MyCommunity and SMS

Michael Webb

Head of IT and Media Services

michael.webb@newport.ac.uk

http://mycommunity.newport.ac.uk/blogs/michael

Overview…

SMS (sending messages to students)

MyCommunity (blogging, forums, photo galleries)

Brief ‘How we did it’ rather than ‘Why we did it’

SMS …

…because email is dead… (discuss!!)

SMS Aims

Aim 1) To allow lecturers to send SMS to students as easily as email.

Aim 2) To have a flexible setup so we can integrate SMS into other applications (timetabling, library etc)

Aim 3) To allow 2 way messaging in the near future (eg access to services)

Aim 4) To have a mechanism to bill departments

Two possible approaches

1) Buy a complete SMS package

(eg Edutxt etc)

2) Buy a ‘bare bones’ SMS gateway package’ +APIs and integrate with existing application/portal etc.

(*API = Application programming Interface)

Approach 1 – buying an SMS Package

SMS Package(address book, sending/ receiving interface etc)

Students

StaffDirectory Information (groups etc)

Student phone numbers

Departmental Billing

import

import

message

export

interact

Approach 2 – using API to integrate

MyLearning Essentials (or any other portal)

Student Phone numbers

SMS Gateway

Students

Staff

Logging for billing

message

import

interact

logDirectory

Inte

gra

tion

We chose approach 2

1. Advantages– Can change SMS message provider without changing the

user experience – keep costs as low as possible.

– Not creating an additional directory just for SMS.

– No new package for staff to learn.2. Disadvantages

– Need to undertake a little development work

Sending messages isn’t hard…code example

Dim ToList As New System.Collections.Specialized.StringCollection\

…. Add students to list….

Dim sms As New IntelliSoftware.IntelliSMS

sms.PrimaryGateway = "https://www.intellisoftware.co.uk" sms.BackupGateway = "https://www.intellisoftware2.co.uk"

sms.Username = “******" sms.Password = "*****"

Try sms.SendMsgToMultipleRecipients(ToList, strMessage, "NewportUni") Catch ex As Exception response.write(Err.Description) End Try

How it works…

Costs

http://www.pageone.co.uk/janettxt/

Current Provider (Intellisoftware) JANET TXT service

4.2p per message

MyCommunity

MyCommunity – Quick Overview

1) Launched Sept 2006

2) Provides all students and staff with a blog, photo gallery and forum

3) Fully integrated in myLearning Essentials (our student portal/VLE/MLE)

4) We weren’t expecting everyone to start blogging!

– 1% rule – in any online community only 1% of members create original content

MyCommunity

Software Evaluation

MyCommunity requirements1) Good blog functionality (get bloggers to test!)2) Forum functionality at least as good as forums students come

across on the net3) Authentication integrates with active directory4) Automatic creation of blogs/forum accounts5) ‘Skinable’ so it could integrate with MyLearning Essentials6) Source code available for (again to help with integration with

MyLearning Essentials)

Software we evaluated

• Community Server (produce we chose)• B2Evolution • DasBlog• WordPress MU (Not mature enough at the time…now

serious contender)• (Elgg is now well worth investigating as well – wasn’t

really ready at the time)

Community Server

• Offers both blogs and forums

• Basic software free• Source code available• We bought enterprise

version (about £1000) – main extra feature is Windows authentication

Technical Requirements…

• Web Application Server(s)– Recommended: Microsoft Windows Server 2003 – Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) – Microsoft .NET 2.0

• Database Server(s)– Recommended: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 – Microsoft SQL Server 2000

Key Development Tasks….

1) Modify the authentication process to allow both anonymous and authenticated access

2) Minor modifications to sources code (changing the way photo galleries work)

3) Skinning to fit in with myLearning Essentials.

4) Launching… (Sept 06)

Skinning process – starting point

Skinning process – end point

How has it been used?• Forums

– Selling things and finding accommodation– Requests for help– Discussions about the University– Conversations about anything!

• Blogs– Interaction with staff, students and peers– Information posting– Reflective Learning

• Photos– Sharing– Informing

Time for demo?

The End!