Blogging and Publishing in the NSDL

1. Blogging and Publishing in the NSDL Dean Krafft, Carol Minton Morris (Cornell) Blythe Bennett (Syracuse)

2. Adding Value and Supporting Contribution in NSDL Structure of the talk: • NSDL Architecture: From Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 • Overview of the New Architecture • Inspiring Contribution and Collaboration - ExpertVoices • Integrated Publishing of STEM Content and Context - OnRamp • Q&A

3. Today’s NSDL • A digital library describing over a million carefully selected online STEM resources for education • Operated by the Core Integration team (Cornell, UCAR, Columbia) • working with 9 “pathways” and • over 200 NSF grantees • Stakeholders include researchers, librarians, content providers, developers, students and teachers

5. Why not just use Google? • Google guides users based on analyzing the link structure of the entire web • Search for “Lava” – nothing on the first screen is science • NSDL guides not just resource discovery, but resource selection and use • Supports creating “context” for resources • Presents resources in context: in a lesson plan; with ratings; correlated with education standards • Supports creating a permanent archive of resources • Enables community tools for structuring, evaluation, annotation, contribution, collaboration • Goal: Create a dynamic, living library

6. Initial Architecture: Web 1.0 • Currently NSDL is based on a Metadata Repository created with OAI harvests • Limited model • Metadata-centric orientation • No content – only metadata • Limited relationships – collection/item • Limits on context, structure, and access • Severe limits on contribution and collaboration • One-way data flow: NSDL → Users

7. NSDL Data Repository: Web 2.0 • Goals: • Architecture of participation: service-based, not a monolithic application/user experience • Remixable data sources and data transformations • Harnessing (and capturing) collective intelligence • A free market of millions of inter-related resources (create the “long tail”) • Two-way data flow: NSDL ↔ users • Solution: Fedora-based NSDL Data Repository

9. Implementing the NDR: Fedora • A Flexible, Extensible Digital Object Repository Architecture • Open source project with $2.2 million in Mellon funding 2002-2007 • Collaboration of Cornell and Univ. of Virginia • Key funded users include: • eSciDoc project (collaboration of the Max Planck Society and FIZ Karlsruhe) • VTLS Corp., Harris Corp., Library of Congress • Australian Research Repositories Online to the World (ARROW) • Royal Library Denmark, National Library, and DTU

10. Fedora Overview • An architecture and toolkit (like IIS or SQL Server), middleware, not a vertical application • DSpace in contrast: a vertical application with a fixed workflow targeted at users • Arbitrary internal and external digital objects, disseminations (transformations and combinations), relationships among objects • Entirely SOAP/REST based, disseminations are URLs • XML data store; RDBMS cache; RDF triplestore supports relationship queries

11. Implementing the NDR with Fedora • Network overlay architecture: A lens for viewing science content on the net, whether content is local, remote, or archived – it all has a repository-based URL • Multiple Objects: Aggregators (collections), Metadata Providers (branding), Agents, Resources (with local or remote content), Metadata • Relationships: Structural (part of), Equivalence, Annotation, with arbitrary graph queries • Web services: disseminations are arbitrary recombinations of content • Authentication/Authorization: Collections and services manage their own repository content

12. Status of the NDR • Repository in production load • over 875,000 metadata records • over 2 million digital objects • Over 163 million RDF triples (lots) • Scaling challenges • moved to 64-bit architecture with 32GB memory • need to carefully structure RDF queries • Estimating fully operational beta version of new NDR in February

13. How should we use the NDR? • The NDR provides powerful capabilities for: • Creating context around resources • Enabling the NSDL community to directly contribute resources and context • Representing a web of relationships among science resources and information about those resources • How do we use it?

14. Building Value in NSDL • Issue: Need to support scientific inquiry “Studies of teaching and learning in science classrooms had led to two observations. First, most teachers were still using traditional, didactic methods…Examination of science classrooms revealed that many students were mastering disconnected facts in lieu of broader understandings, critical reasoning, and problem-solving skills.” - From Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards (NRC, 2000)

15. Building Value in NSDL • Issue: Students need a better understanding of the processes of scientific research “A realistic view of the scientific enterprise is paramount … as a goal for students studying science. Students often fail to understand that: (a) science proceeds by fits and starts, (b) ideas based on evidence are still fallible, (c) scientific ideas are enhanced through a process of sharing, negotiation, and consensus building, and (d) continual inquiry is a fundamental attribute of the scientific enterprise. - From the NSTA Position Statement: The Role of Research in Science Teaching

16. Building Value in NSDL • Issue: Teachers are often under-prepared to teach science and mathematics “The best predictors of higher student achievement in mathematics and science are (1) full certification of the teacher and (2) a college major in the field being taught” However… “Many mathematics and science teachers in US schools do not have backgrounds needed to teach these subjects well. Many of the these teachers at the high-school level – and even more at the middle school level – do not have a college degree in the subject they are teaching. Many lack certification to teach mathematics and science, and a subset of teachers start in the classroom without any formal training.” - From Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future. National Academies, 2005

17. Building Value Using the NDR • In Response: NSDL is building an educational tool that… • Models scientific inquiry and exposes the processes of scientific research • Promotes and facilitates conversations between research and education communities • Brings content expertise into the classroom to support under-prepared teachers • Allows scientists, teachers, and media specialists to collaboratively develop instructional context around NSDL resources

18. ExpertVoices

19. What is Expert Voices? • A system using weblog technology to: • Support STEM conversations among scientists, teachers and students • Tie NSDL resources to real-world science news • Create context for resources to enhance discovery, selection and use • Enable NSDL community members to become NSDL contributors: of resources, questions, reviews, annotations, and metadata • Expert Voices ≠ LiveJournal • Contributors are carefully selected, contributions are about science, the process of science, and education

20. Expert Voices As An Educational Tool • Topic-based discussion (e.g. tsunamis) with pointers to related resources • Research outreach (Criterion 2) – explaining and documenting NSF-funded research • Experts can add resources with topical context to the NSDL • Resources can be reviewed and annotated • Question/answer and discussion forum: scientist ↔ teacher ↔ student ↔ librarian

21. Broadening Participation: An Expert Voices Learning Scenario • “Hurricane Season Blog” run by a National Weather Service hurricane expert, an Earth Science teacher, and a school media specialist familiar with NSDL resources • Expert creates entry for Hurricane Gertrude • “On track to hit Ft. Lauderdale in 72 hours” • “Currently undergoing eyewall replacement cycle” • “Expecting 15 foot storm surge” • Media specialist adds links to NSDL resources: Hurricane Hunters site, latest satellite photos, and USGS flooding and flood plain site (storm surge context) • Teacher makes connections to relevant standards and appropriate pedagogy for use by other teachers • Students experience engaging real-time, real-world applications of science lessons

22. Broadening Participation: An Expert Voices Outreach Scenario • NSF grantee: Bioluminescence researcher wants to make research K-12 accessible • Creates an Expert Voices conversation • Enables his students and researchers to document process and results – how science really works • Writes about publications and educational resources (e.g. www.photobiology.info) • Adds these to the NSDL, creating audience-level metadata • Entries serve as annotations that create K-12 context for the college-level research

23. Expert Voices Implementation • Open source multi-user blogging system • Published entries become NSDL resources • Owner controls publication of entries and visibility of comments • Entries can contain linked references to NSDL resources, references to URLs that should become resources, and new resource metadata • Integrated with NSDL community sign-on

24. Expert VoicesImplementation • Initial blog system is multi-user WordPress • WordPress plug-ins provide NDR integration and Shibboleth authentication • Publication of blog entry creates: • Content, as a new resource with simple metadata • New NDR resources • New metadata for any referenced resources in content • Graph of relationships between entry and all referenced resources • Blog available as independent RSS feed

25. NDR Entry for Expert Voices Existing Collection Topic- based Blog New Audience MD New Metadata Member of Metadata Provider Member of Blog Entry Metadata Provider Metadata for Metadata for Annotates Referenced New Resource 1 Referenced Existing Resource 2 Inferred relationship between resources

27. StoryStarters: What to talk about? • Interesting questions • What would happen if I got sucked into a black hole? • How does the body know when to stop growing? • Why are you a scientist? • Theme driven events • Tsunamis, earthquakes, floods • ESTEME Week, Math Awareness Month • Stardust (NASA), Foja Mt. species • Highlighting new resources in NSDL

28. Involving the Community • Real-time entries on critical STEM issues • Multiple contributors to topic • Respectful scientific debate • Educational exchange of ideas • Information dissemination for NSDL/NSF projects • Informal but scientifically valid discussion • Debate results of studies or events in real time "Few scientists have caught on to the Internet's power of posting, commenting, and debating – where are the rest?" David Secko, “The Scientist” August 1, 2005

29. Collaboration • Create collaborative discovery among experts-teachers/librarians-students • Adds new content and relationships fully discoverable within NSDL. • Global warming expert blogs about the trends in recent glacier melting rates (may include debate among experts) • Teacher/librarian provides additional resources and research opportunities to students with references to articles on greenhouse gasses, a TeachersDomain video clip from “Race to Save the Planet”, and a NOAA site of paleoclimatology data sets • Teacher/librarian team create and share the interdisciplinary lesson/unit online • Students interact with real data, real expert, real science

30. How Will NSDL Manage, Disseminate, and Highlight New Content Generated by Many Contributors?

32. Why On Ramp? • NSDL is a large distributed community of organizations, contributors, and users • Critical need to rapidly develop and disseminate information in multiple formats drawn from multiple sources • Existing systems (e.g. SPT, web pages, hand-managed documents) are inadequate • Requires flexible workflow, teams, and outputs

33. Why not an existing CMS? • Not integrated with Fedora and NDR • Many are only focused on efficient storage and retrieval • Most have fixed, static workflow only • Frequently limited content data types and dissemination formats (e.g. web pages only, or web pages/RSS only)

34. What is On Ramp? • Fedora-based content management system with: • Flexible packaging, repackaging, repurposing and reuse of content • Support for multiple users in multiple roles (e.g. author, editor, reviewer) • Arbitrary user-defined workflow for document creation • Ability to disseminate package of content in multiple formats (e.g. RSS, email, web page, print)

35. Managing Content • Multiple pieces of related content are gathered together into a package (e.g. a project or publication) • Content moves through the system at the package level • All content is maintained in a single repository, with multiple archived versions available at any time

36. Managing Workflow • User configurable workflows support multi-person authoring, editing, review, and release • Integrated review process ensures quality of content • Workflow supports scheduled release: • Delayed release (start date) • Timed release (start and stop date) • Periodic publication (regular release date) • Limited lifespan (stop date) • Ability to ‘start over’ – reinsert package into workflow

37. Managing the Team • Collaborators on a project do not necessarily reside in the same physical location • Ability to define a team assigning members to specific roles in workflow process • User roles can vary from project to project

38. Managing Disseminations • Packages can be disseminated in multiple formats: RSS feeds, sets of web pages, email, or print publications (known as targets) • Targets can disseminate subsets or rearrangements of the content in the package • Pieces of content from multiple packages can be combined into a new package for use in a different context • Existing packages can be sent to newly created targets

39. Single Source – Multiple Disseminations • Maintain a single source of the content • Example: a set of news items for NSDL WhiteBoard Report • Distribute the single copy of the content to multiple targets in variety of formats: • WhiteBoard Report (online – web page) • WhiteBoard Report (email – sent on schedule) • NSDL.org Headlines (RSS feed – picked up by news organizations) • NSDL Annual Report (print – combined with many other content items)

40. Broadening Participation: An On Ramp Communications Scenario The BioSciEdNet (BEN) Collaborative, an NSDL Biology Pathway project, is assembling a guide for instructors about how to use BEN digital resources to strengthen undergraduate teaching in the Biosciences. • A team of teachers is recruited from BEN partner societies to author lesson plans and create resource context. • Using NDR-based tools (e.g. Instructional Architect, Expert Voices) authors interweave existing BEN resources into targeted lesson plans and presentations using On Ramp. • A BEN editor assembles the contributions. • A panel of instructional specialists review content, returning some to authors for revision. • The guide is released in both print and web formats.

41. Integrating Education and Research: An On Ramp Outreach Scenario A scientist would like to create and disseminate a K12 workshop about an aspect of her lab’s research that is of particular interest to young people. • Puts a distributed workshop team together with a variety of roles and assignments. • The team plans, schedules and creates several packages for dissemination to different audiences • Press release • Registration information • Workshop materials • Evaluation and outcomes documents

42. OnRamp: Implementation • Uses Shibboleth-based community sign-on • Fedora-based content repository integrates with NDR • Uses Fedora Workflow Orchestration Service (phase one release provides a single standard workflow) • Integrates with Groupster user and group management system developed at Columbia • Phase One release – RSS disseminations: 2Q06 • Phase Two release – supports multiple workflows, additional disseminations, scheduling: 3Q06 • Phase Three release – enhanced user interface based on evaluation/feedback: 1Q07

44. Summary • The NDR opens the door for creating a unique database of context, contribution, and collaboration on top of NSDL resources • Expert Voices engages scientists, teachers, and library users in a dialogue about science, education, and the real world; and it integrates that dialogue with high-quality STEM resources in the NSDL • OnRamp supports the reviewed and edited publication and dissemination of NDR-integrated content and context in a wide range of media and formats

45. Acknowledgements • Fedora Team • Sandy Payette • Chris Wilper • Carl Lagoze • Thornton Staples • Bob Haschart • NSDL Core Integration Team • Cornell • Columbia • UCAR • Susan Jesuroga • Susan Van Gundy • Cornell HCI Lab • Helene Hembrooke • Erika Cullingford • On Ramp • Carol Minton Morris • Lynette Rayle • Elly Cramer • Expert Voices • Elly Cramer • Blythe Bennett • Cathy Elmore • David Lankes • Nina Shih • Colin Zhao • Yi Wei • NSDL Data Repository • Carl Lagoze • Dean Krafft • Elly Cramer • Tim Cornwell • Dean Eckstrom

46. Questions?

47. Contact Information Dean B. Krafft – Cornell University dean@cs.cornell.edu Carol Minton Morris – Cornell University clt6@cornell.edu Blythe Bennett – Syracuse University blytheb@iis.syr.edu