Malinka Ivanova Technical University - Sofia

UNITECH’08 Gabrovo, 21-22 November

• Aim: To explore the possibilities of mashups and their implication and integration in the learning process

• Tasks:– Examination of educational mashup applications – Exploration of platforms for mashup building – Analysis of implications of mashups on the

learning process – Creation of mashup applications– Prototype of a UoL in Edu2.0

• Mashup - a website or web application that uses content from more than one source to create a completely new service

• Characteristics: – Combination– Aggregation– Visualization– Sharing

• The main concepts are: – Mix and reuse the global data with the local:

users flexibly find, organize, create and share information in a locally meaningful fashion that is globally accessible

– Create new interfaces: aggregate multiple RSS feeds or use API highly configurable by the user

– Use microcontent: it posseses unique URL including microinformation (metadata, data) with given structure, focused on one or few concepts, saved in standardized microformat (RSS/Atom) and it can be reused, referenced and remixed

• Top mashup tags:

• Mashup of the day, November 16, 2008• HistoGrafica http://www.histografica.com/ - online community

whose aim is to show in pictures how the world has changed through time. In essence it is an archive of old photographs and pictures tagged by time and location on a Google Map.

• Mashup matrix – in the Mashup Matrix an interactive grid shows what happens when you mix API X + API Y = mashup Z

Mapping mashups - use mapping toolsYahoo/Google maps tocompile data onto amap with markers, text,pictures, audio, video,or online resources

Abstract concepts canbe put into the realworld, where patternsand movements that explain ideas and theirsignificance can beseen

Start pages - they show the rich possibilities for personalized learning environments building with the characteristics for authoring, information syndication, researching, collaboration and networking

Educational timelines - applications allow aggregation of data and information from social sites for news, bookmarking, bloging/microbloging, video, photos, music

Dipity allows the creation of a personal timeline, blog post timeline, events timeline, product history timeline, company history timeline

File/video/photo/podcasts mashups - sites propose a file/video/image storage space to organize files collections

Flickrvision - mashup made using Flickr’s API

Data/information aggregators - Social bookmarking is a great way to collect a set of resources related to educational activities and share them broadly or with a specific group of users

Search engines - mash together several services and add new features

FundooWeb - multi-mashup, incorporating results from Yahoo!, Flickr, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Answers, Amazon, and Yahoo! Maps images

Social networks - offer ways to aggregate different forms of social media into a more or less unified environment

Ning allows personalization of used applications through API, embedded code and reference links

eLearning 2.0 Systems – possess mashup functions for knowledge transfer through their possibilities for: RSS syndication, link and code embedded widgets’ creation and integration

Google Mashup Editor - allows HTML, Javascript, CSS and XML to be used for building of an infinite variety of applications

Yahoo Pipes - provides a graphical user interface for building applications that aggregate web feeds, web pages, and other services, creating web-based applications from various sources

Microsoft Popfly - allows users to create web pages, program snippets, and mashups using the Microsoft Silverlight rich internet applications runtime and the set of online tools

Dapper possesses possibilities for creation of new means for users to access the content in the form of RSS feeds, widgets, APIs and links

Zembly allows mashup applications creation from widgets, which are reusable pieces of user interface, and services. Users can create social applications that run in Facebook, Meebo, OpenSocial containers like MySpace and Hi5, on the iPhone, and in the browser.

MashupMania - with possibilities for aggregation, manipulation, and mashup content from around the web. It is a site where the user can build mashup/widget via a graphic user interface, rather than writing code.

• Mashup technology for educators and students proposes:

– capturing and remixing data, information and knowledge

– visualizing hard for understanding concepts

– using of existing and creating new web services

• ubiquity – at any time, any location, from different devices access to information, utilizing web-based productivity and communications tools

• suited to project-based learning, group-based learning, self-organized learning

• deep understanding and learning – students analyze primary sources and digitized artifacts, they take learning deeper when they are asked to navigate, sort, organize, analyze, and make graphical representations

• concepts visualization and discussion stimulation - digital tools for conceptualization through mind maps, photography, multimedia, graphical representations, modeling, animation, digital art, virtual spaces

• expressing and sharing thoughts and ideas, building community - students can use the web to express their ideas and build societies around shared interests

• collaborate and harness the collective intelligence – learners can use services to find experts or peers, use shared web applications to plan and write together

• research - using search engines with mashup content, question/citation engines and engines with rich presentation functions, using of analytical tools, poll/survey tools

• learning management - manage time, work, sources, feedback from others, drafts, and products, creation of an ePortfolio folder assists planing and organizing activities

• reflection and iteration - tools that support reflection and iterative development give learners the opportunity to shape and revise their work, and expose it to the critical feedback of others

• innovate – be active in the learning process, students develop new mashup applications, services, widgets

• This UoL is designed according to proposed methodology in IMS Learning Design specification . The conceptual design includes defining of main data: – Overview of the unit, learning objectives, prerequisites– Roles– Activities, Activities structures– Environments – Scenario

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• Mashups are another opportunity to incorporate technology into education

• The interactive nature of such applications increase the student participation in the learning and for self-organized learning

• The different kinds of mashup applications are analyzed and their classification is prepared in order for educators to be supported in their UoL design and also students in their examination and exploration of mashups

• A model of UoL is developed with the topic related to mashup studying and building

• This model is used for UoL implementation in Edu 2.0 system via the created prototype.