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What Can Internet Technologies Offer?

<http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/ conferences/hewit-2004/>. UKOLN is supported by:. What Can Internet Technologies Offer?. How can Internet technologies help us to support communications with & by students?

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What Can Internet Technologies Offer?

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  1. <http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/conferences/hewit-2004/><http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/conferences/hewit-2004/> UKOLN is supported by: What Can Internet Technologies Offer? 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? Brian Kelly UKOLN University of Bath Bath Email B.Kelly@ukoln.ac.uk URL http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/

  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

  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)

  4. Home use Free software IT applications Users Hotmail accounts, MSN IDs IT StrategyToday Open source Interoperability, standards, preservation User Groups, Committees Security Major funding decisions Responding to autonomy Responding to Internet environment How Times Have Changed IT Skills Training Users IT Strategy1980-1990s WordPerfect / Word User Groups, Committees Lotus / Excel Research / Teaching Mainframe / Unix PC / Mac Centralised / Distributed

  5. Consumer devices, networks & digital memory Mobile Devices Challenges • What are the implications of mobile devices? What do these devices have in common?

  6. Scenario • Students will want to watch digital TV (music, etc.) • This box provides a cheap easily maintained thin client • Unlike ITVDigital no licensing restrictions • Email/ Web use at home reduces demand on PC clusters • So encourage purchase! New Devices Challenges • 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/

  7. WiFi Challenges • 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.

  8. Challenges: Shouldn't we be doing this? Who owns the company & data (and why do they want my personal details)? What if ownership changes? Does their advice on academic issues conflict with the University's? Commercial Providers http://www.bathstudent.com/ Challenges • We are now faced with increasing numbers of commercial providers of IT services • Bathstudent.com provides: • Personalised portal • Diary & calendar • News alerts by email & SMS • Advice • …

  9. Instant Messaging Technologies • 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

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

  11. Has potential in user support & collaborative working Warning – this could be a virus IM Functionality (1) Technologies • MSN Messenger providesgroupware & IM functionality: • Sharing desktop applications • File transfer • Webcams • Games

  12. IM Functionality (2) Technologies • Yahoo Messenger is integrated with My.Yahoo: • Calender (which can be synced with Outlook) • Personalised new, weather, etc. • SMS (but not in UK)

  13. Scenario Users with mobile devices (which may be slow) Require access to information Rather than surfing Web sites why shouldn't they simply type a simple command? This approach is used with SMS To im-info@university.ac.uk info address … Integrating IM • You can have IM bots acrobot@buddyspace.org

  14. IM Guidelines (1) Guidelines • 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 <http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/qa-focus/documents/case-studies/case-study-12/>

  15. http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/qa-focus/documents/briefings/briefing-56/http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/qa-focus/documents/briefings/briefing-56/ IM Guidelines (2) Guidelines • 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. See <http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/qa-focus/>

  16. Security Issues Technologies • "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

  17. Interoperability Technologies • 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)

  18. Policy Issues Policies • 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?

  19. (cf OU) VLE IM tool Do we need a national IM databases managed by the sector (along Athens lines)? Or leave this to commercial sector? LocalVLE Local(Jabber) 'Athens'IM JabberTrillian, IM+ Potential functionality In Summary Remote IM databases are populated by individuals and managed remotely Finding people, managing groups of students, etc. is difficult AOL AOLMessenger MSN MSNMessenger Yahoo YahooMessenger Additional functionality Additional problems?

  20. Very effective way of reaching a decision – avoids long discursive discussions Useful to get committee together at same time – buts ads are disliked Useful to view shared calendar with remote staff. Can integrate with local calendar, but not yet fully. Integrating Environments (1) Technologies • Services such as YahooGroups integrate: • Mailing lists • IM • Voting • Calendars • …

  21. Integrating Environments (2) Technologies • 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

  22. Preamble Formal start, with date stamp for transcript People arrive late & miss guidelines Data protection, privacy, libel, …! Integrating Environments (3) • 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

  23. RSS: • Syndication of content • A light-weight standard used in the JISC IE • View on Web or using dedicated RSS viewer Shouldn't RSS viewers be standard on desktops? Shouldn't we be creating RSS feed for news alerts? Let's Kill E-Mail! Technologies • 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?

  24. A more sustainable approach is likely when used as part of a course. This example also provides shared experiences Blogging (1) Technologies • Blogging: cult fashion or significant developing in publishing / communications? Student's learning diary. Created by student and hosted on remote Blogger Web site. No longer maintained?

  25. Blogging (2) Technologies • 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, …)

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

  27. The Potential For SMS Technologies • 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"

  28. From SMS 3G Technologies • 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

  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

  30. Further information in my FOAF file Leigh's FOAF file, showing his additional information FOAF Example (1) A view of my FOAF file, showing links to my friends • FOAF Explorer - <http://xml.mfd-consult.dk/foaf/explorer/> Emerging Technologies

  31. FOAF Example (2) • FOAFNaut - <http://www.foafnaut.org/> Emerging Technologies

  32. Authoring tools and viewers available – it's time to experiment! Creating FOAF • Several types of FOAF authoring tools are available: • Do it by hand • Web-based tools • Dedicated tools • Using a Wiki Emerging Technologies

  33. But online communities come and go and the data needs to be re-entered, relationships re-established, … The Tribe.net online community has stated that it will support FOAF, which could provide a solution to such concerns. FOAF has recently started to gain some momentum, as indicated by the Guardian Online feature. • These Social Networks can provide: • Mailing lists • Instant messaging • Links to partners & potential partners Creating Online Communities • Students (and staff) want to be part of communities - as shown by success of FriendsReunited and(since Jan 2004) Orkut

  34. Strategic Challenges 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 • … Note: ran out of time for this section at UCISA Management Conference

  35. Open Source Software Challenges • 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/>

  36. Interoperability & Sustainability Challenges • 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.

  37. Deployment Challenges • 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!

  38. Colston Research Symposium: • Annual event supported and sponsored by the University of Bristol & Colston Research Society • Hosted by ILRT, Graduate School of Education and the Computer Science, University of Bristol on 22-23 March 2004 • Included real-time IM commentaries, Blog reports, … • See <http://www.ilrt.bris.ac.uk/news/conferences/colston2004/electronicparticipation/> 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

  39. There was a realtime display of the IRC dialogue alongside the PowerPoint slides Realtime IM-ing http://www.ilrt.bris.ac.uk/news/conferences/colston2004/programme • Paul Shabajee gave a talk about use of IRC and Blogs

  40. Colston Conference Blog http://blog.ilrt.org/colston/ • Blogs were used to report on all of the talks.

  41. Wikis For Shared Notekeeping http://www.seedwiki.com/page.cfm?doc=ictp-2004&wikiid=4970 • 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

  42. One student overwrote Wiki content – so used version option to retrieve previous version 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!

  43. Non-Technical Issues Challenges • 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

  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.

  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

  46. Questions • Any questions?

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