What Can Internet Technologies Offer

Slide 1:What Can Internet Technologies Offer?

Brian Kelly UKOLN University of Bath Bath Email B.Kelly@ukoln.ac.uk URL http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/ How can Internet technologies help us to support communications with & by students? How should IT & Library Services respond to use of Internet technologies driven by students? <http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/conferences/hewit-2004/>

Slide 2:Contents

About The Speaker How Times Have Changed Mobile Devices Technologies: Instant Messaging Integrated environments Blogging ? Wikis Mobile phones ? Semantic Web / FOAF Strategic Challenges: Open source ? Support Preservation ? Deployment Conclusions

Slide 3:About The Speaker

Brian Kelly: UK Web Focus � funded by JISC and the MLA to support the HE/FE and museums, libraries & archives sector on Web standards & best practices Based at UKOLN � a national centre of expertise in digital information management Located at the University of Bath Formerly worked in user support in Computing Service departments at Universities of Loughborough (1984-90), Liverpool (1990-91) and Leeds (1991-95) and for Netskills (1995-6)

Slide 4:How Times Have Changed

IT Strategy1980-1990s IT Skills Training Lotus / Excel WordPerfect / Word User Groups, Committees Mainframe / Unix PC / Mac Centralised / Distributed Users Research / Teaching

Slide 5:Mobile Devices

What are the implications of mobile devices? Challenges What do these devices have in common?

Slide 6:New Devices

What are the implications of, say, Web / email clients on digital TV? Cost about �120 (or �65 on offer from BT Shop) http://www.netgem.com/ Challenges

Slide 7:WiFi

WiFi technologies make mobile devices even more appealing. Imagine scenario: WiFi access in all lecture rooms, teaching spaces, � WiFi access in all halls of residences, flats, etc. WiFi access in all social spaces, such as bars, fields, etc WiFi access in town centre, pubs, Starbucks, � and with Zeroconf you can walk into a room & it's all available How will this change the dynamics of teaching & learning? How will this affect purchasing patterns? How will this affect social activities? How will this affect the role of IT Services? Thought Experiment Let's imagine you all have networked mobile devices. Challenges

Slide 8:Commercial Providers

Bathstudent.com provides: Personalised portal Diary & calendar News alerts by email & SMS Advice � http://www.bathstudent.com/ We are now faced with increasing numbers of commercial providers of IT services

Slide 9:Instant Messaging

Instant Messaging: Nothing new � Unix talk anyone? New user communities driving its use: Young people ? Overseas students Comments from recent UCISA poll: "IM ... is 'here to stay' � an 'unstoppable tide'. Seen as part of youth culture, along with � SMS" Liverpool JMU "Students will arrive familiar with, and expecting to .. use such tools. Email seen by younger people to be 'boring', 'full of spam', IM and SMS immediacy preferred" Bath But: "Complaints raised regarding students hogging PCs .. Also case with email some time ago" Liverpool JMU "APIs are known and therefore targets for hackers" London Met "Some challenges in interoperability �" Bath Technologies

Slide 10:IM - Tools

Popular IM tools include: MSN Messenger Yahoo Messenger AOL Instant Messenger Typically choosing a supported application involved looking at functionality, cost, support, security, .. Technologies

Slide 11:IM Functionality (1)

MSN Messenger providesgroupware & IM functionality: Sharing desktop applications File transfer Webcams Games Technologies

Slide 12:IM Functionality (2)

Yahoo Messenger is integrated with My.Yahoo: Calender (which can be synced with Outlook) Personalised new, weather, etc. SMS (but not in UK) Technologies

Slide 13:Integrating IM

You can have IM bots acrobot@buddyspace.org

Slide 14:IM Guidelines (1)

Guidelines developed for QA Focus (UKOLN/AHDS project): Scheduled virtual meeting with home worker and with project partner Formal agenda used and meeting chaired Use of Webcam planned (nb privacy issues) Transcript archived (confidentiality issues flagged) IM also used for informal purposes e.g. short term tasks such as agreeing on pub to meet in Recognition of dangers of interruption, privacy, etc. (similar to divulging personal phone no.) Need for guidelines to be implemented in protocols Guidelines <http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/qa-focus/documents/case-studies/case-study-12/>

Slide 15:IM Guidelines (2)

The JISC-funded QA Focus project has developed a quality assurance framework for JISC's digital library programmes We also have support materials such as briefing documents, example policies and procedures documents, etc. http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/qa-focus/documents/briefings/briefing-56/ See <http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/qa-focus/> Guidelines

Slide 16:Security Issues

"I've asked our IT bods to open up the port, but have been met (so far) with a stony silence." Tensions: Users want the rich functionality IT Services also need to address security, privacy, support, etc. issues IM is an example of an edge service: Name given to P2P programs such as instant messaging, file sharing, etc. Programs are located at the edge of the network, travelling through desktop PCs rather than a central server IETF working on "Open Pluggable Edge Services" standard, which will address security issues Technologies

Slide 17:Interoperability

Lack of interoperability: Mainstream IM world is currently closed Multi-protocol clients exist (e.g. Trillian, IM+) but don't support value-added features (? ?) XMPP - open protocol of IM Jabber provides open source clients & servers which support XMPP Value-added services being developed e.g. BuddySpace at OU (note interesting movie) Technologies

Slide 18:Policy Issues

For IM: Functionality / support aren't main issues IM exists to facilitate communications the users' peers Should we: Provide multiple clients to support users (Liverpool approach)? Chose client and manage the ids, so we can use to communicate IM students? Provide clients but support separate IM facility (e.g. as part of portal, VLE, �)? Wait for standards & applications to arrive which solve the problems? Policies

Slide 19:In Summary

MSN AOL Yahoo AOLMessenger MSNMessenger YahooMessenger Additional functionality Additional problems? Remote IM databases are populated by individuals and managed remotely Finding people, managing groups of students, etc. is difficult

Slide 20:Integrating Environments (1)

Services such as YahooGroups integrate: Mailing lists IM Voting Calendars � Technologies

Slide 21:Integrating Environments (2)

JISCMail is extending its facilities to include a voting system and a chat room (currently being tested) Being part of our community it doesn�t have adverts and is responsive to needs of the community Technologies

Slide 22:IM can be integrated with other facilities within VLEs, portals, etc. For example: Univ of Delaware (looking to integrate IM as a channel in uPortal) VLS

Integrating Environments (3)

Slide 23:Let's Kill E-Mail!

E-mail has its role but: Why send messages which time-out when many users will read them too late? Why not use delivery channels which are spam-free? Why not use delivery channels which are more suited to receiving information (as opposed to discussions)? Why not allow users to select their preferred channels? Technologies

Slide 24:Blogging (1)

Blogging: cult fashion or significant developing in publishing / communications? Technologies Student's learning diary. Created by student and hosted on remote Blogger Web site. No longer maintained?

Slide 25:Blogging (2)

But: I want new information to be pushed to me I want to create information using tools other than a Web browser I prefer an email interface (fewer images, �) Technologies

Slide 26:Wikis

Wiki: An open shared space for collaborative editing Emerging Technologies Wikipedia � a example of shared encyclopaedia. Yes, trust is an issue! QUB provide an environment for IT & Society students to collectively edit Web pages.

Slide 27:The Potential For SMS

SMS: Over 100 million SMS txts sent over New Year 2004 � why don't we send exam results, library alerts, �? A small number of institutions are using SMS : "SHU used SMS during clearing - potential students texted in UCAS code of course of interest. The system sent back text saying whether places were still available - alleviating pressure on our call centre." "I believe Edinburgh student union uses SMS for their elections." "I believe there are plans afoot in our university at a high level to develop a method of 'bulk sending' SMS messages out to students." Birkbeck are "hoping to pilot an SMS alert system soon for one of our Schools that they can use (via a simple Web interface) to send lecture cancellation messages etc to their students" Technologies SHU � See <http://www.shu.ac.uk/cgi-bin/news_full.pl?id_num=PR448&db=03> SHU � See <http://www.shu.ac.uk/cgi-bin/news_full.pl?id_num=PR448&db=03>

Slide 28:From SMS ?3G

WAP: Failed to take off, but some experimentation talking place 3G: The SMS or the WAP of the future? Will developments be driven by: Research interests � e.g. <http://www.m-learning.org/> Consumers? Will the killer app be: Publishing information? Communications? Something else: competition for WiFi competition e.g. Google for the pub quiz Nothing Technologies

Slide 29:FOAF

FOAF (Friends-of-a-Friend): A Semantic Web application (SW � creation of a distributed global database without central control) Allows structured information about people to be brought together Great potential for building online communities Featured in Guardian Online column � 19 Feb 2004 Paper at IADIS Web Based Communities 2004 on "Using FOAF To Support Community-Building" by Kelly & Dodds Emerging Technologies

Slide 30:FOAF Example (1)

FOAF Explorer - <http://xml.mfd-consult.dk/foaf/explorer/> A view of my FOAF file, showing links to my friends Emerging Technologies

Slide 31:FOAF Example (2)

FOAFNaut - <http://www.foafnaut.org/> Emerging Technologies

Slide 32:Creating FOAF

Several types of FOAF authoring tools are available: Do it by hand Web-based tools Dedicated tools Using a Wiki Emerging Technologies

Slide 33:Creating Online Communities

Students (and staff) want to be part of communities - as shown by success of FriendsReunited and (since Jan 2004) Orkut

Slide 34:Strategic Challenges

Challenges we face: AUPs Open Source vs Commercial Solutions Departmental & Individual Autonomy Interoperability, Preservation, etc. People Issues Privacy, Data Protection, � Sustainable Communities How we go about deploying such facilities � Challenges Note: ran out of time for this section at UCISA Management Conference

Slide 35:Open Source Software

Many Web/Internet -based tools described (Wikis, Blogs, Jabber, �): Are available as open source software (OSS) Act as demonstrators of emerging new open standards Options for an institutional OSS strategy: Replace MS Office products by Open Office Deploy new services using open source applications Note the JISC-funded OSS Watch service can provide advice on OSS strategies. See <http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/> Challenges

Slide 36:Interoperability & Sustainability

Current position: Lots of interesting application areas and application software In the future: Software products will fade away, be taken over, .. There will be a need to integrate areas (VLEs, with IM with Blogging) to provide seamless interface There will be a need for data to migrate There will be a need for data to be preserved (records of dialogue, group memory, FoI, �) The use of open standards will be important. Challenges

Slide 37:Deployment

How should we go about deploying more open and innovative collaborative systems? "Eat your own dogfood" � use the tools to discuss the tools IM tools were used to discuss issues with staff evaluating IM at Edinburgh Small scale experiments Address local & regionalissues Sharing experiences Learn from the users �and your children! Challenges

Slide 38:Experiment!

"IM, WiFi, Blogs. Wikis, �These are the future. We need to experiment - let's try them at UCISA 2005" Brian Kelly, UCISAS 2004 19 March 2004

Slide 39:Realtime IM-ing

Paul Shabajee gave a talk about use of IRC and Blogs http://www.ilrt.bris.ac.uk/news/conferences/colston2004/programme

Slide 40:Colston Conference Blog

Blogs were used to report on all of the talks. http://blog.ilrt.org/colston/

Slide 41:Wikis For Shared Notekeeping

The free, externally hosted Seedwiki (and Swiki) Wikis used to support workshop in Trieste They were used to note students areas of interests (Notepad normally used) This approach allowed students to contribute http://www.seedwiki.com/page.cfm?doc=ictp-2004&wikiid=4970

Slide 42:What If Things Go Wrong?

Things do go wrong! So plan accordingly! Two Wikis had been setup. One became unavailable during workshop, so used other It all goes wrong? Tell students they are taking part in an experiment � they might find this exciting!

Slide 43:Non-Technical Issues

Sustainability of online communities (IADIS WBC 2004 paper on "Building Online Communities - The Barriers And The Bruises") Support Issues: Technical support: "How do I �?", "Why can't I �?" Support in use of the technologies (is this our job?) Policy Issues: We should support students in their social & networking activities in cyberspace as well as in real life We don't patrol student bedrooms so let's not patrol the PC in their bedroom IT facilities and networks are for teaching / research. We'll ban other use, especially if security's an issue Such policy decisions may be influenced by bigger HE funding issues Challenges

Slide 44:Where Does This Leave Us?

Can we afford not to have: An Institutional WikiA managed, easy-to-use collaborative workspace An Institutional BlogA managing and interoperable diary and annotation environment Institutional IM FacilitiesSupported IM software and managed directory facilities Before the environments, we should have a policy in these areas. The policy could, for example, leave provision of such services to the market place.

Slide 45:Conclusions

Internet and Web collaborative technologies: Provide a range of interesting new application areas of use in a teaching context Students will increasingly be familiar with such technologies and expect to continue to use them Many technologies are free/open source and will be deployed by individuals / in departments Issues of ongoing, security, interoperability, etc. will need to be addressed by IT Services Issues of sustainable communities, guidelines, etc. also need addressing � but by whom? Many challenges � but also great potential

Slide 46:Questions

Any questions?