Building a Learning Resource Exchange (LRE) for Schools Jim Ayre European Schoolnet (EUN)

What is European Schoolnet (EUN)? Dedicated to Supporting schools in bringing about the best use of technology in learning Promote the European dimension in schools and education Improving and raising the quality of education in Europe Network of 31 Ministries of Education in Europe founded in 1997

Range of projects and services EUN Activities ICT policies and practice Peer Learning ICT Cluster eTwinning School Innovation Internet Safety School Validation … Xplora Xperimania School networking and services Spring Day Development Youth Prize eLearning Awards Insight Portal PIC LIFE LRE ASPECT Interoperability and content exchange MELT CALIBRATE CELEBRATE

CELEBRATE demonstration project 2002- 2004 CALIBRATE connecting repositories 2005-2007 MELT content enrichment 2006-2009 ASPECT content standards 2008-2011 Building a Learning Resource Exchange LRE 2008… emapps iClass

Large scale projects CELEBRATE - €5M funding from IST Programme 22 partners CALIBRATE - €3.3M funding from IST Programme 17 partners MELT - €3M funding eContent plus Programme 18 partners ASPECT - €3.7M funding eContent plus Programme 22 partners

CELEBRATE - €5M funding from IST Programme

22 partners

CALIBRATE - €3.3M funding from IST Programme

17 partners

MELT - €3M funding eContent plus Programme

18 partners

ASPECT - €3.7M funding eContent plus Programme

22 partners

Initial Questions 2001? Do teachers like LOs and do LOs support innovative forms of teaching and learning? Is investment by public/private sectors worthwhile? Do emerging standards (for interoperability - IMS content packaging, SCORM) actually make it easier to exchange and re-use content within LMSs, LCMSs, VLEs etc.)? Can teachers and pupils make their own standards’ compliant, interoperable LOs?

Do teachers like LOs and do LOs support innovative forms of teaching and learning?

Is investment by public/private sectors worthwhile?

Do emerging standards (for interoperability - IMS content packaging, SCORM) actually make it easier to exchange and re-use content within LMSs, LCMSs, VLEs etc.)?

Can teachers and pupils make their own standards’ compliant, interoperable LOs?

Key Technical Issue: federated search Can CELEBRATE demonstrate a working technical solution (a ‘Brokerage System’) that allows Ministries, publishers, other content providers and individual schools to access and exchange Learning Objects across national borders?

Can CELEBRATE demonstrate a working technical solution (a ‘Brokerage System’) that allows Ministries, publishers, other content providers and individual schools to access and exchange Learning Objects across national borders?

CELEBRATE achievements 1400 Learning Objects, 2400 Learning Assets and 25 authoring templates Demonstrated a ‘Brokerage System’ architecture that supports federated searching Tested content in 319 schools in six countries Independent evaluation led by OU (UK) http://celebrate.eun.org

1400 Learning Objects, 2400 Learning Assets and 25 authoring templates

Demonstrated a ‘Brokerage System’ architecture that supports federated searching

Tested content in 319 schools in six countries

Independent evaluation led by OU (UK) http://celebrate.eun.org

CELEBRATE demo portal

Conclusion and outlook 2004 CELEBRATE demonstrated the LRE concept but connecting to a federation of repositories required effort and commitment A licensing mechanism needed for open content Creative Commons licensing scheme developing momentum Business models of commercial content providers?

CELEBRATE demonstrated the LRE concept

but connecting to a federation of repositories required effort and commitment

A licensing mechanism needed for open content

Creative Commons licensing scheme developing momentum

Business models of commercial content providers?

CELEBRATE project MoE lukewarm about some SCORM features and other standards Content packaging – yes! Simple sequencing? Student tracking? QTI? Does SCORM support a vision for eLearning that can be taken to scale in European schools?

MoE lukewarm about some SCORM features and other standards

Content packaging – yes!

Simple sequencing?

Student tracking?

QTI?

Does SCORM support a vision for eLearning that can be taken to scale in European schools?

SCORM in CELEBRATE? Too US centric? Too focused on constant assessment? Too part of a VLE/LMS/learning platform solution being driven by commercial vendors? Too aligned with H.E. rather than schools? Personalised learning - not flexible enough for group and collaborative learning?

Too US centric?

Too focused on constant assessment?

Too part of a VLE/LMS/learning platform solution being driven by commercial vendors?

Too aligned with H.E. rather than schools?

Personalised learning - not flexible enough for group and collaborative learning?

Verdict of 13 MoEs on CELEBRATE “ The Demo Portal ought to become a European repository of Learning Objects and other material. It should be open also to other EUN countries so that they can put there their material and translate existing material to their own language.”

“ The Demo Portal ought to become a European repository of Learning Objects and other material. It should be open also to other EUN countries so that they can put there their material and translate existing material to their own language.”

Content that ‘travels well’

Content that ‘travels well’?

Content that ‘travels well’??

Content that ‘travels well’???

CALIBRATE Oct 05 - Mar 08 Made it easier to connect repositories to an open source BS architecture http://limbs.sourceforge.net CELEBRATE - 2 to 3 months to connect CALIBRATE - 2 to 3 days to connect Helped to develop the LRE as a service for MoEs and other content partners

Made it easier to connect repositories to an open source BS architecture http://limbs.sourceforge.net

CELEBRATE - 2 to 3 months to connect

CALIBRATE - 2 to 3 days to connect

Helped to develop the LRE as a service for MoEs and other content partners

CALIBRATE Portal for Schools

LeMill open source authoring/collaboration tools

Creative Commons? Many MoE and teachers almost automatically select a Non Commercial option Problems with remixing content (LeMill) CC currently reviewing and obtaining feedback on NC license

Many MoE and teachers almost automatically select a Non Commercial option

Problems with remixing content (LeMill)

CC currently reviewing and obtaining feedback on NC license

MELT Oct 06 - Mar 09 Federating repositories little use if we cannot solve problem of volume metadata creation MELT - a new ‘metadata ecology’ involving expert indexers automatic metadata generation folksonomies and social tagging Provide a scalable, cost-effective solution to meet the challenge of volume metadata creation

Federating repositories little use if we cannot solve problem of volume metadata creation

MELT - a new ‘metadata ecology’ involving

expert indexers

automatic metadata generation

folksonomies and social tagging

Provide a scalable, cost-effective solution to meet the challenge of volume metadata creation

Lessons from CELEBRATE Educational budgets struggle to cope with the demand for more/better metadata created by trained indexers It is more useful to think of LOs having ‘affordances’ or lending themselves to a particularly pedagogical method or learning style We need metadata that more accurately reflects how LOs are actually used in different learning contexts Social tagging by teachers

Educational budgets struggle to cope with the demand for more/better metadata created by trained indexers

It is more useful to think of LOs having ‘affordances’ or lending themselves to a particularly pedagogical method or learning style

We need metadata that more accurately reflects how LOs are actually used in different learning contexts

Social tagging by teachers

MELT findings on social tagging Social tagging adds value for experienced indexers Tags not yet used by teachers for searching for learning resources Not a final conclusion - there is a need to reassess the effectiveness of tags for searching as improvements are made to how one can combine and display tags on the portal

Social tagging adds value for experienced indexers

Tags not yet used by teachers for searching for learning resources

Not a final conclusion - there is a need to reassess the effectiveness of tags for searching as improvements are made to how one can combine and display tags on the portal

LRE public portal http://lreforschools.eun.org LRE public portal officially launched Dec 2008 A ‘re-branded’ version of the MELT portal Over 130,000 resources/assets in May 2009 from 25 providers Being promoted initially to 60,000 eTwinning schools

LRE public portal officially launched Dec 2008

A ‘re-branded’ version of the MELT portal

Over 130,000 resources/assets in May 2009 from 25 providers

Being promoted initially to 60,000 eTwinning schools

What is the LRE Vision? LRE is a service for MoE driven by MoE and involves private sector partners Aim is to improve use and reuse of educational content in schools better technical interoperability between repositories improve semantic interoperability of content develop best practice in how to implement content-related standards

LRE is a service for MoE driven by MoE and involves private sector partners

Aim is to improve use and reuse of educational content in schools

better technical interoperability between repositories

improve semantic interoperability of content

develop best practice in how to implement content-related standards

What is the LRE Vision? It is NOT a centralised portal… but a framework that supports semantic and technical interoperability of content repositories Adds value to national content strategies

It is NOT a centralised portal…

but a framework that supports semantic and technical interoperability of content repositories

Adds value to national content strategies

Why join the LRE? T he most important Europe-wide (and potential global) player in e-learning content may become the European Schoolnet (EUN) through their European Learning Resource Exchange which is currently under development. Open Educational Practices and Resources: OLCOS Roadmap 2012, January 2007

T he most important Europe-wide (and potential global) player in e-learning content may become the European Schoolnet (EUN) through their European Learning Resource Exchange which is currently under development.

Open Educational Practices and Resources: OLCOS Roadmap 2012, January 2007

Learning Resource Exchange An infrastructure for: Federating applications/platforms that provide learning resources to schools (repositories, learning platforms, authoring environments) Providing seamless access to K-12 resources to applications that consume these (portals, VLEs)

An infrastructure for:

Federating applications/platforms that provide learning resources to schools (repositories, learning platforms, authoring environments)

Providing seamless access to K-12 resources to applications that consume these (portals, VLEs)

MoE LRE Partners Initial LRE partners inc. partners in the CALIBRATE and MELT projects - 16 Ministries of Education in Europe : Austria, Belgium (Flemish community), Region of Catalonia (Spain), Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden plus Czech Republic repository April 2009 - 17 MoE plus France and Portugal in ASPECT project - 2009 - 19 MoE MoE LRE Working Group defining strategy

Initial LRE partners inc. partners in the CALIBRATE and MELT projects - 16 Ministries of Education in Europe :

Austria, Belgium (Flemish community), Region of Catalonia (Spain), Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden

plus Czech Republic repository April 2009 - 17 MoE

plus France and Portugal in ASPECT project - 2009 - 19 MoE

MoE LRE Working Group defining strategy

Why work with EUN? “ We want to bridge the gap between community publishers and professional publishers.” John Tuttle, Cambridge University Press “

“ We want to bridge the gap between community publishers and professional publishers.”

John Tuttle, Cambridge University Press

“

Content partner benefits Reach a a global audience with your content LOM-based application profile for schools Multilingual thesaurus/vocabularies Feedback on your resources - popularity, ratings, comments Discover which of your resources ‘travel well’ Enrichment of your metadata - LRE social tagging Automatic metadata generation Automatic metadata translation Expert support on semantic interoperability and standards for content exchange

Reach a a global audience with your content

LOM-based application profile for schools

Multilingual thesaurus/vocabularies

Feedback on your resources - popularity, ratings, comments

Discover which of your resources ‘travel well’

Enrichment of your metadata - LRE social tagging

Automatic metadata generation

Automatic metadata translation

Expert support on semantic interoperability and standards for content exchange

LRE global alliances There is a shared vision with other global players - OER Commons..GLOBE..

There is a shared vision with other global players - OER Commons..GLOBE..

Some LRE Associate Partners

How to Join? Send us an example of your metadata One-to-one meetings to discover your requirements Send staff to a LRE technical workshop

Send us an example of your metadata

One-to-one meetings to discover your requirements

Send staff to a LRE technical workshop

Flexible technical solutions Connect a repository, portal or VLE to the federation Let the LRE harvest your metadata using OAI-PMH ‘ mass upload’ of your metadata - just complete an Excel spreadsheet

Connect a repository, portal or VLE to the federation

Let the LRE harvest your metadata using OAI-PMH

‘ mass upload’ of your metadata - just complete an Excel spreadsheet

New solutions LRE search from within a national portal already implemented (Scoilnet) LRE widget that can be integrated in other applications - eTwinning

LRE search from within a national portal already implemented (Scoilnet)

http://lre.eun.org

ASPECT Sept 08 - Feb 2011 eContent plus Best Practice Network € 4.6 million budget 9 MoE - Denmark, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, Slovenia Commercial partners - Cambridge University Press, Icodeon, Siveco, Young Digital Planet, Vocabulary Management Group Experts from all international standardisation bodies and consortia active in eLearning: CEN/ISSS, IMS, IEEE, ISO, ADL...

eContent plus Best Practice Network

€ 4.6 million budget

9 MoE - Denmark, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, Slovenia

Commercial partners - Cambridge University Press, Icodeon, Siveco, Young Digital Planet, Vocabulary Management Group

Experts from all international standardisation bodies and consortia active in eLearning: CEN/ISSS, IMS, IEEE, ISO, ADL...

ASPECT Rationale The standards organisations are inherently top-down and reactive. There is no other way for them to be. Inevitably they have to work on historic data. They have to tend to the restrictive rather than the enabling - even though some will argue, correctly, there are some fine borders. I think they are doomed to fail or if they don’t fail we are doomed. Martin Owen, September 2007, Naace newsletter

The standards organisations are inherently top-down and reactive. There is no other way for them to be. Inevitably they have to work on historic data. They have to tend to the restrictive rather than the enabling - even though some will argue, correctly, there are some fine borders. I think they are doomed to fail or if they don’t fail we are doomed.

Martin Owen, September 2007, Naace newsletter

ASPECT Aims Assess standards and specifications through their implementation on a critical mass of educational content - plugfests and workshops Develop best practice in terms of implementing those standards Make recommendations on the combination of a number of standards to ensure more transparent interoperability

Assess standards and specifications through their implementation on a critical mass of educational content - plugfests and workshops

Develop best practice in terms of implementing those standards

Make recommendations on the combination of a number of standards to ensure more transparent interoperability

Scope & Structure Metadata: IEEE LOM, Dublin Core Vocabulary: XVD, VDEX, ZTHES, SKOS Protocol: SQI, SPI, SRU/SRW, OAI-PMH Query Language: CQL, PLQL, LRE-QL Registry: CORDRA, ADL Registry Content discovery

Metadata: IEEE LOM, Dublin Core

Vocabulary: XVD, VDEX, ZTHES, SKOS

Protocol: SQI, SPI, SRU/SRW, OAI-PMH

Query Language: CQL, PLQL, LRE-QL

Registry: CORDRA, ADL Registry

Scope & Structure Format: IMS Content Packaging, SCORM, IMS Common Cartridge, IMS QTI Identifier: Handle System, DOI Content access control: Creative Commons, IMS Common Cartridge, LRE access controls Content discovery Content use

Format: IMS Content Packaging, SCORM, IMS Common Cartridge, IMS QTI

Identifier: Handle System, DOI

Content access control: Creative Commons, IMS Common Cartridge, LRE access controls

Best Practices Content use Content discovery Best practices

LRE Service Centre Registry for Learning Object Repositories Vocabulary bank for education Application profile registry Automatic translation service for metadata Compliance testing Transformer service (turn metadata and vocabularies into another format) Information on known interoperability issues Learning Technology Standards Observatory

Registry for Learning Object Repositories

Vocabulary bank for education

Application profile registry

Automatic translation service for metadata

Compliance testing

Transformer service (turn metadata and vocabularies into another format)

Information on known interoperability issues

Learning Technology Standards Observatory

http://aspect-project.org

Further Information http://celebrate.eun.org http://calibrate.eun.org http://info.melt-project.eu http://aspect-project.org http://lre.eun.org http://lreforschools.eun.org [email_address] d [email_address]

http://celebrate.eun.org

http://calibrate.eun.org

http://info.melt-project.eu

http://aspect-project.org

http://lre.eun.org

http://lreforschools.eun.org

[email_address]

d [email_address]

Discussion Perceived benefits of specific content standards may depend upon Unspoken assumptions by policy makers and teachers about what constitutes ‘good learning’ with ICT in Europe Wider social perceptions of how publicly funded content should be used for commercial gain

Perceived benefits of specific content standards may depend upon

Unspoken assumptions by policy makers and teachers about what constitutes ‘good learning’ with ICT in Europe

Wider social perceptions of how publicly funded content should be used for commercial gain