Technological Challenges Posed By Web 2.0 Brian Kelly, UKOLN, University of Bath Bath Email [email_address] UKOLN is supported by: http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/conferences/fellows-conference-2007/ Acceptable Use Policy Recording this talk, taking photographs, and discussions using blogs, instant messaging, etc. is permitted providing distractions to others is minimised. Also a Creative Commons licence for the talk and slides is available - as this can maximise impact of my ideas! This work is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 licence (but note caveat) Resources bookmarked using ‘fellows-conference-2007' tag

About The Speaker Brian Kelly: UK Web Focus – an advisory post which provides advices on making effective use of the on Web (with focus on standards, emerging Web technologies) Involved in Web work since January 1993 Focus on Web technologies and not e-learning! About UKOLN: National centre of expertise in digital information management Based at the University of Bath Funded by MLA and JISC to support the cultural heritage and higher/further education sectors Introduction

Brian Kelly:

UK Web Focus – an advisory post which provides advices on making effective use of the on Web (with focus on standards, emerging Web technologies)

Involved in Web work since January 1993

Focus on Web technologies and not e-learning!

About UKOLN:

National centre of expertise in digital information management

Based at the University of Bath

Funded by MLA and JISC to support the cultural heritage and higher/further education sectors

About This Introduction Your context: You’ve explored interesting e-learning issues in your project, including pedagogical & technical aspects We’ll hear from several projects Are you still relevant? Has Web 2.0: Changed the rules Changed users’ behaviours and expectations? Redefined who the various service providers are? And do we (as academic, developers, managers…): Need to fund development work differently? Need to deploy services differently? Need to revisit our relevance? Introduction

Your context:

You’ve explored interesting e-learning issues in your project, including pedagogical & technical aspects

We’ll hear from several projects

Are you still relevant? Has Web 2.0:

Changed the rules

Changed users’ behaviours and expectations?

Redefined who the various service providers are?

And do we (as academic, developers, managers…):

Need to fund development work differently?

Need to deploy services differently?

Need to revisit our relevance?

1 Web 2.0 As Platform Web 2.0 is the platform for doing things Technical infrastructure now available (RSS, REST, URIs,…) It’s in place now It was designed (since 1990) to be global, scalable, … (Web 2.0 was Sir Tim’s original vision) What’s the future for the application? Google (and others) threatening MS Assertions Web 2.0 will bring about the demise (radical transformation?) of the monolithic VLE – and the open source VLE

Web 2.0 is the platform for doing things

Technical infrastructure now available (RSS, REST, URIs,…)

It’s in place now

It was designed (since 1990) to be global, scalable, … (Web 2.0 was Sir Tim’s original vision)

What’s the future for the application?

Google (and others) threatening MS

2 Global Social Networks Web 2.0 made us aware of benefits of social networks (why did we miss it?): Things that get better as numbers grow (Google link analysis algorithm) Our social nature Our diversity of social networks: school, work, play, professional, … Experiences from Facebook (connections from school) Assertions Social networking systems need a critical mass, Global is good; is a class, a department or a university too small?

Web 2.0 made us aware of benefits of social networks (why did we miss it?):

Things that get better as numbers grow (Google link analysis algorithm)

Our social nature

Our diversity of social networks: school, work, play, professional, …

Experiences from Facebook (connections from school)

3 “Embrace Constraints” Traditional public sector IT development: Standards defined (technical, accessibility, legal, …) Technical architecture defined (fully interoperable with everything and use the latest TLA standards) Well-funded programme call Two/three year funded projects Formal advisory groups, reporting structures, … Results in: Driving out innovation Flawed services arriving too late Assertions Let’s agree to ‘embrace constraints’ and provide a useful service quickly (cf Basecamp)

Traditional public sector IT development:

Standards defined (technical, accessibility, legal, …)

Technical architecture defined (fully interoperable with everything and use the latest TLA standards)

Well-funded programme call

Two/three year funded projects

Formal advisory groups, reporting structures, …

Results in:

Driving out innovation

Flawed services arriving too late

4 Cost Effectiveness Challenge public sector norms: Must be universally accessible Must work on all platforms Must work on legacy systems Must be managed in-house Tell me: Why? Does the best drive out the good? Don’t you encounter the ‘IT Services barrier’ (Skype is evil, doesn’t use the right standards,…) Assertions Have you costed Amazon S3 and EC2 (e.g. 2-click installation of Moodle for $9/month)?

Challenge public sector norms:

Must be universally accessible

Must work on all platforms

Must work on legacy systems

Must be managed in-house

Tell me:

Why?

Does the best drive out the good?

Don’t you encounter the ‘IT Services barrier’ (Skype is evil, doesn’t use the right standards,…)

5 Live (slightly) Dangerously Can’t use social networks: Data protection, privacy, … Need to protect students from embarrassing themselves It’s not what IT should be used for It’s not what university is about You’ll catch viruses You’ll meet the wrong type of people The data isn’t preserved The data is preserved Assertions Make IT blended; part of University life. It’s like student bars, accommodation, parties, …

Can’t use social networks:

Data protection, privacy, …

Need to protect students from embarrassing themselves

It’s not what IT should be used for

It’s not what university is about

You’ll catch viruses

You’ll meet the wrong type of people

The data isn’t preserved

The data is preserved

6 Addressing Your Concerns But what about: Risks of using 3 rd party services Sustainability Quality assurance Assessment Changes to political, cultural & economic framework … Assertions “ Events, dear boy, events!” That’s life, and we’ve been though it before.

But what about:

Risks of using 3 rd party services

Sustainability

Quality assurance

Assessment

Changes to political, cultural & economic framework

…

Summary What if: The VLE is dying? Flickr & Facebook define students expectations for social networks? The lightweight stuff wins over the masses; the slow-moving worthy stuff doesn’t get used? Out-sourcing the infrastructure delivers benefits to the institution (cost-savings) and users (richer functionality (cf. TCD and Google Mail) Web 2.0 today is like student life in 1960s Everything I have said is completely wrong! Will your project fit in with a changed environment? Will it have the flexibility to respond to possible changes?

What if:

The VLE is dying?

Flickr & Facebook define students expectations for social networks?

The lightweight stuff wins over the masses; the slow-moving worthy stuff doesn’t get used?

Out-sourcing the infrastructure delivers benefits to the institution (cost-savings) and users (richer functionality (cf. TCD and Google Mail)

Web 2.0 today is like student life in 1960s

Everything I have said is completely wrong!

Questions Any questions?

Any questions?