Get CloudEngine

Cloudworks open-sourcedComments? cloudworks.ac.uk/cloud/view/5100

Nick Freear – CloudEngine lead developer - @nfreearIET Technology Coffee Morning, The Open University, July 2011

#ouTCM

Agenda

• Background to Cloudworks/ CloudEngine• CloudEngine features• Recent work• Roadmap• Get involved

First concepts...

Design...

Object centred rather than ego-centred in nature

juhansonin http://www.flickr.com/photos/juhansonin/2250554147/

“The fallacy is to think that social networks are just

made up of people. They're not; social networks consist of

people who are connected by a shared

object.” (Engestrom, 2005)

Approach...

Design-based approach (DBR)•Development of the Alpha Cloudworks prototype in Drupal Feb 2008•Launch of the Beta Cloudworks prototype in CodeIgniter July 2009•Release of CloudEngine free and open source software October 2010

• Launched July 2009• Over 4000 registered users • Over 95,000 unique visitors (1000+ unique visitors/ week)• Core of regular users; active discussions; events…

Cloudworks...

CloudEngine...

http://dev.getcloudengine.org

What?CloudEngine is an easy way to create a social web site - using 'Clouds' and 'Cloudscapes'. Ideal for events & discussion.

CloudEngine is lightweight, fast & fully-featured. CloudEngine powers Cloudworks, http://cloudworks.ac.uk

And it's free & open source software, licensed under the GPL!

Who?• Cloudworks - Juliette Culver,

Gráinne Conole, Rebecca Galley

• Institute of Educational Technology The Open University

• Nick Freear, Richard Lovelock

• JISC/ EU/ OU funding

...

Features• Clouds, Cloudscapes • ** Direct messaging - NEW ** • Host & archive events - workshops etc. • Search, tags, user profiles, Cloudstreams • Favourite & follow • Embed video, slides, Twitter ... (oEmbed) • RSS feeds, API • Internationalized – currently English & Greek! • Admin: statistics, moderation• Accessible, extensible, themable

Recent work

• More embeds: LAMS, Prezi, OU player

• Search fixes/ usability enhance• HTML5 forms• Direct messaging

Search before…

• Search bug• Usability

“Very large page to scroll…”

• Score/ relevance?

Search after…

OU embeds• new: LAMS, Prezi,

Google forms• HTML5: YouTube• OU player

• Extends our use of oEmbed

• http://embed.open.ac.uk

• Todo: SVG

HTML5 forms

• Browser handles errors – usability, simplicity, consistency

• type=email|url .. required, pattern ..

• Todo: more forms

HTML5 forms

• <input type=email|url|... required>

• <input pattern="[a-z][\w-]{3,}\s?“ title="Minimum 4 characters, letters,

numbers..” >

Messaging

Evolution• Embeds: CompendiumLD/ SVG…• Plugins: authentication, etc.• Upgrade to CodeIgniter 2 …• Project site – CloudEngine powered!• More internal/ external uses• Community, sustainability

Get involved

• Contribute feedback, publicity• Contribute documentation• Contribute code• Contribute translations• Ideas for integration 

Try out Cloudworks...

Support & guidance...

Further reading...Conole, Grainne (2010). Facilitating new forms of discourse for learning and teaching: harnessing the power of Web 2.0 practices. Open Learning, 25(2), pp. 141–151. Alevizou, P., Galley, R. and Conole, G., (forthcoming) Collectivity, performance and self-representation: Analysing Cloudworks as a public space for networked learning and reflection in Exploring the Theory, Pedagogy and Practice of Networked Learning. Ed. Dirckinck-Holmfeld, L., Hodgson, V. and McConnell, D. London: SpringerConole, G. and Culver, J. (2009), The design of Cloudworks: applying social networking practice to foster the exchange of learning and teaching ideas and designs, special issue of CAL09, Computers and Education, doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2009.09.013

Nick Freear (Cloudworks developer) n.d.freear@open.ac.ukRebecca Galley (OULDI project officer) r.galley@open.ac.uk

Cloudworks@open.ac.uk

Thank you• Go to http://getcloudengine.org • The Cloudworks virtual field trip

http://youtu.be/N0HjlyU8OAU • Discuss

http://cloudworks.ac.uk/cloud/view/5100

• Twitter @nfreear• cloudworks@open.ac.uk

Questions?