integrating google tools with sakai duffy gillman sr. software engineer the rsmart group david...

Integrating Google Tools with Sakai

Duffy Gillman <[email protected]>Sr. Software EngineerThe rSmart Group

David Haines <[email protected]>CTools DeveloperDigital Media CommonsUniversity of Michigan

212th Sakai Conference – Los Angeles, California – June 14-16

CONTEXTAnd Now Here’s Some...


Google Offerings...

are Vast... ...we are covering a small patch of ground today.

CLE Integration - OAE had its own efforts

Augmentation of - One could build a Google LMS CLE interesting... but not our focus


Why Are We Thinking About This?

• Infrastructure - Google is likely to be a university email and calendar provider.

• Extension - Google provides tools we can’t afford to make.

• Innovation - Google allows simple creation of web tools through App Engine.

• Compatibility - Lots of work is done in Google by faculty and students. How can those artifacts be available in Sakai?


What Does Google Have to Offer?

?


What Does Google Have to Offer?

?search

documentediting

storage

video

email

socialnetworking

blogging

chat

forums

site hosting/editing

...to name a few things

SSO

groupingfederation


Why Might We Want These Functions From Google?

• Offloading Maintenance/Support

• Cloud/Scalability

• Well-developed UI (mostly)

• Google Market Share/Cachet

• Student/Faculty Use

• Growth of Apps for Education

• “Bang for the Buck”

• Common integration across tools (?)

• Collaboration outside of institution


HISTORYAnd Now Here’s Some...


2008 Call to Community

https://confluence.sakaiproject.org/display/SAKDEV/Google+Integration

10


Community Interest

Responses from 18 individuals (17 institutions)

Non-scientifically produced summary of interest:

• Link to Google Doc• Edit Google Doc• Embed Google Gadget• Integrate gTalk• Replace Calendar• Integrate Calendar feed

• YouTube Lecture Videos• Offline Sakai• Sakai Sites -> Google Groups• Sakai within Google Sites• Single Sign-On (SSO)

Source: https://confluence.sakaiproject.org/display/SAKDEV/Google+Integration

11


What Has Sakai Community Done?

Sakai Maps (Edia)

Google Docs (rSmart)

reCAPTCHA (?)

Gradebook2 (GWT)

BLTI for Google App Engine (Dr. Chuck)

iGoogle Widget for CamTools (Cambridge)

12


THOUGHTS ON INTEGRATION

And Now for Some...

13


Why Does Google Matter (here)?

Offers free / cheap useful tools - Search, Email, Calendar, Docs, Chat

Offers new tools - spreadsheet, maps, video

Offers infrastructure - Domain customized Google Apps

Offers innovation - App Engine for your tools, new tools from Google

Already in use by students and faculty

14


Different Reasons for Integration

• Replacement - Use Google calendar and email• Supplement - Make Google tools seem like Sakai tools

(spread sheet, maps....) Make Google documents appear to be Sakai documents

• Extension - Make it easy to write Google apps that appear to be Sakai tools.

• Expose - Sakai widgets in iGoogle

These are complementary.

15


“Easy” Integration Targets

Publish Google document in Sakai (rSmart - demo later)

Import Google calendar feed

BLTI loose integration with Google App engine apps

Cambridge iGoogle gadgets

16


“Plausible” Integration Targets

Based on rSmart approach should be able to make Google artifacts visible as if they were Sakai artifacts with Sakai viewing permissions.

E.g. spreadsheets, maps, youtube video

Limitations: - Integrating presentation not creation. Creation and editing permissions are all Google.- Versioning: How assure that document doesn't change before grading?

17


“Uncertain” Integration Targets

Calendar, email archive, resources, chat

Replacing infrastructure brings up thorny issues:

Permission model -> Google != SakaiGroups -> Google != Sakai

18


Considerations and Tradeoffs

Authz Issues - mapping Sakai / Google concepts and keeping information in synch

SSO - Coordinate local and Google login

Grading - control of Google artifacts

Control / Legal - Enforcement of Institutional policies

Flexibility - Dependent on Google implementation and policies

19


DISCUSSION of the FUtureAnd Now Here’s A...

20


What to Expect from Google

• Appears to be "concrete interest" but we can not (at this point) rely on Google to solve any of these issues

• Google Docs API 3• Revision History potential

requirement for gradable submissions

21


Potential Projects (a few...)

Publish document artifacts for grading

Smooth offloading of creation / editing to Google tools

OAuth / OpenID compatibility (not just for Google)

Calendar integration / replacement

Email archive replacement

Chat replacement

Task list as Sakai tool (as an experiment)

22


INTERMISSIONAnd Now for An...

23


Google Documents Integration

And now here’s a…

24


What Should it Do?

25


“Low Hanging Fruit”

Provide Access to Google Documentsin Resources Tool

Not EVERYTHING... but a good start

26


Benefits

Lets Google do its thingCrazy,

Wacky,

Web 2.0

^

Just share the documents

27


Why not Google in an iframe?

Google

28


Problem: Wrapping Sakai

Navigation...

(kind of minor)

29


Problem: Wrapping Google

Does Google Know Your Users?

In Sakai I may be:

[email protected]

Do I even exist in Google?

Who Am I There?

[email protected] ?

[email protected] ?

mailto:[email protected]



30



If Google appears in a Sakai iframe,you still need to log in... (somehow)

31



Solution is probably Google Apps for Education, and fancy synchronization work

I’ll get to that later...

32


Without Further Ado...

What does it do?

33


Functions

• Author Browses Google Docs Assets• Document Selected for Link

• Format Chosen• Metadata Set

• Users in Site May Download via Link• Author may Delete• Clicking Edit Forwards to Google

(where one must log in)

34


WHAT’S IT MADE OFAnd Now..

35


Google Docs Integration Code

• Contributed:https://source.sakaiproject.org/contrib/rsmart/google-content

•Components:• Google Doc ContentResource Entity

• GoogleDocsService• OAuthService• Google Docs Link Helper

36


Dependencies

rsmart-common-tool-lib(utilities for UI)

oauth(tool for managing oauth providers and tokens)

37


Google Java Client APIs

• Java library encapsulating calls to Google Web Services

• Provide API Calls for Numerous Google Tools

38


Google Java Client APIs

39


CONTEMPLATIONAnd Now A Bit Of...

40


“But I Still Want Google in an Iframe!”

• Big issue: synchronizing access control

• Seems to place requirements on the institution - Google Apps for Education, at the very least

• Probably also requires Single Sign On (SSO) w/ Google

41


Google Apps for Education

• Establishes a Google domain matching your institution’s domain name

• Provides Google accounts to all your users

Red Flag: What about guest accounts? Federated access?

42


Single Sign-On

• May not be possible for institution (eg. LDAP authentication) - access rights shared, but multiple login

• Two methods:• Adopt Google as institutional SSO provider

• Deploy a SAML-based authentication mechanism (both Shibboleth and CAS apply)

43


Synchronization

• To be researched; especially performance

• Sakai would probably push access rules

• Potentially a Security Advisor in Sakai could reference Google’s access rules

44


What’s Next?And Now?

45


Battle Testing

QA for Google Docs has Focused on Bug Elimination...

...What about Usability?

46


That OAuth Thing May Be Useful

Potential to build out a general-purpose OAuth Token Manager

Movement of Management Tool Into Profile2 (?)

47


Use Cases

Institutions with Google Apps for Education who Want Tighter Integration

48


YOUR QUESTIONSAnd FINALLY, How About...