http://mollyproject.org/
The open source mobile portal.
Molly is a framework for the rapid development of information and service portals targeted at mobile internet devices. The framework follows a “batteries included” philosophy, featuring a wide variety of applications and connectors to common and standards-based systems including the Sakai Virtual Learning Environment.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Staying Focused on High Quality Development
Our e-learning developers seem to spend too much time doing basic tasks rather than focusing on utilising their skills effectively.
Instead of developing high quality e-learning interactions a great deal of time is focused on basic tasks such as reformatting text, and administration tasks that should be handled in a more efficient way.
Perhaps this aspect could be addressed if the department was stronger in the following areas:
Instead of developing high quality e-learning interactions a great deal of time is focused on basic tasks such as reformatting text, and administration tasks that should be handled in a more efficient way.
Perhaps this aspect could be addressed if the department was stronger in the following areas:
- Vision
- Policy
- Strategy
- Review and assessment of our procedures
Monday, October 25, 2010
IT makes things more efficient - does it?
We're always lead to believe that IT makes things more efficient. Many of us now believe this without thinking about it.
But hang on a minute, let's think about it!
When was the last time you were fighting the technology?
How many times in an average day do you fight with the technology?
Some IT apps are better than others, admittedly.
Today I'm using Word's Microsoft Equation 3.0 editor to do fractions, and it insists on messing my words up. It's so wasting my time! It's so dam annoying!
But hang on a minute, let's think about it!
When was the last time you were fighting the technology?
How many times in an average day do you fight with the technology?
Some IT apps are better than others, admittedly.
Today I'm using Word's Microsoft Equation 3.0 editor to do fractions, and it insists on messing my words up. It's so wasting my time! It's so dam annoying!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
UK Higher Educaction: Is it just for call centres?
There's been a lot of debate about the purpose of higher education, and the debate will no doubt continue.
Here's a strange fact to add to that debate:
"One in three call centre workers in the UK now has a degree, according to a new survey, reflecting the problems faced by university-educated workers in finding suitable employment."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/sep/22/call-centres-rise-graduate-applicants
Is there a serious mismatch between education and plans for economic prosperity? Do the education and economic strategies need to involve joined up thinking?
Here's a strange fact to add to that debate:
"One in three call centre workers in the UK now has a degree, according to a new survey, reflecting the problems faced by university-educated workers in finding suitable employment."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/sep/22/call-centres-rise-graduate-applicants
Is there a serious mismatch between education and plans for economic prosperity? Do the education and economic strategies need to involve joined up thinking?
Friday, September 17, 2010
20,000 years of progress in 100 years!?
If this century is to experience 20,000 years of progress...
... then that sounds like computers (AI) are going to be a significant force for innovation. Where does that leave humans, and what's the role for teaching and learning?
Will the teachers be computers (AI)?
Will the students be computers (AI)?
... then that sounds like computers (AI) are going to be a significant force for innovation. Where does that leave humans, and what's the role for teaching and learning?
Will the teachers be computers (AI)?
Will the students be computers (AI)?
2st Century Learning: The Singularity University
We occasionally ask ourselves: what should we be doing with regard to Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century.
Here's one approach:
The Singularity University teaches the adoption of innovation via exponential technologies: article in Nature.
Most provocative quote:
"The twenty-first century won't see 100 years of advancement at year-2000 rates, but a mind boggling 20,000 years of progress."
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Solid block of text with more meaning than Lorum Ipsum
You may have seen solid blocks of text that use the Lorum Ipsum mumbo jumbo - what's it mean, most probably don't have a clue.
So I'm going to adopt a convention of using an english block of text that has some meaning. My chosen block of text (which is free to use by anyone) is this:
This block of solid text ignores guidelines for effective information presentation. If we assume that information is primarily aimed at humans then there are a number of simple steps that can be taken to present information in an effective manner. Some of those steps are described on this page. A quick guide may be welcome - see the reasons for a summary. Here is a quick guide for this topic:Provide an introduction and/or summary; Use white space; Structure;Contents list and section titles;Small paragraphs;Quick guide. Use plenty of white space. On the computer screen white space is free - there is no hidden charge. There is no need to cram 1000 words into one massive paragraph.They say that "a picture paints a thousand words". Diagrams can be very useful for quickly communicating a message. Pictures may also help to enhance the quality of a presentation. Us humans have limited conscious thought abilities, so it helps to present information in small manageable chunks. We usually like to know how these chunks relate to each other. To help with this the following are recommended: contents list and section titles. Do you still remember what our limited ability was? It helps if you avoid massive blocks of text; use small paragraphs. Summarise it! Because we are lazy and/or we do not have enough time to read a big report. If the summary of the report / article / page looks interesting and relevant then people will read the sections of interest, providing it is well structured. PS: You are free to copy and paste this anywhere - use it instead of the mysterious Lorum Ipsum text.
The text originates here:
https://sites.google.com/site/electronicacademic/Home/Projects/knowledge-management-system-kms/effective-information-presentation/one-block-of-solid-text
... which is an example of how NOT to do effective information presentation.
So I'm going to adopt a convention of using an english block of text that has some meaning. My chosen block of text (which is free to use by anyone) is this:
This block of solid text ignores guidelines for effective information presentation. If we assume that information is primarily aimed at humans then there are a number of simple steps that can be taken to present information in an effective manner. Some of those steps are described on this page. A quick guide may be welcome - see the reasons for a summary. Here is a quick guide for this topic:Provide an introduction and/or summary; Use white space; Structure;Contents list and section titles;Small paragraphs;Quick guide. Use plenty of white space. On the computer screen white space is free - there is no hidden charge. There is no need to cram 1000 words into one massive paragraph.They say that "a picture paints a thousand words". Diagrams can be very useful for quickly communicating a message. Pictures may also help to enhance the quality of a presentation. Us humans have limited conscious thought abilities, so it helps to present information in small manageable chunks. We usually like to know how these chunks relate to each other. To help with this the following are recommended: contents list and section titles. Do you still remember what our limited ability was? It helps if you avoid massive blocks of text; use small paragraphs. Summarise it! Because we are lazy and/or we do not have enough time to read a big report. If the summary of the report / article / page looks interesting and relevant then people will read the sections of interest, providing it is well structured. PS: You are free to copy and paste this anywhere - use it instead of the mysterious Lorum Ipsum text.
The text originates here:
https://sites.google.com/site/electronicacademic/Home/Projects/knowledge-management-system-kms/effective-information-presentation/one-block-of-solid-text
... which is an example of how NOT to do effective information presentation.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Turbo charged learning and memory
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/feb/13/gcses-teaching
Fields, a leading US neuroscientist, ... found that the stimulation of cells in the brain repeated three times had to be interspersed with 10-minute breaks before the synapse became strengthened permanently - the chemical and biological process in the brain which turns short-term recollections into long-term memories.
Learning or memorising?
Repeat 3 times, with interspersed with 10-minute breaks.
Fields, a leading US neuroscientist, ... found that the stimulation of cells in the brain repeated three times had to be interspersed with 10-minute breaks before the synapse became strengthened permanently - the chemical and biological process in the brain which turns short-term recollections into long-term memories.
Learning or memorising?
Repeat 3 times, with interspersed with 10-minute breaks.
Truth Mapping
An idea is proposed as premise.
A premise can have critiques and rebuttals.
These link to other ideas / premises.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8XgPDs_pHc
http://www.truthmapping.com/
A premise can have critiques and rebuttals.
These link to other ideas / premises.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8XgPDs_pHc
http://www.truthmapping.com/
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Paper on Social Learning
The paper on Social Networking and Learning in Higher Education proposes the following recommendations.
Abstract
Social networking has achieved widespread popularity and also inspired the use of similar approaches in education; along with the associated terms of “social learning”, “educational networking” and “collaborative learning”. The authors’ initial research has shown that social learning technologies may be used to: unwittingly replace the repository type role of a VLE or other web hosting system; allow general purpose networking for various user groups; and provide an opportunity for collaborative learning. However, questions exist over the purpose and scope of collaborative learning; and making it happen requires more effort than just providing the technology. This paper discusses those challenges and opportunities, and provides recommendations.
Recommendations for Social Learning
Based on our work and research to date the following tentative ideas are proposed for stimulating effective social learning and collaboration amongst students:
1. Get the students to start with ice-breakers and ask them to introduce themselves to each other using the online system.
2. Use technologies that are simple, easy to use, widely accessible, and reliable.
3. Before starting, be clear what the purpose of the social learning platform is, and discuss this with the staff and students.
4. Make the platform relevant and useful, and show the benefits to its users.
5. Provide a real incentive for it to be visited and used, e.g.: host key information on the site, and set tasks that require use of the site.
6. Consider whether students should participate in social learning and collaboration all of the time, or just some of the time (e.g. just to develop collaborative learning skills).
7. Is social learning "the be all and end all"? Some students don’t want to socialise (or can’t spare the time in their busy lives), and some prefer to study alone.
8. Do we always have to use a centralised platform? Why can’t learners create their own personal learning environments that are linked together in some way, when the need arises (e.g. for collaborative projects)? This allows learners to choose their own tools.
9. When setting a group activity, clearly explain to the students what the objectives and outcomes are expected to be; and consider explaining how the group process should work and what the required roles may be (if you consider this will be helpful to the group).
10. Outlining processes and roles for groups may be useful initially, but experienced groups may be able to do this for themselves.
11. Critical mass: consider how many people need to be in a group to stimulate social learning and get good results.
12. To encourage greater social learning and collaboration a group assignment could include a marking system that explicitly assigns marks to:
a. the processes used within the group
b. the allocation of individual roles
c. group discussions
d. decision making
e. the quality of the work (e.g. research, validation and reporting)
f. the contributions made by individuals
Abstract
Social networking has achieved widespread popularity and also inspired the use of similar approaches in education; along with the associated terms of “social learning”, “educational networking” and “collaborative learning”. The authors’ initial research has shown that social learning technologies may be used to: unwittingly replace the repository type role of a VLE or other web hosting system; allow general purpose networking for various user groups; and provide an opportunity for collaborative learning. However, questions exist over the purpose and scope of collaborative learning; and making it happen requires more effort than just providing the technology. This paper discusses those challenges and opportunities, and provides recommendations.
Recommendations for Social Learning
Based on our work and research to date the following tentative ideas are proposed for stimulating effective social learning and collaboration amongst students:
1. Get the students to start with ice-breakers and ask them to introduce themselves to each other using the online system.
2. Use technologies that are simple, easy to use, widely accessible, and reliable.
3. Before starting, be clear what the purpose of the social learning platform is, and discuss this with the staff and students.
4. Make the platform relevant and useful, and show the benefits to its users.
5. Provide a real incentive for it to be visited and used, e.g.: host key information on the site, and set tasks that require use of the site.
6. Consider whether students should participate in social learning and collaboration all of the time, or just some of the time (e.g. just to develop collaborative learning skills).
7. Is social learning "the be all and end all"? Some students don’t want to socialise (or can’t spare the time in their busy lives), and some prefer to study alone.
8. Do we always have to use a centralised platform? Why can’t learners create their own personal learning environments that are linked together in some way, when the need arises (e.g. for collaborative projects)? This allows learners to choose their own tools.
9. When setting a group activity, clearly explain to the students what the objectives and outcomes are expected to be; and consider explaining how the group process should work and what the required roles may be (if you consider this will be helpful to the group).
10. Outlining processes and roles for groups may be useful initially, but experienced groups may be able to do this for themselves.
11. Critical mass: consider how many people need to be in a group to stimulate social learning and get good results.
12. To encourage greater social learning and collaboration a group assignment could include a marking system that explicitly assigns marks to:
a. the processes used within the group
b. the allocation of individual roles
c. group discussions
d. decision making
e. the quality of the work (e.g. research, validation and reporting)
f. the contributions made by individuals
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Why Education?
Why are we educating students?
Two key answers to that are:
Two key answers to that are:
- for economic success; and
- to enhance the quality of life.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
PHP and MySQL - prevention of SQL injection
Use:
More:
http://www.tizag.com/mysqlTutorial/mysql-php-sql-injection.php
mysql_real_escape_string($user_input);
This escapes the single quotes on user input.
More:
http://www.tizag.com/mysqlTutorial/mysql-php-sql-injection.php
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
Tech: Sometimes Sucks
Let's be honest, although technology is wonderful, sometimes it sucks!
In particular, setting up new (server) apps can be a right pain in the gluteus maximus.
In particular, setting up new (server) apps can be a right pain in the gluteus maximus.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Labs Area: WordPress
Following on from the labs area prototype in Plone (which is OK but not ideal), there's another prototype in WordPress (which is also OK but not ideal).
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Prototype: Labs Area in Plone
I've tried prototyping the idea of a "labs area" along the following lines:
Lab Light Features
This particular implementation has been done in Plone. While it does provide a workable version of a labs area it does seem to take more effort than expected (adding all the stuff to Plone). Now that most of the configuration has been done it might get easier - time will tell.
There's also the classic issue about which categories / keywords to define. (That's always a flawed knowledge management system. Admittedly, we might not have many alternatives to categories / keywords at the moment. Though there are smarter systems out there, e.g. Autonomy plc.)
Lab Light Features
This particular implementation has been done in Plone. While it does provide a workable version of a labs area it does seem to take more effort than expected (adding all the stuff to Plone). Now that most of the configuration has been done it might get easier - time will tell.
There's also the classic issue about which categories / keywords to define. (That's always a flawed knowledge management system. Admittedly, we might not have many alternatives to categories / keywords at the moment. Though there are smarter systems out there, e.g. Autonomy plc.)
Friday, March 19, 2010
Information overload: Present it better
The problem and a solution:
Information overload is a persistent problem but here's a simple (partial) solution.
In particular people use masses of text on a web page without any introductory paragraph, bullet points or structure.
We could digest the relevance of a page if it did the following:
Information overload is a persistent problem but here's a simple (partial) solution.
In particular people use masses of text on a web page without any introductory paragraph, bullet points or structure.
We could digest the relevance of a page if it did the following:
- Introduction
- Structure
- Bullet points
Thursday, March 11, 2010
National Science and Engineering Week
Science and Engineering - let's inspire, and teach this well.
National Science and Engineering Week
Our economy depends on it.
National Science and Engineering Week
Our economy depends on it.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Flash: AS3: 3D: Don't Dare Do it
3D in Flash AS3 (CS4) is darn hard work. It's not full 3D and it presents a lot of headaches. My recommendation would be to avoid doing 3D in it, unless it's something that doesn't require proper 3D behaviour.
Though there is a promising alternative: Papervision3D. Perhaps I should use that instead...
Though there is a promising alternative: Papervision3D. Perhaps I should use that instead...
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Collaborative Intelligence: Many hands...
quote:
"open access to data means that many hands make light work of replicating and checking the work of professional scientists."
- Times Online
"open access to data means that many hands make light work of replicating and checking the work of professional scientists."
- Times Online
Friday, February 19, 2010
Coordinated Collaborative Intelligence
Creative output may be increased in a collaborative environment by adopting the following model: coordinated collaborative intelligence.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
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