Teaching Strategies and Ontologies for E-Learning

* The work is partially suported by Russian Foundation for Basic Studies (grant 02-01-00466).

One Approach to Knowledge Mapping for International Student Portal

* The work is partly supported by RFFI grant 08-07-00062-a

An Open Virtual World for Professional Development

The paper presents a study that focuses on the issue of sup-porting educational experts to choose the right combination of educational methodology and technology tools when designing training and learning programs. It is based on research in the field of adaptive intelligent e-learning systems. The object of study is the professional growth of teachers in technology and in particular that part of their qualification which is achieved by organizing targeted training of teachers. The article presents the process of creating and testing a system to support the decision on the design of training for teachers, leading to more effective implementation of technology in education and integration in diverse educational contexts. ACM Computing Classification System (1998): H.4.2, I.2.1, I.2, I.2.4, F.4.1.

Digital Libraries and Portals Saving National Cultural Heritage (IMI–BAS Experience)

The current research activities of the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IMI—BAS) include the study and application of knowledge-based methods for the creation, integration and development of multimedia digital libraries with applications in cultural heritage. This report presents IMI-BAS’s developments at the digital library management systems and portals, i.e. the Bulgarian Iconographical Digital Library, the Bulgarian Folklore Digital Library and the Bulgarian Folklore Artery, etc. developed during the several national and international projects: - "Digital Libraries with Multimedia Content and its Application in Bulgarian Cultural Heritage" (contract 8/21.07.2005 between the IMI–BAS, and the State Agency for Information Technologies and Communications; - FP6/IST/P-027451 PROJECT LOGOS "Knowledge-on-Demand for Ubiquitous Learning", EU FP6, IST, Priority 2.4.13 "Strengthening the Integration of the ICT research effort in an Enlarged Europe" - NSF project D-002-189 SINUS "Semantic Technologies for Web Services and Technology Enhanced Learning". - NSF project IO-03-03/2006 ―Development of Digital Libraries and Information Portal with Virtual Exposition "Bulgarian Folklore Heritage". The presented prototypes aims to provide flexible and effective access to the multimedia presentation of the cultural heritage artefacts and collections, maintaining different forms and format of the digitized information content and rich functionality for interaction. The developments are a result of long- standing interests and work in the technological developments in information systems, knowledge processing and content management systems. The current research activities aims at creating innovative solutions for assembling multimedia digital libraries for collaborative use in specific cultural heritage context, maintaining their semantic interoperability and creating new services for dynamic aggregation of their resources, access improvement, personification, intelligent curation of content, and content protection. The investigations are directed towards the development of distributed tools for aggregating heterogeneous content and ensuring semantic compatibility with the European digital library EUROPEANA, thus providing possibilities for pan- European access to rich digitalised collections of Bulgarian cultural heritage.

Knowledge-based Virtual Reconstruction of Museum Artifacts

Within the framework of heritage preservation, 3D scanning and modeling for heritage documentation has increased significantly in recent years, mainly due to the evolution of laser and image-based techniques, modeling software, powerful computers and virtual reality. 3D laser acquisition constitutes a real development opportunity for 3D modeling based previously on theoretical data. The representation of the object information rely on the knowledge of its historic and theoretical frame to reconstitute a posteriori its previous states. This project proposes an approach dealing with data extraction based on architectural knowledge and Laser statement informing measurements, the whole leading to 3D reconstruction. The experimented Khmer objects are exposed at Guimet museum in Paris. The purpose of this digital modeling meets the need of exploitable models for simulation projects, prototyping, exhibitions, promoting cultural tourism and particularly for archiving against any likely disaster and as an aided tool for the formulation of virtual museum concept.