Open-Source in Education News

New Features in ATutor 1.5.3

Groups : Assign students to groups, with group specific forums, file storage, blogs, links, and tests (with more group tools to come).

File Storage : Share files and collaborate on document authoring activities. Upload and download files within custom workspaces, and keep a record of development with file revision tracking.

Assignment Drop-Box : Used in combination with the File Storage utility, students can submit assignment files either individually or as a group.

Encrypted Login : If supported by the browser, passwords will be encrypted upon login for added security.

Password Retrieval : Retrieving a lost password no longer sends the password by email, but instead sends a secure link which is then used for resetting the password.

Course Splash Page : Instructors can create a custom splash screen for each of their courses.

Updated Themes : The default themes have been updated and now include a third theme (blumin) ideal for embedding ATutor in other content management systems.

Test Question Reordering : Test questions can now be arranged in any order.

Group Blogs : Groups can now maintain their own blog, as well as view other groups' blogs. Both private and public blog postings are possible.

Administrator Return Link : Administrators can now easily jump between the administrator tools and courses without having to re-login each time.

Extended Content Importing : ATutor now preserves scripting and stylesheet information contained in the head of imported content pages and content packages, preserving display and functionality contained there. Import eXe content with all its styles and scripted utilities intact.

Course Email Upgrade : Send bulk email to users with different course roles, or send email to group members.

Reading List : Gather a detailed list of course resources, and assemble them into a Reading List.

Course Release Date : Set the date at which a course becomes available to students.

Translatable Handbook : The ATutor Handbook can now be translated and browsed in multiple languages.

Language Manager Search : It is now easier to find and edit existing language by searching for words or phrases.

Administrator User Search : Administrators can now easily search through student accounts to find a particular student, or a range of students.

Scheduling (Cron) Utility : Setup scripts to run automatically at specified intervals. Useful for sending auto reminders, sending emails stored in the mail queue, or running system backup scripts for example.

Public Level Modules : Modules can now add sections to the public and My Start Page areas.

Full List of ATutor Features http://www.atutor.ca/atutor/index.php

---------------

New Modules

Marratech :
Marratech is a collaborative Web conferencing environment. It includes real-time video with voice, plus an interactive whiteboard. With the free version of Marratech Manager up to five people can meet, talk, see each other, share documents or pictures, and make notes. See the Marratech web site ( http://marratech.com ) to find licensing details for groups larger than 5 people.

Elluminate :
Elluminate is a provider of live Web conferencing and eLearning solutions. Elluminate adds VoIP communications over any connection speed, offers cross-platform support, and includes advanced yet easy-to-use moderator tools for managing live online meetings. See the Elluminate web site ( http://elluminate.com ) for licensing details.

Userplane WebChat
This module links the Userplane Web Chat into an ATutor installation. Users can communicate with others via text chat, or by audio and/or video conferencing. This module includes a sidemenu box for quick access to Userplane from anywhere within a course, or it can be made available as a student tool. Visit the Userplane Web site ( http://www.userplane.com ) to register an account for your ATutor installation, or use the ATutor community account listed with the module.

Student Tools :
The Student Tools module is a simple module that allows instructors to move the Student Tool icons off the course home page, and on to their own Student Tools page.


ATutor Modules Site
http://atutor.ca/atutor/modules.php

---------------

ATutor 1.5.3 Translation

Translation of ATutor 1.5.3 is now underway. With the addition of a variety of new tools, there are about 230 new words and phrases to be translated for this release. Also in this release, the ATutor Handbook can be translated, so multiple versions of the Handbook can be maintained with each ATutor installation. Translators are encouraged to continue translating ATutor 1.5.3 now.

Those who had previously completed a translation for the early release of ATutor 1.5.3, should review the language once more and translate the few adjustments that were made.

For further details see the Translator Documentation, and login to MyATutor to find the translation tools.

*Things you Should Know Before Translating*
http://www.atutor.ca/atutor/docs/translate.php

*MyATutor Login*
http://www.atutor.ca/my/sign_in.php

---------------

Major Contributors to this Version

Special thanks goes to the following organizations for their contributions to this version of ATutor:
Norwegian Centre for Telemedicine (NCT, http://www.telemed.no/)
Fraser Health Authority (FHA, http://www.fraserhealth.ca/)

Via Dave Wiley...

It’s that time of year again! Last year’s Open Education Conference at USU was described by several as “the best conference I ever attended.” This year’s conference should be even better. Keynotes this year include John Seely Brown (Social Life of Information) and Yochai Benkler (Coase’s Penguin).

The Call for Papers is available now. Please submit something! General information on the conference, including a Flyer and Presentation Slide you can use to help us advertise, is available at http://cosl.usu.edu/conference/.

iterating toward openness » Open Education Conference 2005

Advances in information technology have spread communications capabilities to every clime. There is a great potential and responsbility for educators, instructional technologists, and learning scientists to leverage these advances in order to extend educational opportunity to literally everyone who desires it. As Epictetus said, "Only the educated are free."

...Please join us September 28 - 30, 2005 on the Utah State University campus to discuss, share, and work together in this important area of educational and technological research...

Advancing the Effectiveness and Sustainability of Open Education Conference

more from the Call for papers...

Advancing the Effectiveness and Sustainability of Open Education Conference is a multidisciplinary event designed to promote discussion of research and development activities that advance the effectiveness and sustainability of the open education movement.

We invite you to present at the conference. Presentations should address at least one of the four conference themes: open educational resources, overcoming barriers to open education, international issues in open education, and policy and administrative issues in open education. Preference will be given to presentations that synthesize multiple themes in robust ways.

Submissions are due by July 15, 2005.

Acceptance announcements will be made by August 1, 2005. Once accepted, we strongly encourage you to submit your paper for publication in the proceedings. Full papers are due no later than September 1, 2005, and must be licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.

Via Dave Wiley...

It's that time of year again! Last year's Open Education Conference at USU was described by several as "the best conference I ever attended." This year's conference should be even better. Keynotes this year include John Seely Brown (Social Life of Information) and Yochai Benkler (Coase's Penguin).

The Call for Papers is available now. Please submit something! General information on the conference, including a Flyer and Presentation Slide you can use to help us advertise, is available at http://cosl.usu.edu/conference/.

iterating toward openness " Open Education Conference 2005

Advances in information technology have spread communications capabilities to every clime. There is a great potential and responsbility for educators, instructional technologists, and learning scientists to leverage these advances in order to extend educational opportunity to literally everyone who desires it. As Epictetus said, "Only the educated are free."

...Please join us September 28 - 30, 2005 on the Utah State University campus to discuss, share, and work together in this important area of educational and technological research...

Advancing the Effectiveness and Sustainability of Open Education Conference

more from the Call for papers...

Advancing the Effectiveness and Sustainability of Open Education Conference is a multidisciplinary event designed to promote discussion of research and development activities that advance the effectiveness and sustainability of the open education movement.

We invite you to present at the conference. Presentations should address at least one of the four conference themes: open educational resources, overcoming barriers to open education, international issues in open education, and policy and administrative issues in open education. Preference will be given to presentations that synthesize multiple themes in robust ways.

Submissions are due by July 15, 2005.

Acceptance announcements will be made by August 1, 2005. Once accepted, we strongly encourage you to submit your paper for publication in the proceedings. Full papers are due no later than September 1, 2005, and must be licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.

1-2 June 2005, University of Warwick
________________________________

Legal issues in education are a growing concern. If it's not an
aggrieved student seeking damages and raising negative publicity, it's
the quality inspection declaring no confidence due to non-compliance.

Yet VLEs and MLEs are often developed on a technology-first,
pedagogy-second, anything-else-is-afterthought model.

Soon, you may be faced with:

* a raft of non-accessible content pages developed by eager and
under-aware tutors.
* Or perhaps with a student submitting a s.10 notice under the Data
Protection Act 1998 to request non-processing of his data on the MLE.
* Or the discovery that an enthusiastic tutor has scanned in hundreds of
pages of journal articles, and the CLA want to know how such a breach of
copyright happened.
* And nothing said of the tutor who has just spent vast amounts of her
time writing materials from scratch, when other people's materials could
have been copyright cleared.

The Legal Aspects of Online Learning Environments Conference/Workshop
will deal with these issues head on, giving you:

* informed, practical information from expert speakers knowledgeable
about law and practice in the tertiary education sectors
* practical tools to allow you avoid legal issues and to comply with
regulation regarding the development of a VLE or MLE
* the opportunity to work through case study examples of good practice
on the one hand and pitfalls on the other in relation to the legal
issues involved in VLE and MLE development and use
* the chance to quiz lawyers on any particular queries you may have in
relation to the legal aspects of online learning environments
* the ability to send JISC Legal any questions you want answered at the
Conference/Workshop
* a valuable opportunity to network with colleagues facing similar
challenges, to share ideas and experience

AND

* an up-to-the-minute briefing on the CLA HE Digitisation Licence
agreement in principle, from Professor Sol Picciotto, a member of the
UUK/SCOP negotiating committee

We're pleased to have as keynote speakers Dr Anne Wright CBE (DfES
E-Learning Strategy Unit) and a Partner from Pinsent Masons Solicitors,
experts in technology and tertiary education law.

For further details, visit
http://www.jisclegal.ac.uk/events/06_OLE_Warwick.htm

Does major development of FLOSSE start from Brazil? - FLOSSE Posse:
NYT features an article titled Brazil: Free Software’s Biggest and Best Friend. I think it’s no surprise that the strongest development of FLOSS in education is about to come from Brazil or any other less developed country. Educational sector all around the world is struggling for resources. There are major budget cuts even here in Finland.

Education is not the best sector to make money out of software. For example in Brazil, only 19 percent of public schools have computers. The core reason for an educational institution to exist is to make sure that teaching continues and learners have a place to study. If a budget cut is prepared, developing ICT is one of the first to suffer from the hit.

Sakai 2.0.0 Release Announcement (via EdTechPost)

A lot of folks have been waiting for this, and here it is - the Sakai project have release version 2.0, which amongst other things includes a Gradebook feature in addition to updates to the Samigo assessment tool. I am undertaking a review of Sakai 2.0 for Edutools right now that we will hopefully have up in a few weeks, and so should have a much better idea by then of what is actually all there. - SWL

EdTechPost: Sakai 2.0.0 Release Available

...From the announcement at Sakai site, Wednesday, 15 June 2005:

The Sakai 2.0.0 release is now available. This release includes a Gradebook in addition to an updated version of the Tests and Quizzes tool (Samigo). The existing Sakai tools have been internationalized, allowing translation of Sakai 2.0 into multiple languages. Most of the existing tools now conform to Sakai Style Guide. Sakai 2.0 includes support for web-services to allow the development of tools on languages other than Java.

There are many improvements in the configuration, installation, efficiency and performance in the 2.0 release. The Sakai Kernel has been rewritten for this release, improving configurability and ease of development for Sakai.

The release is provided in demo, source, and binary distributions. The release can be downloaded from the 2.0.0 Release pages.

Sakai 2.0.0 Release Announcement (via EdTechPost)

A lot of folks have been waiting for this, and here it is - the Sakai project have release version 2.0, which amongst other things includes a Gradebook feature in addition to updates to the Samigo assessment tool. I am undertaking a review of Sakai 2.0 for Edutools right now that we will hopefully have up in a few weeks, and so should have a much better idea by then of what is actually all there. - SWL

EdTechPost: Sakai 2.0.0 Release Available

...From the announcement at Sakai site, Wednesday, 15 June 2005:

The Sakai 2.0.0 release is now available. This release includes a Gradebook in addition to an updated version of the Tests and Quizzes tool (Samigo). The existing Sakai tools have been internationalized, allowing translation of Sakai 2.0 into multiple languages. Most of the existing tools now conform to Sakai Style Guide. Sakai 2.0 includes support for web-services to allow the development of tools on languages other than Java.

There are many improvements in the configuration, installation, efficiency and performance in the 2.0 release. The Sakai Kernel has been rewritten for this release, improving configurability and ease of development for Sakai.

The release is provided in demo, source, and binary distributions. The release can be downloaded from the 2.0.0 Release pages.

Sakai 2.0.0 Release Announcement (via EdTechPost)

A lot of folks have been waiting for this, and here it is - the Sakai project have release version 2.0, which amongst other things includes a Gradebook feature in addition to updates to the Samigo assessment tool. I am undertaking a review of Sakai 2.0 for Edutools right now that we will hopefully have up in a few weeks, and so should have a much better idea by then of what is actually all there. - SWL

EdTechPost: Sakai 2.0.0 Release Available

...From the announcement at Sakai site, Wednesday, 15 June 2005:

The Sakai 2.0.0 release is now available. This release includes a Gradebook in addition to an updated version of the Tests and Quizzes tool (Samigo). The existing Sakai tools have been internationalized, allowing translation of Sakai 2.0 into multiple languages. Most of the existing tools now conform to Sakai Style Guide. Sakai 2.0 includes support for web-services to allow the development of tools on languages other than Java.

There are many improvements in the configuration, installation, efficiency and performance in the 2.0 release. The Sakai Kernel has been rewritten for this release, improving configurability and ease of development for Sakai.

The release is provided in demo, source, and binary distributions. The release can be downloaded from the 2.0.0 Release pages.

Eduforge was founded in early 2004 as part of the New Zealand Open Source Virtual Learning Environment (NZOSVLE) project (https://eduforge.org/projects/nzvle/). The NZOSVLE is a major collaborative education project funded by the New Zealand Tertiary Education Commission, an arm of the NZ Government. The project’s goals are to adopt and contribute to open source solutions for education. The consortium is composed of polytechnics, universities, and a private training organisations. Part of the vision for Eduforge is to create an environment that is robust enough to support large scale collaborative software development, but friendly enough to be used by non-programmers who want to collaborate on a range of projects. Projects may include learning materials design, application testing, and research as well as contributing documentation, tutorials, and help files to software development projects. In addition to reducing the economic and organisational barriers associated with large scale distributed collaboration, Eduforge is envisioned to reduce the technology usability barrier often confronted by non-ICT professionals. We've recently added Planet Eduforge, a blog aggregator at http://planet.eduforge.org, and integrated a fully featured blogging tool. Eduforge is developed using FOSS - GForge, Serendipity, and PHPWiki. While this started with somewhat of a NZ flavour due to the projects on it, the intent has always been a global shared resource. Recently we shifted the hosting to the US to improve latency for many of the interantional users. We would very much welcome participation - either in using the resources or in helping us develop the reources available on Eduforge. Or simply feedback, we're committed to continuous improvements. regards Richard Wyles

We have just opened a new group weblog called FLOSSE Posse (Free/Libre and Open Source Software in Education Posse).

The reason for our existence is to start a conversation in the blogosphere about Open Source and Open Content in Education.

Current members of the blog are certain members of a finnish association called VOPE (Free and Open Source in Education Association). We accept guest bloggers as well.

We will begin with very interesting content related to the future of Open Source in education. We have done several digital audio interviews all around the globe of people who work in the field of education and Open Source. The interviews are analyzed and reported on our website.

We aim to bring together different ideas of the future of Open Source from people who work on various fields.

In the upcoming weeks we are reporting our findings related to the Comenius 2.1 Contact Seminar held in Europe, which features an Open Source in Education related workshop where the previously mentioned interviews will be analyzed further.

Some of the interviews we have done include Stephen Downes (downes.ca), Alan Levine (cogdogblog), Knut Yrvin (skolelinux.no), George Siemens (elearnspace), Teemu Leinonen (fle3) and Antti Kauppi (University of Helsinki). These will be posted shortly.

Please visit: flosse.dicole.org

Following the first Moodle Conference last year attended by representives from more than a dozen countries, MoodleMoot_05 are holding the second Annual UK Conference for Moodle Users, Administrators and Developers. The Conference will be taking place in Oxford on Monday 15 and Tuesday 16 August 2005.

Ferl - MoodleMoot_05 Second Annual UK Conference

GUADEC 2005, 28th-31th May - Stuttgart, Germany:
The 6th annual GNOME User and Developer European Conference (GUADEC) will bring developers, GNOME Foundation leaders, individuals, businesses and governments, as well as Free Software and Open Source software users together in Stuttgart, Germany from the 29th to the 31st of May, 2005.

The conference is a unique forum that highlighs the capabilities and direction of GNOME - the user environment for desktop computers, networked servers and portable Internet devices. GUADEC will also feature meaningful discussions of the future direction of Free Software and Open Source development in general.

Guardian Unlimited | Online | John Naughton: It's absurd to let the bureaucrats take over:
t's patently absurd to let the bureaucrats take over

John Naughton
Sunday March 13, 2005
The Observer

Do you know who your MEP is? If not, can I respectfully suggest that you click on www.europarl.org.uk and find out, pronto? There are 12 European constituencies in the UK, and each has between three and 10 MEPs. They need to hear from you, because they hold your future in their hands. And the irony is that many of them probably don't know that yet.

At stake is a simple but overarching question: who runs Europe: the elected European Parliament or the unelected European Commission? This may seem a rather grand question for a technology column, but bear with me.

Home | Holland Open Software Conference 2005:

The initiative group "HollandOpen" has been working hard on organizing the first international Holland Open Software Conference in Amsterdam on May 30, 31. And on Wednesday June 1, there will be many "after conference" sessions. This three-day event will be held at the premises of the University of Amsterdam, right in the heart of the old town.

Ominous little bit on page 99 of the UK Labour Party election manifesto. Didn't hear anything about it in the election campaign - but then again its not exactly a bedtime read. Presented on their web site in a horrible Flash electronic book format. I have a nasty fear this means the UK government is going to try to revive the long contested EU copyright proposal during their EU presidency. (For quick summary of labour party manifesto ICT policy commitments see Catherine Howell's excellent and niftily named blog "Ida takes tea".

"We will modernise copyright and other forms of protection of intellectual property rights so that they are appropriate for the digital age.We will use our presidency of the EU to look at how to ensure content creators can protect their innovations in a digital age. Piracy is a growing threat and we will work with industry to protect against it.

Ominous little bit on page 99 of the UK Labour Party election manifesto. Didn't hear anything about it in the election campaign - but then again its not exactly a bedtime read. Presented on their web site in a horrible Flash electronic book format. I have a nasty fear this means the UK government is going to try to revive the long contested EU copyright proposal during their EU presidency. (For quick summary of labour party manifesto ICT policy commitments see Catherine Howell's excellent and niftily named blog "Ida takes tea".

"We will modernise copyright and other forms of protection of intellectual property rights so that they are appropriate for the digital age.We will use our presidency of the EU to look at how to ensure content creators can protect their innovations in a digital age. Piracy is a growing threat and we will work with industry to protect against it.

Ominous little bit on page 99 of the UK Labour Party election manifesto. Didn't hear anything about it in the election campaign - but then again its not exactly a bedtime read. Presented on their web site in a horrible Flash electronic book format. I have a nasty fear this means the UK government is going to try to revive the long contested EU copyright proposal during their EU presidency. (For quick summary of labour party manifesto ICT policy commitments see Catherine Howell's excellent and niftily named blog "Ida takes tea".

"We will modernise copyright and other forms of protection of intellectual property rights so that they are appropriate for the digital age.We will use our presidency of the EU to look at how to ensure content creators can protect their innovations in a digital age. Piracy is a growing threat and we will work with industry to protect against it.

Mission | Ourmedia:
reate. Share. Get noticed. That's what Ourmedia is about.

Ourmedia is a global community and learning center where you can gain visibility for your works of personal media. We'll host your media forever — for free.

Video blogs, photo albums, home movies, podcasting, digital art, documentary journalism, home-brew political ads, music videos, audio interviews, digital storytelling, children's tales, Flash animations, student films, mash-ups — all kinds of digital works have begun to flourish as the Internet rises up alongside big media as a place where we’ll gather to inform, entertain and astound each other.

see Moodle and LAMS announce integration plan :: moodle.org for more Martin Dougiamas' original moodle.org post. This seems to me an example of an open source for education standards issue bearing fruit :o)

Moodle, the world's leading open source Course Management System, and LAMS, the world's leading Learning Design system, today announced plans for integration. This means thousands of existing Moodle sites will be able to easily incorporate the revolutionary "digital lesson planning" approach provided by LAMS. The integration will be freely available by the end of July.

Moodle and LAMS announce integration plan :: ScotFEICT :: Online Learning Centre of Excellence for Scottish Further Education - and beyond

... and more from the ScotFEICT article:

"This is excellent news for Moodle and LAMS users alike," said Martin Dougiamas, leader of Moodle. "Moodle and LAMS make a great complementary package. Moodle users will be drawn towards the fun and powerful design tools that LAMS provides, and LAMS users will be able to take advantage of Moodle's popular capabilities for managing communities of learners within a dynamic web site."

"We're delighted to announce this integration between Moodle and LAMS," said Professor James Dalziel, leader of LAMS. "It demonstrates the powerful benefits of combining a Course Management System like Moodle with a Learning Design system like LAMS to create a new generation of e-learning technology. The combination of flexible course pages (Moodle) with structured activity sequences (LAMS) can significantly enhance student learning," he said.

The New Zealand Ministry of Education is sponsoring the integration. "We've had strong interest in both Moodle and LAMS in New Zealand, and particularly in bringing the two systems together," said Elizabeth Eppel, Deputy Secretary. "We see great benefits to New Zealand education arising from an integrated Moodle/LAMS approach, so we were keen to support this development," she said.

The Moodle/LAMS integration will achieve "Single-Sign-On" between the systems, meaning only one name and password is needed for each user across the two systems. Teachers will also benefit from easy ways to add LAMS activity sequences to Moodle course pages. In addition, a new "course format" will be developed for Moodle centred on LAMS activities. Looking beyond the current project, Moodle and LAMS plan to explore advanced tool integration. For details, see lamsfoundation.org/integration/moodle

"While LAMS can integrate with a range of popular e-learning systems, we've been very pleased with the enthusiasm and pro-active approach of Martin Dougiamas on behalf of Moodle," said Dalziel.

"This integration will benefit not only school teachers and university lecturers, but also the growing number of vocational and corporate trainers using Moodle and LAMS," Dougiamas said.

see Moodle and LAMS announce integration plan :: moodle.org for more Martin Dougiamas' original moodle.org post. This seems to me an example of an open source for education standards issue bearing fruit :o)

Moodle, the world's leading open source Course Management System, and LAMS, the world's leading Learning Design system, today announced plans for integration. This means thousands of existing Moodle sites will be able to easily incorporate the revolutionary "digital lesson planning" approach provided by LAMS. The integration will be freely available by the end of July.

Moodle and LAMS announce integration plan :: ScotFEICT :: Online Learning Centre of Excellence for Scottish Further Education - and beyond

... and more from the ScotFEICT article:

"This is excellent news for Moodle and LAMS users alike," said Martin Dougiamas, leader of Moodle. "Moodle and LAMS make a great complementary package. Moodle users will be drawn towards the fun and powerful design tools that LAMS provides, and LAMS users will be able to take advantage of Moodle's popular capabilities for managing communities of learners within a dynamic web site."

"We're delighted to announce this integration between Moodle and LAMS," said Professor James Dalziel, leader of LAMS. "It demonstrates the powerful benefits of combining a Course Management System like Moodle with a Learning Design system like LAMS to create a new generation of e-learning technology. The combination of flexible course pages (Moodle) with structured activity sequences (LAMS) can significantly enhance student learning," he said.

The New Zealand Ministry of Education is sponsoring the integration. "We've had strong interest in both Moodle and LAMS in New Zealand, and particularly in bringing the two systems together," said Elizabeth Eppel, Deputy Secretary. "We see great benefits to New Zealand education arising from an integrated Moodle/LAMS approach, so we were keen to support this development," she said.

The Moodle/LAMS integration will achieve "Single-Sign-On" between the systems, meaning only one name and password is needed for each user across the two systems. Teachers will also benefit from easy ways to add LAMS activity sequences to Moodle course pages. In addition, a new "course format" will be developed for Moodle centred on LAMS activities. Looking beyond the current project, Moodle and LAMS plan to explore advanced tool integration. For details, see lamsfoundation.org/integration/moodle

"While LAMS can integrate with a range of popular e-learning systems, we've been very pleased with the enthusiasm and pro-active approach of Martin Dougiamas on behalf of Moodle," said Dalziel.

"This integration will benefit not only school teachers and university lecturers, but also the growing number of vocational and corporate trainers using Moodle and LAMS," Dougiamas said.

The eLearning XHTML editor project has just released version 0.8 to coincide with Software Freedom Day. You can download the latest version from the eXe project web site.

The eXe project is developing an off-line authoring environment to assist teachers and academics in the publishing of web content without the need to become proficient in HTML or XML markup. You can export content as self-contained web sites or as IMS/SCORM content packages for delivery in your preferred learning management system.

Release 0.8 of the eXe software includes the following improvements:

• a new default stylesheet;
• an improved iDevice editor that enables you to create your own iDevices and assign icons for individual iDevices;
• an image gallery iDevice which you can use to create a gallery of thumbnails and captions. When published users can view the full-size image;
• a Flash iDevice that enables users to embed flash object in their e-content, however we still have some work to improve the usability of this iDevice so please let us know about our suggested improvements.

...web content without the need to become proficient in HTML or XML markup...

You can download the eXe project brochure, which summarises the project. There are currently versions in English, Spanish, French and Chinese. In the near future we hope to have brochures in Greek, Dutch, Romanian and Vietnamese with thanks to the eXe community. If you are able to assist with the translation of the brochure in other languages, please contact the project lead: w.mackintosh "at" auckland.ac.nz.

The eXe is still a young project and while there may still be a few bugs and much room for improvement, we welcome your feedback. Over the next 6 months we are working towards the production release (Version 1.0) and we are inviting feedback from the community to improve the software.

So feel free to post your comments and ideas on the Eduforge forums for the eXe project.

Some other links:

• eXe on del.icio.us
• eXe screenshots
• Software Freedom Day

The eLearning XHTML editor project has just released version 0.8 to coincide with Software Freedom Day. You can download the latest version from the eXe project web site.

The eXe project is developing an off-line authoring environment to assist teachers and academics in the publishing of web content without the need to become proficient in HTML or XML markup. You can export content as self-contained web sites or as IMS/SCORM content packages for delivery in your preferred learning management system.

Release 0.8 of the eXe software includes the following improvements:

• a new default stylesheet;
• an improved iDevice editor that enables you to create your own iDevices and assign icons for individual iDevices;
• an image gallery iDevice which you can use to create a gallery of thumbnails and captions. When published users can view the full-size image;
• a Flash iDevice that enables users to embed flash object in their e-content, however we still have some work to improve the usability of this iDevice so please let us know about our suggested improvements.

...web content without the need to become proficient in HTML or XML markup...

You can download the eXe project brochure, which summarises the project. There are currently versions in English, Spanish, French and Chinese. In the near future we hope to have brochures in Greek, Dutch, Romanian and Vietnamese with thanks to the eXe community. If you are able to assist with the translation of the brochure in other languages, please contact the project lead: w.mackintosh "at" auckland.ac.nz.

The eXe is still a young project and while there may still be a few bugs and much room for improvement, we welcome your feedback. Over the next 6 months we are working towards the production release (Version 1.0) and we are inviting feedback from the community to improve the software.

So feel free to post your comments and ideas on the Eduforge forums for the eXe project.

Some other links:

• eXe on del.icio.us
• eXe screenshots
• Software Freedom Day

The eLearning XHTML editor project has just released version 0.8 to coincide with Software Freedom Day. You can download the latest version from the eXe project web site.

The eXe project is developing an off-line authoring environment to assist teachers and academics in the publishing of web content without the need to become proficient in HTML or XML markup. You can export content as self-contained web sites or as IMS/SCORM content packages for delivery in your preferred learning management system.

Release 0.8 of the eXe software includes the following improvements:

• a new default stylesheet;
• an improved iDevice editor that enables you to create your own iDevices and assign icons for individual iDevices;
• an image gallery iDevice which you can use to create a gallery of thumbnails and captions. When published users can view the full-size image;
• a Flash iDevice that enables users to embed flash object in their e-content, however we still have some work to improve the usability of this iDevice so please let us know about our suggested improvements.

...web content without the need to become proficient in HTML or XML markup...

You can download the eXe project brochure, which summarises the project. There are currently versions in English, Spanish, French and Chinese. In the near future we hope to have brochures in Greek, Dutch, Romanian and Vietnamese with thanks to the eXe community. If you are able to assist with the translation of the brochure in other languages, please contact the project lead: w.mackintosh "at" auckland.ac.nz.

The eXe is still a young project and while there may still be a few bugs and much room for improvement, we welcome your feedback. Over the next 6 months we are working towards the production release (Version 1.0) and we are inviting feedback from the community to improve the software.

So feel free to post your comments and ideas on the Eduforge forums for the eXe project.

Some other links:

• eXe on del.icio.us
• eXe screenshots
• Software Freedom Day

New features

The 0.6 release has fixed many bugs from 0.5 and includes two new iDevices: the Wikipedia iDevice and the ability to include attachments with the Attachment iDevice. Users can now also align images align left or right using the Image with Text iDevice. eXe content can be exported for the majority of LMSs using the IMS & SCORM exports (for example WebCT, Blackboard, Moodle, ATutor, Illias, Claroline etc.). You can also reference eXe content in a LAMS sequence. Screenshot examples are provided on the developers wiki .

We need your help

Please try eXe out and let us know what you think by using the survey link on the project homepage. As an open source software project, this is an important part of our testing and user requests for new features.

A very good point made here: open source gives communities the power to ensure that their language can be used for computing work. Coming from Nova Scotia - where there was more Scots Gaelic spoken than in Scotland last time I checked - and living in Welsh-speaking Gwynedd, I can see how much this means to communities whose first language is declining. Good news!

By itself, the release of OpenOffice.org for Scots Gaelic is a small event within the communities of free and open source software (FOSS). It is only one of the more than 50 localizations available for OpenOffice.org 1.x. However, the release shows a potential for FOSS that is often overlooked, particularly by those for whom English is their native language. Specifically, FOSS has the potential to help resuscitate a declining language and thereby aid in revitalizing a disintegrating culture.

NewsForge | OpenOffice.org, FOSS, and the preservation of Gaelic

This will have great impact on educational content and software development. Open Source is definitely mainstreaming :o).

Macromedia's choice of Eclipse speaks volumes about the impact of open source on commercial software development -- and about Macromedia's commitment to making Flash into an essential platform for next-generation internet applications.

O'Reilly Radar > NextGen Macromedia Flash Tool "Zorn" to Run on Eclipse

MACROMEDIA JOINS ECLIPSE FOUNDATION

New tool for developing rich Internet applications on the Macromedia Flash Platform to be based on industry-leading Eclipse IDE

San Francisco, CA - June 6, 2005 - Macromedia, Inc. (Nasdaq: MACR) today announced plans to join the Eclipse Foundation, a not-for-profit industry organization committed to developing and promoting the open-source Eclipse universal development platform. Macromedia plans to deliver a next-generation rich Internet application (RIA) development tool based on Eclipse. RIAs combine the rich user interface of desktop software with the web's reach and ease of use. Code-named Zorn, the new product will enable development teams to easily build and deploy applications that deliver more effective, memorable, and usable experiences by leveraging the powerful capabilities of the Macromedia Flash Platform (announced today, see separate release). The Flash Platform provides the solutions that make great digital experiences possible.

Macromedia - Press Room : Macromedia Joins Eclipse Foundation

This will have great impact on educational content and software development. Open Source is definitely mainstreaming :o).

Macromedia's choice of Eclipse speaks volumes about the impact of open source on commercial software development -- and about Macromedia's commitment to making Flash into an essential platform for next-generation internet applications.

O'Reilly Radar > NextGen Macromedia Flash Tool "Zorn" to Run on Eclipse

MACROMEDIA JOINS ECLIPSE FOUNDATION

New tool for developing rich Internet applications on the Macromedia Flash Platform to be based on industry-leading Eclipse IDE

San Francisco, CA - June 6, 2005 - Macromedia, Inc. (Nasdaq: MACR) today announced plans to join the Eclipse Foundation, a not-for-profit industry organization committed to developing and promoting the open-source Eclipse universal development platform. Macromedia plans to deliver a next-generation rich Internet application (RIA) development tool based on Eclipse. RIAs combine the rich user interface of desktop software with the web's reach and ease of use. Code-named Zorn, the new product will enable development teams to easily build and deploy applications that deliver more effective, memorable, and usable experiences by leveraging the powerful capabilities of the Macromedia Flash Platform (announced today, see separate release). The Flash Platform provides the solutions that make great digital experiences possible.

Macromedia - Press Room : Macromedia Joins Eclipse Foundation

This means progress for people like ourselves (KnowNet) who may be considering some explorations using the Open Service definitions but who want light weight 'bindings' for web-applications.

As an aside... I tried to find a permalink for this article on the IMS site, but was utterly shocked to discover there is none - just the 'past news' URL en bloc. Now, in my opinion trackback, RSS and other permalink-based mini-standards have done much more for education than any number of big, specifically education standards (which are what the IMS site is about). And the REST-ful web has done more than anything to make the web a useful experience for learners (REST is an architectural theory about the web which boils down to a few simple principles such as always making sure that URLs make sense and that all content can be reached from a sensible URL). I am tempted to surmise that the IMS site's prominent ignorance of these small, loose but very powerful standards is quite telling :o)

The Open Knowledge Initiative Delivers XOSID Specification
(Cambridge, MA) - 2 June 2005, The Open Knowledge Initiative (O.K.I.(tm)) announced today the release of its XOSID representations of the Open Service Interface Definitions (OSIDs). XOSIDs provide a language neutral XML representation of the OSIDs, which until now were only available as Java APIs.

IMS Global Learning Consortium: Past News

See also OSID page at IMS.

NB - I have just discovered a permalink at the MIT OKI site for this news: Open Knowledge Initiative Delivers XOSID Specification - if only the IMS site had the same respect for simple web standards :o).

This means progress for people like ourselves (KnowNet) who may be considering some explorations using the Open Service definitions but who want light weight 'bindings' for web-applications.

As an aside... I tried to find a permalink for this article on the IMS site, but was utterly shocked to discover there is none - just the 'past news' URL en bloc. Now, in my opinion trackback, RSS and other permalink-based mini-standards have done much more for education than any number of big, specifically education standards (which are what the IMS site is about). And the REST-ful web has done more than anything to make the web a useful experience for learners (REST is an architectural theory about the web which boils down to a few simple principles such as always making sure that URLs make sense and that all content can be reached from a sensible URL). I am tempted to surmise that the IMS site's prominent ignorance of these small, loose but very powerful standards is quite telling :o)

The Open Knowledge Initiative Delivers XOSID Specification
(Cambridge, MA) - 2 June 2005, The Open Knowledge Initiative (O.K.I.(tm)) announced today the release of its XOSID representations of the Open Service Interface Definitions (OSIDs). XOSIDs provide a language neutral XML representation of the OSIDs, which until now were only available as Java APIs.

IMS Global Learning Consortium: Past News

See also OSID page at IMS.

NB - I have just discovered a permalink at the MIT OKI site for this news: Open Knowledge Initiative Delivers XOSID Specification - if only the IMS site had the same respect for simple web standards :o).

This means progress for people like ourselves (KnowNet) who may be considering some explorations using the Open Service definitions but who want light weight 'bindings' for web-applications.

As an aside... I tried to find a permalink for this article on the IMS site, but was utterly shocked to discover there is none - just the 'past news' URL en bloc. Now, in my opinion trackback, RSS and other permalink-based mini-standards have done much more for education than any number of big, specifically education standards (which are what the IMS site is about). And the REST-ful web has done more than anything to make the web a useful experience for learners (REST is an architectural theory about the web which boils down to a few simple principles such as always making sure that URLs make sense and that all content can be reached from a sensible URL). I am tempted to surmise that the IMS site's prominent ignorance of these small, loose but very powerful standards is quite telling :o)

The Open Knowledge Initiative Delivers XOSID Specification
(Cambridge, MA) - 2 June 2005, The Open Knowledge Initiative (O.K.I.(tm)) announced today the release of its XOSID representations of the Open Service Interface Definitions (OSIDs). XOSIDs provide a language neutral XML representation of the OSIDs, which until now were only available as Java APIs.

IMS Global Learning Consortium: Past News

See also OSID page at IMS.

NB - I have just discovered a permalink at the MIT OKI site for this news: Open Knowledge Initiative Delivers XOSID Specification - if only the IMS site had the same respect for simple web standards :o).

Riikka Rahikainen emailed me to say:

"We just finished a survey of the deployment of open source software in Finnish universities, polytechnics and schools. Here is the white paper I wrote on the issue. All comments are welcome, feel also free to distribute it if you wish.We just finished a survey of the deployment of open source software in Finnish universities, polytechnics and schools. Here is the white paper I wrote on the issue. All comments are welcome, feel also free to distribute it if you wish."

Haven't read it myself yet but will add something to this site when I do.

OSSfin-whitepaper_eng21.doc

From a recent Slashdot entry: http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/06/2139207 openeducation writes "I have been researching open source solutions for K-12 education pretty heavily for the past year and have been disappointed to find no real alternatives to the large administrative applications like student information systems, data warehouse, ERP, etc. But recently, I ran across Open Solutions for Education. This group appears to be making a serious effort at creating a stack of open source applications that are alternatives to the large and costly commercial packages. Centre, an open source student information system that has been around for a while, is part of the solution stack. They have a data warehouse and are proposing an open source SIF alternative and an assessment solution. While the proof is in the pudding, these guys have working demos and they look pretty good for a first run. K-12 education is in dire financial straits and solutions like these could help with lower TCO. Plus, education is a collaborative industry already, which makes it a good fit for open source." Click here to find out more!

Teaching Ideas & Resources - TES - The Times Educational Supplement 2:

The UK Times Educational Supplement (TES) ran this as their lead story this week. TES is the leading educational weekly publication in the UK