Volume 8, March 27, 2000

The Technology for the Task
by Saul Carliner, assistant professor of information design at Bentley College in Waltham, MA, Inside Technology Training, January 2000, p. 40

"Although knowledge management is driven by a company’s culture and practices. It’s important to have a basic understanding of the role technology plays." (p. 40)

• Capturing Information – "Any software that accepts input is capturing information." (p. 40)
• Cataloging and Storing Information – "Once captured, knowledge must be stored for later use." The central knowledge base is a composite of knowledge bases stored on several computers yet presented as if it were stored on one." "Often, people do not use standard applications to create and store data. That’s where relational databases like Microsoft Access help. They let users store their own information so they can easily connect the parts later." (p. 40)
• Transforming Information – "Data mining software can scan information in databases to find connections for it." "Mind-mapping software lets users make connections themselves, but assists them in doing so." (p. 41)
• Disseminating Information – "Many applications are intended to provide users with access to information when they need it. These include search engines, online simulations, tutorials and cue cards (flash cards that appear on the screen when users perform a task). (p. 41)