OpenSocial in Education and Learning

Evgeny Bogdanov

May 30, 2011

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Content

I Educational scenario: now

I Educational scenario: better

I Space concept

I Graaasp as a platform supporting spaces

I Opensocial gadgets (why and how)

I Demos

I Ideas gathering

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Intro: Educational scenario

Now: Remote experimentation (Automatic control at EPFL)I People

I ProfessorI AssistantsI Students

I ResourcesI Description of experimental settingI InstructionsI Theory book

I AppsI Device in the labI Remote access to device

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Intro: Educational scenario (extended)

Extension: Remote experimentation (Automatic control at EPFL)I People - social platform → more interaction

I ProfessorI AssistantsI Students

I ResourcesI Description of experimental settingI InstructionsI Theory bookI External info - Wikipedia, Youtube videos, Slideshare

I AppsI Device in the labI Remote access to deviceI Chat, Visualizations, Recommendations

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Space concept

Definition

Space is an abstract concept that shapes the context in which useris currently placed. It normally consists of:

I People

I Applications

I Resources

I Sub-spaces

Example

A space can represent a group of people, a university course, acompany division, a folder, a forum, a blog, etc.

Definition

Widget or Gadget is a [small] application that can be installed andexecuted within a web page by an end user (Wikipedia)

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Educational scenario in Graaasp

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OpenSocial gadgets understanding

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Demo: Gadgets and OpenSocial

I Widgets container (functional skin)

I Resources viewer widget (youtube, etc.)

I Recommendations widget (recommendations from Graaasp)

I Remote lab (functional skin)

I Remote experimentation widget (gyroscope example)

I 3D widget (3D pad)

I 2D widget (graph based on data from assets)

I OpenApp interwidget communication

I Chat widget

I Graaasp’s 3D pad in iGoogle

I Remote lab in iGoogle

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Functional skin / Bundle: Widget container

This functional skin takes all widgets from a space and shows themin a grid layout: two column view.

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Functional skin: Resources playerThis functional skin, when added to a space, allows to viewcontent of all documents from a space. For example, youtubevideos, slideshare presentations, wikipedia, etc.

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Widget: Recommender

This is a recommender gadget. When added to a space, it allowsto get recommendations for this space.

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Functional skin / Bundle: Remote labThis is an example how functional skin “Widget container” is used.Four widgets are integrated together within a functional skin toprovide user with remote lab experience.

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Widget: Remote experimentation (Gyroscope)This gadget shows a rotating gyroscope model. When it is addedto a space, it displays people in the space that can collaborate overthis gyroscope.

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Functional skin: 3D pad

This is a functional skin gadget. When added to a space, it allowsto view all items from a space in 3D space.

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Widget: 2D Graph

Gadget to display data as graphs. Takes data from assets in aspace and shows it on the graph.

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Widget: OpenApp interwidget communication

One gadget sends data, another receives it.

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Widget: Chat

Chat gadgets allows people to talk to each other.

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Portability: Graaasp’s frozen 3D pad in iGoogle

This is a frozen gadget. It is generated in Graaasp and taken toother containers (iGoogle for example).

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Portability: Remote lab functional skin in iGoogle

This is a Remote lab widget running in iGoogle.

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REST API

I http://graaasp.epfl.ch/rest/spaces/4/@person

I http://graaasp.epfl.ch/rest/applications/4/@space

I http://graaasp.epfl.ch/rest/documents/4/@person

I http://graaasp.epfl.ch/rest/people/4/@self/@space

I http://graaasp.epfl.ch/rest/recommender/4/@person

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RPC API

I osapi.spaces.get({contextId: “4”, contextType: “@person”})

I osapi.applications.get({contextId: “4”, contextType:“@space”})

I osapi.documents.get({contextId: “4”, contextType:“@person”})

I osapi.recommendations.get({contextId: “4”, contextType:“@space”})

People are a bit different (shindig hack)

I osapi.people.get({userId: “4”, personId: “@person”, groupId:“@self”})

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Useful RPC request

Get current context (Space or Person)

osapi.context.get().execute(function(context){// context.contextId = "1"// context.contextType = "@space"

});

Get current viewer

osapi.people.getViewer().execute(function(viewer){// viewer.id// viewer.displayName

});

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Reminder!

I Widgets can exchange data with each other

I Widgets can get data about space containing it

I Widgets have access to container information:spaces/people/applications/documents

I Widgets have access to Realtime aspects (collaboration)

I All other Web stuff is available (2D,3D,calculation,etc.)

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Ideas gathering!I Geography

I scenario: on word selection in w1 show location in w2I widget1: view Geography resourceI widget2: google map with location

I HistoryI scenario: on word selection in w1 show location in w2 and

wikipedia entry in w3I widget1: content viewer (history book)I widget2: on word selection show google map with locationI widget3: wikipedia entry

I ChemistryI widget1: Formula editing widgetI widget2: 3D view of a molecule

I Math courseI widget1: Formula editing widget

I Remote lab at LA gadgetI widget1: Formula editingI widget2: notes taking tool

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References 1

I OpenSocial gadgetsI Templating

http://opensocial-resources.googlecode.com/svn/spec/2.0/OpenSocial-Templating.xml

I Gadgethttp://opensocial-resources.googlecode.com/svn/spec/2.0/Core-Gadget.xml

I OSAPIhttp://opensocial-resources.googlecode.com/svn/spec/2.0/Social-Gadget.xml

I OpenSocial Space extensionhttp://docs.opensocial.org/display/OSD/Space+Proposal

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References 2

I 3D graphics - WebGL + C3DL

I 2D graphics (scalar) - RGraph

I 2D graphics (vector) - Raphael (JavaScript library)

I Interwidget communication: OpenApp

I Websocket and HTML5

I XMPP

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