Concept Maps
The concept map looks at the knowledge the student already possesses on the subject and asks the student to organize it. A concept map is made up of a collection of concepts and links. The links are labeled and define a direct relationship between two concepts. A concept may have as many links as necessary to define its relationships with other concepts. The Explorers of the Universe Program encourages students to look at the problem they are researching and reveal their thoughts by constructing a concept map.
CONCEPT2.GIF (6810 bytes)

A Semantic Web -

Once the student is able to develop a concept map, he or she demonstrates true understanding of the relationships between concepts. A concept map is not encouraged to be a static device either. It can be modified and changed by adding additional concepts or links between concepts as the students' knowledge with a topic is modified or expanded.
A Hiararchical Concept Map shows that the student can classify and order related concepts.
It is important for the users of concept maps and vee diagrams to be familiar with these terms: event, object, and concept. These terms, as they apply to developing and using concept maps and vee diagrams, are defined as follows:
Event -
anything that happens, can be made to happen, or is in the realm of possiblity to happen. Events can be made to happen by humans or they can be natural occurring events. Examples of events made to happen by humans include: a play, a war, class schedules, a concert, graduation. Examples of events caused by natural circumstances include: an earthquake, thunder, snow, a volcanic eruption, a shooting star, a variable star.
Object -
anything that exists and can be observed. Like an event, an object can be made by humans or can be a natural occurring object. Examples of objects made by humans include: a desk, chair, building, expressway, sculpture, robot, books. Examples of objects that occur naturally include: a star, planet, galaxy, a tree, bird.
Concept -
a sign or symbol that points to a regularity in events or objects. Concepts are usually identified by words, but they may be numerical or symbolic, such as musical notations:

chemical notations:

iconic symbols:

and mathematical symbols:

For example, those objects that have markings peculiar to a specific nation (i.e., United States, stars and stripes), and which is hoisted and suspended from a pole, show the regularity that we designate with the symbol flag. By now you are aware that the books and articles you read and the daily happenings in which you take part are composed of events, objects, and related concepts and images.