Learning Flow Management and Semantic Data Exchange between Blog-based Personal

Learning Environments

Vladimir Tomberg, Mart Laanpere, David Lamas

Tallinn University, Estonia

Background

Learning is continuously shifting to the to web

WEB1.0: associated with LMS (Learning Management Systems)

WEB2.0: associated with PLE(Personal Learning Environment)

The Gap

• PLE is free, weakly organized environment• We use it, but we still need some features that

can organize the learning flow, especially for formal learning in a university

Challenge

• How to organize in informal environment:– Formal learning course– Formal assignments– Formal assessment– Tracking of results?

Initial Position

• There are already thousands of teachers’ blogs who uses them for conducting courses

• There are much more of students’ blogs, who used them as learning portfolios

• We choose WordPress as PLE blog platform and tried to organize simple learning scenario

• Our goal is an implementing of a learning flow with smallest or possible no an interference in usual blog’s publishing process

Typical Scenario for Course Flow

1. Teacher organizes a new course in own blog2. The teacher invites students to the course3. The teacher assigns an assignment for the

students4. Students implement the assignment and

submit results5. Teacher assess the submissions of the

students

Question 1. How to identify course?

• Each blog category can be marked (or not) as a course

• Each post in the course can be marked (or not) as an assignment for students

• Students can subscribe to the course by RSS like they can subscribe to blog category (we introduce also much more secure scenario)

Mapping of blog’s and learning concepts

Workflow of Assignment

Problems with Assessment Workflow in Blogs

• It can be organized conventionally, but seems it should be hard to control

• Teacher has no tools for tracking of results of students

Our Solution: LePress

• LePress is experimental plug-in for WordPress that help to organize assessment workflow between blogs

LePress in Layered Architecture

LePress Teacher: Create Course

LePress Teacher: Managing Courses

LePress Teacher: Inviting Students

LePress Teacher: Confirming Registration

LePress Teacher Widget: List of Students

LePress Teacher: Writing Assignment

LePress Teacher Widget: Assignments list

LePress Student: List of assignments

LePress Student Widget

LePress Student: Submitting assignment

LePress Teacher: Managing Assignments

LePress Teacher: Writing Feedback

Enhancing of Blog’s Semantic

• Currently only two semantic tools available in blogs by default: tags and categories

• For getting something better we need to adopt other tools like microformats, RDFa or microdata

• Our previous research (MUPPLE09) shows that microformats are most successful solutions

Exporting Microformats

• Microformats can be exported right from LePress Widget

• hCalendar microformat for course data• hCard for course participants (teacher and

students)

Visual Exporting Microformats’ Data by Google Chrome Michromeformats Extension

Conclusion

• Development of LePress demonstrates:– How learning flow can be automated using the

typical features of blog engines: trackback, categories and sidebar widgets

– How course- and assignment-related semantic data could be distributed in real environment using Microformats