Ursula Wolz, Michael Massimi, Eric Tarn, Peter Babinski The College of New Jersey

1. Two Examples of Credibility in Collaborative Decision-Making: Constructing a Media EventAnnotating A Formally Approved Document Ursula Wolz, Michael Massimi, Eric Tarn, Peter BabinskiThe College of New Jersey Susan Weinman Thomas Paine Elementary School, Cherry Hill, NJ New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 1

2. Introduction • Social computing requires consideration for the credibility of group members. • Who is allowed to make changes to a collaboratively developed artifact • How are individuals allowed to influence the collective decision-making of a group New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 2

3. Overview of Hopewell • How to update and comment upon a fixed artifact • A school district curriculum document • Developed by committee • Credibility involves who is allowed access to • Make changes • Comment • Comments of others • Who recommends changes? • How can notes be kept private? New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 3

4. Overview of • Group dynamics in sharing a fixed resource in an ad hoc network • Example is sharing music through good speakers • In natural settings decision-making is influenced by individual credibility. New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 4

5. The Hopewell Challenge • Hopewell Valley Regional School District has a formal curriculum approved by the Board of Education • How to allow teachers to comment and take private notes on the curriculum without changing it? New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 5

6. Educational Objectives Meaningful dialog: enhance collaboration and communication among teachers Efficiency: tools to assist curriculum development and refinement Analysis: resources for multi-modal data collection and analysis Support initiatives: facilitate a culture where teachers gain administrative support for ‘grass roots’ change. Explicitly address balance between Individual privacy Collaborative needs Institutional security Initiating improvement comes from many sources HVRSD Mission: A coherent, sequential curriculum that reflects essential knowledge, inspires lifelong learning in a rapidly changing world New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 6

7. BEFORE THE DATABASE New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 7

8. Social Constraints • Teachers in four schools (at least 10 miles apart) come together at most twice a year • Different committee tackle different problems: (subject, mapping, special education) • Data is lost: • Teachers make informal comments • May take paper notes • Administration only has anecdotal evidence of need for change • Collaboration requires establishing trust • Private notes • Informal question raising • Formal proposal for change New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 8

9. THE VISION A database that supports: • “Messy” data • Simple methods for querying (Wizard of Oz) • ANNOTATING rather than changing data • Credibility defined through user type New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 9

10. Target Outcomes • Teachers would learn to define assessment • By articulating success • By voicing concerns about disconnect between expectations and implementation • Teachers would raise questions about curricular • Choice • Sequencing • Relevance New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 10

11. Curriculum Example New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 11

12. Annotations New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 12

13. Queries via Wizard of Oz New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 13

14. QUESTIONS WE ANTICIPATED • What other grade levels teach rocks and minerals? • What grammar is taught in each grade level? • How many times are maps taught across the curriculum? • When is oral reading introduced and is it done at every grade level? • Where is the overlap in regards to types of writing? • When in second grade do students revisit telling time to the five minute interval? • When is division mastered? • Where are 5 paragraph essays introduced? • What money skills are taught in 1st grade? • Are mammals taught in any other grade level? • How thoroughly do our fifth graders investigate Matter? New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 14

15. GOOD QUESTIONS! This isn't a query, but I do have a question.   How could I ask the 5th grade teachers to switch the "American Tour" section of the Everyday Math Program with the "World Tour" in the 4th grade edition? Are the Kindergarten skills verbiage consistent with other grade levels? Is it possible to have some flexibility when teaching science and social studies topics in a different order than what is presented on the map? We really need to track how Native Americans are studied K-5...we are supposed to cover it in 4th grade, but quite honestly, I never get to spend much time on it. Is there a way to query all lessons related to Native Americans. Can you modify my search on multiplication to find out where a traditional approach is taught for multiplication?  I don't think the map reflects it, but it should be somewhere in 4th grade, and also in 5th New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 15

16. OUTCOMES • Teachers were better able to articulate assessment • Annotations did lead to queries that motivated proposals for curricular change • New literacy curriculum is: • Articulated with state standards • Tied to assessments • Defined by student skills not calendar • Organized in a table that allows vertical views New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 16

17. Segue • Hopewell captures static credibility through user type, human decision-making mediates change to the artifact • rMusic promotes dynamic credibility that influences automatic decision-making in an artifact New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 17

18. The rMUSIC Challenge • In ad-hoc local networks security and privacy must be managed “on the fly” • How to allocate fixed resources: • Printers • Scanners • Large screen video • Shared sound !!!!! New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 18

19. Overview • rMUSIC is a way to collaboratively design a music play list at a small gathering • Aims to reinvent the way groups of people share music New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 19

20. The “Modern Sock-Hop” • A group of people gathering at a social function where music is to be played. • Each individual contributes his/her own music to the group’s collective library. • There is no specific DJ – everyone is involved in choosing music. • Everyone has a different taste in music. • Small nightclubs/discotheques, dorm rooms, apartments, karaoke bars, etc. New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 20

21. What rMUSIC Does • The songs residing on each mobile device are registered with the server (NOT copied). • Songs can then be chosen by anyone else at the gathering by selecting them on their mobile device. • Position of songs on the play list can be altered by using the mobile device. New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 21

22. How The Dynamic Play list Is Formed • Problem: • First-In First-Out models are subject to abuse • Deterministic voting isn’t that fair (nor does it capture the natural dynamic of credibility). • Solution: • A better “mix” evolves from group decisions that are based on some measure of credibility. New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 22

23. rMUSIC Architecture Fixed Resource Mediation Server Clients New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 23

24. Voting • Users post songs, other users vote those songs up or down. • User credibility is measured by how songs survive referenda. • Linear voting potentially produces: • Isolation where a user’s songs are never played • Dominance where only one (or a few) user’s songs are played. • A non-linear model is used to prevent domination/isolation New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 24

25. Graph of Change Weight New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 25

26. Current Implementation • Java 2 Standard Edition desktop client. • Moving towards a J2ME mobile client on Sharp Zaurus. • MySQL database used to manage play list and users. • Wired ethernet connection. New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 26

27. User Testing Has Just Begun • 6 - 12 users • Shills to force dominance or isolation • Food! • Music loaded by hand • In a lab setting New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 27

28. The Current Interface New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 28

29. Preliminary Outcomes • Party-goers had fun, they • Tried to get their songs to the top • Got competitive about their ratings • Appreciated the need for credibility • The software worked (!), we need to • Migrate to a more informal locale • Get the handheld software running New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 29

30. Next Steps • Would dynamic credibility be useful for curriculum analysis? • Whose comments wake up an administrator? • Voting on comments (comments on comments?) • Would competitiveness be useful? • Could dynamic ordering of a performance be applied to visual media? • A virtual, collaborative museum • Single screen, multiple screens • Voting Dynamics • Who adjudicates change? • The Baseball problem (three scorekeepers, who got it right) New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 30

31. Static Credibility Provides safety Potential for creating implicit isolation or dominance Appears to encourage cooperative collaboration Dynamic Credibility Models natural behavior Raises interesting concerns about value of opinion Appears to encourage competitive collaboration Summary New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 31

32. The DB Developers (over the years) Peter Babinski Stacy Brasol Ryan Gladysiewics Michael Hulme Michael Locasto Michael Massimi Greg Nice Kultida Tangwongchai Consultants: Dr. Miroslav Martinovic Dr. Nobo Komogata The Hopewell Staff Stephen Cochrane Dr. Nick Lorenzetti Claire Brusseau Patricia Coats The teachers: Ann Marie Anthony Marianne Calvo Jennifer Dutka Lori Gerald Susanne King Frances M. Maguire Deborah M. Nutt Elizabeth M. Richtmyer Claudia P. Scotti Annette R. Stay Eileen W. Sweeney Dawn F. Wheeler W. Lee White Hopewell Credits Find more information at http://hopewell.tcnj.edu New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 32

33. The Software Developers Mike Massimi Eric Tarn Scott Carpenter Eric Thul Consultants Prof. Phil Sanders Prof. Kim Pearson All of our friends and colleagues who are willing to come to our very weird parties! Find more information at: http://www.tcnj.edu/~rmusic rMUSIC Credits So what does it stand for? resource Mediation by User-Supported Initiative in Communities New Media Consortium,Social Computing Conference Nov.19, 2004 - 33