2nd International Cognitive Technology Conference

[Interpersonal Computing and Technology]

From: JPM...@hkucc.hku.hk (Jonathon Marsh)

We are still considering keynote speakers for this conference. Any suggestio=
ns?

Jonathon Marsh
Lecturer
Centre For the Advancement of University Teaching
The University of Hong Kong
Pok Fu Lam Road
Hong Kong
TEL: 852 2895 8995
=46AX: 852 2540 9941
jpm...@hkucc.hku.hk

*******************************************************

=46IRST CALL FOR PAPERS

Second International Conference on Cognitive Technology, CT'97

Humanising the Information Age

25 - 28 August 1997
Venue: The University of Aizu, Japan

supported by:
The University of Aizu, Japan
Center for Research in Journalism and Mass
Communication, University of North Carolina, USA, (host of CT'99)
Cognitive Sciences Centre, University of Southampton, UK
City University of Hong Kong (host of CT'95)
IEEE Computer Society
Association for Computing Machinery

COGNITIVE TECHNOLOGY

Cognitive Technology (CT) is the study of the interaction between people
and the objects they manipulate. It is concerned with how technologically
constructed tools and aids (A) bear on dynamic changes in human perception,
(B) affect natural human communication, and (C) act to control human
cognitive adaptation.

Cognitive systems must be understood not only in terms of their goals and
computational constraints, but also in terms of the external physical and
social environments that shape and afford cognition. Such an understanding
can yield not only technological solutions to real world problems but also,
and mainly, tools designed to be sensitive to the cognitive capabilities
and affective characteristics of their users.

CT takes a broader view of human capability than current research in Human
Computer Interface (HCI) and emphasises putting more of the human into the
interface without succumbing to the pretence that this can be achieved
simply by simulating human features on machines. It aims to redirect
progress in the Information Age away from mere advancements in Information
Technology and proposes to study human-tool interaction to increase,
primarily, human socio-cognitive awareness and to help people fulfil their
cognitive and social needs.

CT should appeal to researchers across disciplines, especially those who
are interested in the psychological and socio-cultural implications of
developments in the interface between technology and human cognition. Any
technology which provides a tool has implications for CT; computer
technology has special importance because of its particular capacity to
provide multi-sensory stimuli and emulate human cognitive processes.

CONFERENCE THEME

Problems and Praxis:
Exploring and formulating methods for studying Cognitive Technology.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The First International Conference on Cognitive Technology (Hong Kong,
1995) stressed the need for a radically new way of thinking about the
impact computer technology has on humans, especially on the human mind. Our
main aim at that time was a consideration of these effects with respect to
rendering the interface between people and computers more humane.

Participants in the upcoming Second International Conference will expand on
that effort by exploring a number of related areas in greater detail. Of
primary concern is the need to establish clear and precise methods for
studying how environmental characteristics condition the processes of
cognitive formation. Within such a framework, empirical CT inquiries can be
directed towards specific areas of problems, the more important ones of
which are listed below.

CONFERENCE SUB-THEMES

Papers may be submitted for inclusion in any of the following thematic
subgroups. They should focus on addressing the issues from a Cognitive
Technology perspective and ought to include methodological considerations.

1. Rethinking Progress: Towards a manifesto for the Information Age

There is a perceived need to change from a 'more is better', product-driven
approach to technological development to a 'better is better' approach
which responds to, rather than dictates, human need. Papers are invited
which provide a theoretical consideration of how a Cognitive Technology
approach may be formulated and applied in order to resolve problems in the
following areas:

=85 the relationship between current approaches to technological
development and other issues (ecological, socio-political, psychological,
and epistemological) which relate to ensuring/improving the quality of
human life

=85 the identification and evaluation of the goal structures implied i=
n
various approaches to technological development

=85 the reconciliation of technological development and the demands of
environmentalism.

2. Cognising at the Interface

It is important to ensure that technological developments are oriented
towards affording cognition and not merely the provision of information.
Papers which are practically oriented towards methods of design and/or
demonstration of systems whose features reflect Cognitive Technology
principles, are particularly welcome. Areas to be addressed include:

=85 global networking
=85 multi-media
=85 virtual reality
=85 robotics
=85 computer graphics
=85 databases.

3. Empowering Humans

Another concern is how Cognitive Technology can be applied to predict the
impact, positive or negative, of technological development on the processes
by which social groupings provide their members with opportunities for
growth. Areas of particular interest are:

=85 the design of national information infrastructures
=85 the provision of technology access.

4. Rethinking Education

We need to apply Cognitive Technology methods to the building of a
technology infrastructure for education, one which optimises human
development/benefit within the current context of changing educational
systems. Papers are invited which explore this idea within the context of
any of the following areas:

=85 computer-aided collaborative learning
=85 the design of self-access learning resources
=85 technological facilitation of student-teacher interactions
=85 the design of multifaceted online learning environments
=85 humanising and increasing the relevance of formal education
=85 facilitating interdisciplinary communication
=85 the impact of information tools on the construction of knowledge
within academic disciplines.

CALL FOR PAPERS

If you are interested in considering these issues (or other similar ones)
and want to share your thoughts and hopes with like-minded people, please
submit either 6 hard copies of an extended abstract (approximately 1500
words) or send it by email with attached files (preferably in Word 6.0) to:

Jonathon Marsh
The Centre for the Advancement of University Teaching
The University of Hong Kong
Pok Fu Lam Road
Hong Kong.
(TEL) 852 2859 8995
(FAX) 852 2540 9941
(EMAIL) JPM...@HKUCC.HKU.HK

All abstracts will be refereed by an independent panel of experts. The
opinions of the referees will determine the list of 30 papers to be
presented at the conference.

Deadline for abstracts: 1 March 1997
Notification of acceptance: 15 April 1997
=46ull paper 31 May 1997
Registration fee: before 1 July 1997: US$ (to be
announced)
after 1 July 1997: US$ (to be announ=
ced)

=46urther information can be obtained from:
Tosiyasu L. Kunii ku...@u-aizu.ac.jp
Jacob L. Mey j...@language.ou.dk
Barbara Gorayska csg...@cityu.edu.hk
Jonathon Marsh jpm...@hkucc.hku.hk

INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMME COMMITTEE

Honorary President of Conference

Tosiyasu L. Kunii The University of Aizu, Japan

Co-chairs of Conference

Barbara Gorayska City University of Hong Kong, HK
Jacob L. Mey Odense University, Denmark

International Program Committee Members

The preceding, and

Hugh Applewhite Piltdown Technologies, USA
=46rank Biocca University of North Carolina, USA
Bruce L. Blum Johns Hopkins University, USA
Betty Lindsay Carter Novell Corporation, USA
Ho Mun Chan City University of Hong Kong
Chris Colbourn The University of Southampton, UK
Kevin Cox City University of Hong Kong, HK
Orville Clubb City University of Hong Kong, HK
Will Fitzgerald IntellAgent Systems, USA
Laurence Goldstein Hong Kong University, HK
David Good Cambridge University, UK
Hartmut Haberland Roskilde University, Denmark
Stevan Harnad The University of Southampton, UK
Richard Janney The University of Munich, Germany
Benny Karpatschoff Copenhagen University, Denmark
Reinhard Keil-Slawik University of Paderborn, Germany
Alex Kass Northwestern University, USA
Robert M. Krauss Columbia University, USA
Myron W. Krueger Artificial Reality Corporation, USA
C.K. Leong University of Saskatchewan, Canada
Roger Lindsay Oxford-Brookes University, UK
Alec McHoul Murdoch University, Australia
Jonathon Marsh Hong Kong University, HK
John Nealon Oxford-Brookes University, UK
Rolf Pfeifer University Zurich-Irchel, Switzerland
Herbert Pick Minnesota University, USA
Tony Roberts The University of Southampton, UK
Roger Schank Institute for the Learning Sciences, USA
Colin T. Schmidt Sorbonne University, France
John Spinks Hong Kong University, HK
Hiroshi Tamura Kyoto Institute of Technology, Japan
Peter Thomas University of the West of England, UK
Steven Tripp The University of Aizu, Japan
Jacques J. Vidal The University of California of Los Angeles,=
USA
and The University of Aizu, Japan
Yorick Wilks Sheffield University, UK