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Learning
Technology publication
of IEEE Computer Society |
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Volume 9 Issue 3 & 4 |
ISSN 1438-0625 |
July-October 2007 |
Updating and 'future-proofing' a
rich Computer Aided Language Learning resource
NUCLEO an adaptive role game based
scenario
Pedagogical Issues for Developing
ESL Course on Mobile Phone
MOONCONF – A Synchronous Tool for
Online Collaboration and Training
Provision of Education for People
with Special Needs by means of ICTs
Supporting learners in an inclusive
way with standard-based user modelling techniques
Welcome to the July-October
2007 issue of Learning Technology.
Many advances in
learning technologies are happening throughout the world. This issue focuses in
bringing these new developments and emerging technologies to the readers. This
issue contains papers ranging from practical learning technology solutions to theoretical
underpinnings of learning technology.
Stace looked at how future CALL technologies can be developed in a way that is
independent of the learning environment. He looked ways in which future
developments will not be locked into a particular environment but rather can be
run on any environment. Sanchos, Fuentes and Fernandez-Manjon looked at an
eLearning system which uses a game-based approach to engage the learners. Their
argument stems from the concept that the current technology savvy learners get
bored easily with traditional approaches hence a more engaging learning
environment is needed. An eLearning system named NUCLEO was described to show
how students can be engaged using game-based approaches. Upadhyay and Upadhyay
outlined the pedagogical considerations that should be given in developing “English
as a Second Language” content for mobile devices.
Carvalho and
Bernardo looked at a synchronous tool for online collaboration and training
named MOONCONF. MOONCONF is described as a secure, flexible and rich web-based
application for web communication for conferencing, collaboration and training.
Kotsik and Tokareva describes the projects being implemented by UNESCO in
providing education to people with special needs using Information and
Communication Technology. Santos and Boticario emphasises on the use of student
modelling to support learners while Guha looked at the immense power of
learning technology in achieving higher levels in education and literacy.
This newsletter
focuses publishing new and emerging technologies in education focussing on
advanced learning technologies and its usage in different contexts. Please feel
free to bring forward your ideas and views.
Besides, if you
are involved in research and/or implementation of any aspect of advanced
learning technologies, I invite you to contribute your own work in progress,
project reports, case studies, and events announcements in this newsletter. For
more details, please refer author guidelines at http://lttf.ieee.org/learn_tech/authors.html.
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Ali Fawaz
Shareef, PhD Director Centre for Open Learning Maldives |
Updating and 'future-proofing' a rich Computer Aided Language Learning
resource
Introduction
A collaborative partnership that endured over nine years
resulted in the establishment of a rich computer-based resource of language
learning materials. While the linguistic content, the design and the activities
did not age, the platform and application used to deliver were both reaching
the end of their life-time. In the case of the former, Apple Computer was
moving to a new operating System in OS X and at the same time, their HyperCard
application was not going to be supported through the OS change and would thus
fade away. All CALL resources that had been developed were Apple OS and
HyperCard only.
The Process – Part I
It was quickly realised that here was an opportunity to 'future-proof'
the resources so that, hopefully, they would not be locked into a particular
delivery environment in the future. This was achieved in two ways, based on the
type of resource that was being rejuvenated.
The first pathway was to move those text-only based grammar activities
to a web delivery environment. At the time, the institution was using Web CT
Campus Edition as the Learning Management System (LMS) application of choice,
so the first part of the process was to migrate content from HyperCard to WebCT
CE. This was achieved by a range of conversion processes, which depended on the
original structure in HyperCard. Some were relatively straightforward, others
were quite complex.
This first step went only part of the way towards future-proofing,
however, as the assessment environment in WebCT CE used a customised
structure that did not necessarily
ensure easy migration to other web delivery mechanisms if the institution's
LCMS was to change again in the future.
# Start of question: AdjB004
:TYPE:S:
:TITLE:AdjB004
:QUESTION:H
Donnez-m'en une douzaine
et............ (demi).
:IMAGE:
:ANSWERS:1
:CASE:1
:ANSWER1:demie:100:0:20:0
:FEEDBACK1:H
:CAT:Adjectives B
# End of question: AdjB004
Figure 1: Example
of WebCT CE question structure
The transformation was completed when WebCT CE became Blackboard Vista.
The resources were migrated from WebCT CE to Blackboard Vista, which uses an
xml structure for its assessment environment. As xml is a web delivery
standard, this should ensure that the resources are no longer locked into any
one delivery format, and should be able to be migrated into new LMS's or other
web browser technology, for example, into the future.
Figure 2 –
Example of resource in HyperCard before conversion
Figure 3 –
Example of resource in Blackboard Vista after conversion
As well as ensuring longevity of the product, there were additional
benefits achieved in this change. The teacher no longer had to rely exclusively
on a programmer to make even the simplest of changes, such as text edits, to
the content of the materials. That could now be done directly as Designer of
the LMS site. No longer did the teacher need to collect student marks from the
various computers that were running the HyperCard resources. Now that is all
gathered and reported on from within the LMS and accessed from wherever the
teacher wanted to, office, home or wherever there is an internet connection,
not just from the computer lab.
The Process – Part II
There was an additional category of CALL activities that existed in the
HyperCard environment, and that was a group of resources that could be
described as multimedia. That is they were more than just 'text only' but
incorporated additional functionality, typically the use of sound files and other
interactivity, that often involved divergent branching pathways, depending upon
student responses. This level of complexity was not possible in the LMS environment.