Computing means connecting Elgg and this new learning space David Tosh Elgg Project Manager

1. Computing means connecting Elgg and this new learning space David Tosh Elgg Project Manager dave@elgg.net The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

2. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareALike license. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 559 Nathan Abbot Way, Stanford, California 94305, USA The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

3. Pervasive Computing: “Convenient access, through a new class of applications, to relevant information with the ability to easily take action on it when and where you need it.” “Pervasive computing includes flexible and mobile devices like PDA’s, mobile phones, pagers, hand-held organisers, home entertainment systems -> these connect to worldwide networks without boundaries and provide quick and secure access to a wealth of information and services.” The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

4. Part One: The e-portfolio and pervasive computing • Learning on the move • Informal/formal learning • Structure and scaffolding • Different learning experiences • Digital Stories (Helen Barrett) The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

5. Your life story • Devices like mobile phones, PDA etc are allowing us to have computers where ever we are so it is about providing interfaces for interaction • E.g. J2ME blogging clients using XML-RPC • E-portfolios with mobile phone – aboriginals in Australia using Nokia lifeblog The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

6. “After a decade of hype about “mobility,” personal computing has finally and irreversibly cut its bonds to the desktop and has moved into devices we can carry everywhere. We’re using this newly portable computing power to connect with others in ways no one predicted—and we won’t be easily parted from our new tools.” Social Machine: http://www.continuousblog.net/2005/07/social_machines.html The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

7. Learning environments and tools need to follow this! • E-portfolios could be a step in the right direction- why? The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

8. My e-portfolio is: My Digital Identity A place to reflect about my experiences and store artefacts that represent them A means to interact with others, resources etc. Most importantly, it is mine. Ownership is key! The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

9. Access controls This is why access control are going to be so important! With all this connection and potential audience – it is important that the user can control what goes out and in! The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

10. Part Two: One step further – the learning landscape • Rich online environments • Distributed systems • Incorporating everyday web techniques and services • What is it all about? The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

11. “… have discovered that computer science’s decades-long effort to make computers smart enough to understand humans is simply irrelevant; they can make computing truly personal and social using simple Web based programming tools.” Social Machine: http://www.continuousblog.net/2005/07/social_machines.html The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

12. Interfaces • RSS • FOAF • OpenID - interface between applications to prove the authenticity of an identity • Also the human interfacing through visualisation The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

13. Visualising connections between elgg.net users using dotty. The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

14. The learning landscape: • Connection of learners, resources, tutors • Sharing resources and experiences • Applications beyond courses -> Increased engagement? • More than an e-portfolio system • The ability to grow as the learner grows • Creation of learning communities • View “learning” beyond the rigid structure of degree outlines and requirements – • Incorporating experiences from a variety of learning contexts The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

15. Top down vs bottom up: • Pervasive computing encourages a bottom up approach • the learning landscape has been designed with a bottom up – learner centred approach • This is important for engagement The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

16. Made more powerful: • ICBM location e.g GeoURL • GPS enabled smart phone – in theory they could give you information, like a tour guide, when you are visiting new places – an interesting learning tool? • Google maps • These are all information providers The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

17. My Landscape Weblog Syndication File storage User profile Tagging Repositories Such as the Netherlands Customisation Access controls Other Elgg accounts Or systems that adopt Emerging standards Social networking The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

18. My Communities Community members Development Community MyLandscape PhD Community My Music Community The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

19. Personal space Community space Member 1 Weblog Access controls Community 1 Member 2 Member 3 Tags Community 2 My Personal Learning landscape LiveJournal Flickr Friendster Etc. Community 3 Files Friends Customise Contact 1 Learning Landscape Contact 2 Syndication Profile Contact 3 The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

20. Technologies / Standards • Blogging • RSS and Atom • FOAF / RDF • IMS e-port spec • IMS UKLIP • SSO – single sign on • Social networking • Extensible architecture The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

21. Weblog File repository A community hosted in Spain and moderated in Greece Further open standards would allow for a global learning landscape … A teacher in Germany A learner in Denmark A learner in Scotland A learner in the Netherlands A teacher in Canada A learner in Switzerland The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

22. Weblog File repository A community moderated by the history department (Or just an inter-institutional one) A teacher in Medicine A learner in Education An art teacher A computing student A departmental secretary A lecturer in biology The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

23. Each learner connects using his or her own interface. • Each user can customise the look and feel of their personal learning landscape • Each system can have its own local settings (e.g. interface language) and local extra features while connecting to the global learning landscape • Use the tools that they want – what ever is convenient (e.g mobile phone) The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

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26. As George Siemens says: “Of particular interest to educators / trainers is the second most common use – receiving location-specific information (a slight modification of this use would enable the inclusion of context-specific learning).” The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

27. Federated searching across multiple nodes • Moving towards a distributed model • Expanding a learners scope to source material • Access to learning object repositories • Contributing to this searchable repository • Mobile devices facilitate remote participation The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

28. Connections It is all about connections and information and making this as easy and convenient as possible! The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

29. The pedagogy Research on student engagement with learning suggests that when students perceive that they have choices in how to learn subject matter they are more engaged and motivated to move beyond simple information acquisition to trying to gain an understanding of the subject. (Ramsden, 2003; Marton and Saljo, 1984; Kuh et.al., 2005; LaSere Erickson and Weltner-Strommer, 1991; Entwistle, 1998) The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

30. Source information – this should be as easy as possible • Make connections • Collaborate with others / social interaction • Reflect on various aspects • Pull in experiences from all sectors • Introduces a ‘fun’ element – helps engagement • Social as well as learning tool • Create a digital identity – then interact! The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

31. “The more people who use the new services, the more powerful those services become. That’s because they’re all about cooperation: people are usually happy to share their knowledge, experiences, creations, schedules, and locations if it means that they can learn what the people who are important to them are thinking and doing.” Social Machine: http://www.continuousblog.net/2005/07/social_machines.html The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

32. Challenges • Pedagogy needs to catch up • Learners have changed – society has changed • We need to come up with new learning practice • Find ways to integrated some of the technologies where appropriate • You can’t fit old pedagogical approaches to this new environment! The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

33. Pulling it all together • Will it work? • What is the role of the institution? • The future of VLEs • Limited scaffolding - Structure isn't a bad thing. The key is allowing the learners to control the structure • Learner-centric, learner controlled • Increase learner engagement! The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

34. Questions for discussion How does the learning landscape/the Elgg project take into account the principles of pervasive computing/communication? The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

35. Questions for discussion Who needs a digital portfolio - is it limited to certain user groups ("what's in it for me“ (participants will present themselves))? The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

36. Questions for discussion What are the perspectives of the learning landscape regarding (pervasive) collaboration, presentation, documentation and reflection? The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

37. Questions for discussion Are there any particular challenges as regards the users, the technological infra structure; standards (OS), granularity, safety, portability, media convergence…? The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

38. Questions for discussion How does the learning landscape support "knowledge management", learning and organisational development (privileges, feed-back, multiple views)? The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005

39. Thank you. http://elgg.net The e-portfolio and pervasive computing :: Denmark August 2005