Blogging and Publishing in the NSDL

Dean Krafft, Carol Minton Morris (Cornell)

Blythe Bennett (Syracuse)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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)

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

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

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

ExpertVoices

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

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

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

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

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

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

NDR Entry for Expert Voices

Blog Entry

NewMetadata

NewAudience

MD

ReferencedNew

Resource 1

ReferencedExisting

Resource 2

Annotates

Metadata for

Metadata for

Member ofMetadataProvider

MetadataProvider

ExistingCollection

Topic-basedBlog

Member of

Inferred relationshipbetween resources

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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)

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

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

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

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

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)

Broadening Participation: An On Ramp Communications ScenarioThe 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.

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

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

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

Acknowledgements 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

Fedora TeamSandy PayetteChris WilperCarl LagozeThornton StaplesBob Haschart

NSDL Core Integration Team

CornellColumbiaUCAR

Susan JesurogaSusan Van Gundy

Cornell HCI LabHelene HembrookeErika Cullingford

Questions?

Contact Information

Dean B. Krafft – Cornell Universitydean@cs.cornell.edu

Carol Minton Morris – Cornell Universityclt6@cornell.edu

Blythe Bennett – Syracuse Universityblytheb@iis.syr.edu