María José Casany

An evolving Learning Management System for new educational environments using 2.0 tools

The tools used in learning processes are in a continuous state of flux. One of the most significant changes is the application of Information and Communications technologies (ICTs) to educational contexts. This provides new possible ways to carry out learning activities, new learning services, the possibility to use new kinds of contents and activities, etc. However, ICTs have not provided as many advantages as they were supposed to, so changes are necessary. In this context, a new set of tools, Web 2.0, offers a new way to understand the Web, in which the user is the centre. Further, users can cooperate in order to define contents. This concept is also applied in technology-mediated learning but there are important problems when one tries to integrate such tools and concepts with existing systems. This paper explores the integration of these tools in traditional learning environments, the various possibilities and their advantages and drawbacks. After that, an interoperability scenario is described and two experiences are presented to show how 2.0 tools can be integrated in learning activities, and its effect in educational process.

Applying Web Services to Define Open Learning Environments

Evolution of learning processes is almost always linked to social changes and/or technological changes. One of those processes is eLearning, which is involved in the changes brought about by trends 2.0. This new tendencies consider the user, socialization and collaboration as the main important elements and this must be considered also in eLearning contexts. But today learning environments do not facilitate this approach. They are focused on the institutions or courses, not in the student as a key element of the learning process, as well not always provide elements of socialization and collaboration. In order to avoid these drawbacks, and by using service oriented architectures over learning management systems, new elearning environments could be defined. This paper will propose an architecture that would enable learning platforms evolve in that direction.

TSUGI: a framework for building PHP-based learning tools

Innovation on ICT-based learning depends on the ability of researchers, developers and services (and content) providers to push new kinds of tools and services in real life contexts. This implies that new developments need to be interoperable with the current LMS that are running almost everywhere. Thus, either new developments have to be custom built for every LMS or there is a real need for an interoperability standard Over the last 8 years IMS Global Learning Consortium has pushed the IMS Learning tools interoperability as the missing standard. IMS LTI has been developed in collaboration with the major LMS and tools authors in a long process where reference implementations and automated compliance tests have been created, and IMS LTI is supported for all the major commercial and open source LMS. But despite the collaborative open process there are different versions of the standard (Simple LTI, Basic LTI, LTI 1.0, LTI 1.1 and soon LTI 2.0) and there are subtle differences in the implementation of LTI provided by each LMS, which defeats the whole purpose of having an interoperability standard. For this reason the TSUGI project has been created: to provide a framework that makes as simple as possible to develop and deploy LTI applications.

Personal Learning Environments and the Integration with Learning Management Systems

eLearning is continuously evolving and must be ready to integrate new paradigms and consider the student as the centre of the process. This shift will mean changing the tools currently used, giving way to other tools that take into account the customization. These changes are expensive and should not think only of replacing all previously existing but should seek to integrate new initiatives with those of success. This will ensure learning environments really powerful and effective. In this paper integration initiatives will be review and a new one will be proposed.

Mobile Learning as an Asset for Development: Challenges and Oportunities

Education is a key objective and asset for development. While elearning has proven to be a key element for difusion and improvement of education, an analisys of trends shows that mobile devices – not desktop computers or laptops – are going to become the ubiquitous universal computing and networking device. Thus the mission of elearning will have to be complemented by mobile learning. This paper analyzes the challenges and oportunities for the unfolding of mobile learning in developing countries.

Open Integrated Personal Learning Environment: Towards a New Conception of the ICT-Based Learning Processes

Learning processes are changing related to technological and sociological evolution, taking this in to account, a new learning strategy must be considered. Specifically what is needed is to give an effective step towards the eLearning 2.0 environments consolidation. This must imply the fusion of the advantages of the traditional LMS (Learning Management System) – more formative program control and planning oriented – with the social learning and the flexibility of the web 2.0 educative applications.

Application of mobile and software as a service (SAAS) in learning processes

We have reached a point where mostly all Learning Management Systems provide a mature stable virtual extension or emulation of the classroom environment, well integrated with the back office and academic curriculum management. However, technology moves fast and society is keeping a good pace behind it. Smartphones and tablets have rendered obsolete the computer labs or computerized classrooms in less than 3 years since the launch of the first iPad. App Stores in all platforms -- mobile, desktop and web based- have provided ecosystems where developers of all kinds are innovating fast, creating new kinds of apps and services and iterating over new ways managing, sharing and discovering information and knowledge of all sorts. Some of this innovation is focused towards learning, and it is happening outside the Learning Management Systems and the classroom itself.

Using a pull mechanism for connecting an informal learning collector with external applications

The TRAILER Project is an EU funded project in the Life Long Learning program. The project aims to provide a framework for recognition, tagging and acknowledgement of Informal learning activities. Within the scope of this project, a piece of software called Informal learning Collector (ILC) has been developed to act as a binding between informal PLEs and a learning Portfolio. This paper presents an enhancement to the ILC that changes turns it into an active component that pulls data instead of being pushed explicitly by the user.

How to apply open learning environments to Software Engineering subject

The Software Engineering learning, as one of the main subjects of Computer Engineering degree, requires constant technological innovation. New tools must be added to the subject. But this is not easy with present LMS (Learning Management System). Faced with this situation we will try to open the platform used in the subject to personalized learning environments, using a service-oriented architecture and widget engine to define learning portable components.

J2MEMicroDB: an open source distributed database engine for mobile applications

Mobile distributed applications must be able to work offline when no network connection is available, or simply to spare bandwidth or money. To do so the mobile client must be able to store and handle structured data. Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) does not support neither object serialization nor relational table management. When most legacy systems still rely on database engines, it also seems that J2ME only considers the Webservices API as a tool to access data on the server side. No JDBC API is provided to send and retrieve data from the mobile device to the DBMS in the server. This paper presents an Open Source library for J2ME that implements a lightweight database engine that allows CDLC devices (such as the currently available mobile phones) to handle object serialization easily, SQL relational database management and JDBC, using SQL to access any DBMS in the mainframe.Mobile distributed applications must be able to work offline when no network connection is available, or simply to spare bandwidth or money. To do so the mobile client must be able to store and handle structured data. Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) does not support neither object serialization nor relational table management. When most legacy systems still rely on database engines, it also seems that J2ME only considers the Webservices API as a tool to access data on the server side. No JDBC API is provided to send and retrieve data from the mobile device to the DBMS in the server. This paper presents an Open Source library for J2ME that implements a lightweight database engine that allows CDLC devices (such as the currently available mobile phones) to handle object serialization easily, SQL relational database management and JDBC, using SQL to access any DBMS in the mainframe.