can't make it to school can be served with online learning and digital instruction.
• Online learning is increasing high school graduation rate. 33% of the students who took courses with the Digital Learning Commons would not have graduated otherwise.
• Online learning provides access and options, in an environment where schools are currently driven by test scores.

What Challenges Do We Face in Realizing More of the Benefit of Digital Learning?

• Technical challenges, including bandwidth and multiple platforms.
  
• Cultural challenges: People in different cultures learn differently. 
  
• Pedagogical challenges. There is a social aspect to learning and the absence of it sometimes turns people away from online learning.
• Student-to-computer ratio (WA avg.=4:1) is still too high to enable delivery of online courses.
• Inadequate teacher training re use technology in classrooms.
• Inadequate funding for development of good content.
• Need for better distribution of content. 
• Need for better content. There's a lot of content, and much of it is not very good.
• Challenge of structuring information so it's easy to learn.
  
  My consulting practice addresses this need through the creation and use of visual knowledge in the form of concept maps and knowledge models. Concept map construction is rooted in David Ausubel's Theory of Meaningful Learning--see my blog post from Sept. 16, 2006.
  
  Prof. Joseph D. Novak has proposed a_new_model_for_education based on the use of "skeleton expert maps" provided to, and progressively improved by, the learner. Sound Knowledge Strategies is using this model in a consulting project with the Center to Strengthen the Teaching Profession (CTSP).
  
  What's The Future of Digital Learning in Education?

• Use what's out there in a simpler and easier way--cleaner interface, better presentation of progress.
  
• Continued social bonding through instant messaging (IM) and social networking.
• Blending of intuitive intelligence and online learning.
• Learning that includes kinesthetic engagement. Ksenia spoke of the compelling engagement she observed as young people used "Wii," the new gaming device from Nintendo.
• Platforms are moving to be more open so that content will not be tied to platform.
• Wikis enable individuals to contribute to content, however, quality control can be an issue.
• Higher-ed will offer more on-line learning.
• Platforms will merge, e.g., cellphone and iPod. In the future you will be able to connect both to a server in your home.

It's interesting that these glimpses of the future of digital learning in education are not that much different from the current situation--so unlike the rapid pace of change in the cyberworld world at large. YouTube, for example, burst upon the scene and was bought by Google a year later for $1.65 billion in stock.

Recent results from the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) demonstrate again, as standardized tests always have, a direct correlation between socio-economic status and test scores. This  most pronounced in science and math.

Neither our state or our nation can afford to leave the challenges of effective use of digital learning unmet. If schools are to enter the global wired world, this will mean investing in broadband infrastructure for schools. A good mission, perhaps, for the Bill & Melinda Gates?

 

MIT Enterprise Forum: The Future of Digital Learning, Part 1

The January 17 MIT Enterprise Forum in Bellevue, WA, featured a presentation by Ksenia Oustiougova, Founder & CEO of Lilipip and a panel of five experts in digital learning. Ksenia provided an overview of her company's plans for innovative design and delivery of educational content for pre-schoolers.

Panelists addressed the topic: "Classrooms Today, Clicks Tomorrow: The Future of Digital Learning." 

The panel was moderated by Steven Conrad of Media Pro. Panelists were:

• Dr. Hala Annabi, Institute for Innovation in Information Management, UW;
• Karl Nelson, Digital Learning Commons
• Charlie Gillette, Knowledge Anywhere, a technology-based learning and performance support organization
• and Bill Finkbeiner, Executive Director of Insight Schools - recently acquired by The Apollo Group, the parent company of the University of Phoenix.

The program began with Ksenia's presentation of Lilipip's first product. "Lilipip" comes from her son's pronunciation of "Little people." Ksenia presented her idea and sample prototype for educational downloadable videos. The videos will be playable on any video device, but are especially targeted for use on cell phone to help mothers respond to their 2-5 year-olds "teachable moments".

Ksenia's venture was inspired by her son's delight with snow during the recent Seattle-area storms, and her inability come up with accurate, on-the-spot answers to his questions during the brief moments he was enamored of snowflakes.

The concept: subscription-based content delivery to cell phones for moms of pre-schoolers to help them capture their children's "teachable moments".

The panelists response was generally favorable, though somewhat mixed. They saw some promise, and raised critical questions. Would the subscription model work? Are people already tied into seeking information on the internet? Will wireless providers really go for this? Is the cellphone screen too small?

Ksenia took the panel's tough questions in stride and offered insightful comments during the program-at-large. I think she will pull this off. She knows her target market. She is smart and high-energy. She is establishing a track record of excellence--she won the Best Consumer Product Idea Prize in the UW Business Plan Competition. Ksenia is passionate about this product. In the words of my former corporate colleagues, she has "fire in her belly."

Best case scenario is the content Lilipip delivers not only solves a momentary need for information, but also helps to cultivate a "sense of wonder"--in the toddler and parent.

Watch for news from Lilipip: www.lilipip.com

Stay tuned for my upcoming blog posts:

Part 2: The Present & Future of Digital Learning in the Education Market.
Part 3: The Present & Future of Digital Learning in the Corporate World
Part 4: Where are the investment opportunities?

 

Concept Mapping & Mind Mapping

An effective, and increasingly important, way to address information overload is to create organizing frameworks that support learning and sense-making. Visual frameworks support the viewer to grasp the overall "shape" and extent of the information landscape.

Mind mapping tools, such as NovaMind, MindJet, and Inspiration, are widely used in business, education and government. Concept mapping tools are becoming increasingly important due to the capability of concept maps to represent the knowledge claims and to reveal the conceptual hierarchy and interconnections among the key concepts the domain-of-interest.

The terms "mind-mapping" and "concept-mapping" are often used interchangeably, but the tools, process and products are different in important ways. While both of these process result in a visual diagrams, mind maps are best-suited for brainstorming, to create flow charts or visual representations that sketch out a project plan. Mind mapping software has become quite sophisticated. Mind Jet's MindManager, for example, can be a project management tool when used as a front-end to Microsoft Project.

Tony Buzan is credited with creating mind mapping as a tool to support the associative syle of "lateral thinking." Because it was created to support highly associative thinking, the connections in a mind map can be arranged in any way. Usually, they radiate out from a central core, e.g., an image or word. Buzan calls the result an "information picture."

Concept mapping was developed by Prof. Joseph Novak, and his research team at Cornell University, as a way to represent the emerging conceptual structure of science knowledge in K-12 students. It has subsequently been used to represent the expert knowledge of scientists, product development teams, physicians, attorneys, software designers, and business strategists.

Novakian concept maps are rooted in a David Ausubel's theory of meaningful learning and a theory of knowledge.  Concept maps support cognitive development by: 1) helping the learner and teacher determine what the learner knows, the hierarchy and relationships of concepts in her cognitive structure, and 2) by providing advance organizers that foster the meaningful integration of new information into existing cognitive structure.

Concept maps move beyond "information pictures" to create "conceptual landscapes." A major advance of concept maps as a tool to support cognitive development and expert learning is that they are hierarchical and are constructed from building blocks called "propositions". Propositions are two concepts joined by a linking phrase, e.g., "Knowledge" "is" "Power." 

Research indicates that the brain stores knowledge in units of meaning that have the same structure as propositions. The capacity of concept maps and concept mapping to facilitate meaningful learning and knowledge construction is validated by over thiry years of research by Prof. Joseph D. Novak--first at Cornell University and continuing since 1992 at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC). 

The power of concept mapping lies in the rigor and clarity required to create a concept map, starting with the creation of a concise focus question.

There are a number of articles by Novak, Alberto Canas, head of the CmapTools team at IHMC, and their colleagues, on Sound Knowledge Strategies' resource page.

The IHMC website contains links to hundreds of research papers on:

• the impact of concept mapping on learning,
• technical papers on CMapTools, and
• a suite of concept maps representing the features and applications of concept mapping and CMapTools.

I posted some Cmaps to Flickr a few days ago and encountered a Cmap posted by someone else representing how Flickr works. We may be at the beginning of a surge in the use of concept mapping and CmapTools to create and represent knowledge on the web.

It is a powerful cognitive technology that can enhance the knowledge creation and knowledge sharing in any organization and as an element of Web 2.0.

Sound Knowledge Strategies' portfolio provides examples of concept maps I have created for clients and case studies of how they have used them.

If you've used mind-mapping or concept mapping to enhance learning, sense-making or business processes, please share your success. Questions and comments are welcome.