Searching the Web Without Losing the Mind: Traveling the Knowledge Space

摘要

Computer science is in search for user interfaces that are human-like or may even outperform the cognitive skills of human beings. Up to now, the Web is far from being an ideal interface: Search engines comprise about 30 % of all Web pages, providing information at various and uncertain levels of correctness, broken links and up to 75 % irrelevant information. Object-oriented multimedia databases which generate Web pages may technically control information in the Web. It is essential, however, that the users have the ability to select and to understand the information and to make proper use of the navigational tools. Scientific research has shown that multiple media are hardly influencing learning, but instructional methods do. Additionally, hypertexts mostly do not help to convey structural knowledge. Web technologies must provide interaction, meaningful settings and actively engage the user in order to enhance the learning process. Innovative user interface, such as real world simulations, Web ontologies and social engineering of the learning process help to support learning. Knowledge robots which mimic functions of the human communication and are based on recent results of brain studies are organizing knowledge according to human learning processes. Therefore, they provide a promising framework to build flexible and adaptive knowledge networks. Future research should focus on the complex interaction patterns involved in on-line