Educational Technology Platform based on Institute for Human and Machine Cognition CmapTools. (Review)

Abstract

There is an urgent need to train a qualified workforce for the organs of the Ministry of the Interior, vital for the security and internal order of the country. This requires development strategies based on science and technology. However, technical development is not the essence of the technological modernization of the confrontation. A change of mentality is required in combatants and civilian workers, for which a change in educational and didactic methods to train them is urgent. Learning must be a developer and for that it must be meaningful for the learner. Concept Maps are a type of graph based on David Ausubel's theory of meaningful learning. Today there is software called CmapTools, designed in a US university that facilitates its individual or collaborative construction, and was designed specifically for this function. With client-server architecture, maps and associated digital resources can be individually built and stored from the client. Additionally, maps can be stored on the server where they can be edited collaboratively. The CmapServer server automatically converts the maps into web pages so they can be viewed with a web browser from any user on the network. Access to CmapTools servers can be validated with authentication servers. In the preparation of the forces in Granma, significant results have been obtained in the application of this technique during the 2013-2014 academic years, based on its use by students and teachers for various educational purposes.