Rationale Online: request for beta testers

We are proud to announce the publication of Rationale Online in a private beta version in April.

Rationale Online is platform independent and works in all modern browsers (Mac problem solved!). Rationale Online is completely compatible with Rationale 2: all maps made in Rationale 2 can be imported in Rationale Online (see the second video hereunder).

After initial testing, all the functionalities out of Rationale 2 will be present in the first version of Rationale Online in July.

Experienced users of Rationale 2 are invited to participate in the early private beta starting in April.
Mail to: info@kritischdenken.nl

Soon after the initial release a tablet version of Rationale Online will become available.

At the same time we are working on a collaboration function in Rationale Online that will be added as soon as possible.

For a first impression, see these two video's: the first one is focusing on mouse handling:

The second one shows importing existing Rationale files into Rationale Online:

How to add a custom Icon/Template to Rationale/bCisive

There are users of Rationale and/or bCisive that want to be able to add icons or maps as templates to the BuildingPanel in Rationale or bCisive.

We made Tutorials on how to do so:

- for Rationale, click here.
- for bCisive, click here.

Update Release RationaleOnline

We expect the bèta version of Rationale Online will become available at the beginning of 2013 (in stead of October 2012).

The delay is caused by our decision that we are trying to make a Rationale Online that has almost all the qualities and functionalities of Rationale.
For that reason the amount of code that has to be written is higher than expected.

Released: Rationale 2.0.9

We have just released  Rationale 2.0.9.

The changes compared to version 2.0.8 are:

- FIXED: Workbundle html file did not display correctly in IE9

- FIXED: Translation errors

- FIXED: Link errors ( the Rationale WIKI is available again).

Austhink in progress..

People all around the world are using Rationale™ to improve their critical thinking and decision-making.
To be able to continue and expand the use of Rationale in the next decade it is necessary to develop an on-line version.
Rationale Online will solve at the same time the inconveniences that Mac/Linux users have now with using Rationale.

In 2010 it became clear that Austhink Software Ltd. was for a variety of reasons not able to make the necessary investments in the development of Rationale Online.

Critical Thinking Skills (CTS), a Dutch organisation with its headquarters in Amsterdam, is since 2011 the new owner of the software Rationale as well as bCisive and bCisive Online.

CTS will continue under the name Austhink the development of the software and selling of licenses world wide. In the Netherlands CTS operates under the name Kritisch Denken. Kritisch Denken developed the Dutch version of Rationale.

Right now we are in the process of developing Rationale Online. We expect the first version the second half of 2012. After having available the online version of Rationale, a Spanish version and the option of online colloboration will be added.

To give you a preview: hereunder a picture of a screen of Rationale Online in a browser and on an iPad - although we have not decided yet that the development of Rationale for an iPad is worth the effort (screen too small?).

Let us know your thoughts!

Making Smarter Decisions

Kevin Hoffberg of Decision Quality has a nice presentation:Making Smart Decisions

I particularly like his straightforward process for making a difficult decision:

bCisive Online and bCisive desktop are flexible enough to apply these steps.  Give it a try!

Anecdotal proof that argument mapping helps with essay writing

Bali-based educationalist and teacher trainer Steve Bolton has been getting results with Rationale.  He writes:

Finally some proof that argument mapping works. My current class have been reeling off fantastic essays after planning them using argument maps. Here we can see low and high tech versions. Today a student handed me a six-page (A4) map of an essay, and while I am clueless about Novi’s field of study, I can follow her reasoning with ease. Exciting stuff!

My emphasis.

We already know that argument mapping improves critical thinking [pdf].  Of course seeing the results in one's own classroom must be extremely gratifying.