Sakai Europe

Michael KorcuskaExecutive DirectorSakai Foundation

(Still) (for a bit longer)

Outline

• Looking forward• Sakai 3

• My advice to• Sakai• Sakai in Europe

THE FUTURE: SAKAI 3

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Sakai 3: Why?

• Changing expectations• Google docs/apps, Social

Networking, Web 2.0• Success of project sites = Sakai

beyond courses

• New technologies• Standards-based, open source

projects• JCR (Jackrabbit)• Open Social (Shindig)

• Client-side programming• JavaScript/AJAX• Fluid Project (fluidproject.org)

• Years of hard-won knowledge

And so…

The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.John F. Kennedy

Proto by Hubert Stoffels

What?

Technology and Developer Experience

Functionality & User Experience

Community Practices and Culture

Photos by Hobvias Sudoneighm

, Massim

o Valiani, and Mathieu Plourde

END USER PERSPECTIVESakai 3

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Content Organization, Searching & Tagging

Sakai 3 Themes

Learning Space Construction

Academic Networking

Breaking the Site Boundary

Customizable Workflows (No Tool Silos)

The unSakai

Open Teaching

Learning Space Construction

• Really “Scholarly Space”• Teaching & Learning plus….• Research, collaboration and

portfolios

• Principles• Everyone creates content• Simple integration of

interactive options• Author(s) control

presentation and workflow

Photos by Cyprien Lomas

1

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Academic Spaces: Building Blocks

• Simple Content Authoring:• Easy page creation (wiki-like)• WYSIWYG Editing• Templates (page and site)• Versioning

• Enhanced with Academic Functionality• Interactive Widgets (e.g.

assignments & feedback)• Allows integration of content and

activities

Templates

• Templates provide scaffolding for majority of users• But can be bypassed for advanced needs

• Page Templates• Sections with (editable) content

• Site Templates• Predefined pages and dashboards

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Everything is Content

• Not just files to share• Classic “resources” tool in Sakai (of course)• Discussion post, user profile, test questions• Taggable, searchable, linkable, portable, shareable

• Unified content repository• Content not tied to site• Everything in one storage area

• BUT: Sakai is not a full Content Management System• No complex approval workflows• No fancy layout capabilities• Everyone is an author in Sakai

2

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Sakai 2

Site A Site B

Users find things by remembering what site they were in when they saw it.

Content ManagementPhoto by D

esirée Delgado

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Tags: System, Organizational & UserPermissions: Who has access, under what conditions

SearchSmart

Folders

Content ManagementPhoto by Am

y Veeninga

Sakai 3

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Kernel

Tool

ToolTool

Tool

Tool

Tool

Workflow & Architecture

Kernel

Service ServiceService

Service

Serv

iceSe

rvice

• Facilitates independent tool development

• Resists intuitive workflows• Contributes to inconsistent

user experience

Kernel

5

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Workflow & Architecture

Kernel

Workflow

Workflow

WorkflowWorkflow

Wor

kflow

Workflow

Kernel

Service ServiceService

Service

Serv

iceSe

rvice

Kernel

• Workflows built across services• Encourages presentation &

service separation

• Services need to respond to more customers• UX oversight is more

complicated

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Academic Workflow

• Beyond Tool Silos• Academic work flows often cross

tool boundaries• Anything can be graded!• Anything can be discussed!

• This exists in Sakai 2• But it is too difficult and more

needs to be done

• Example: Instructor puts into syllabus an assignment to create a discussion post that will be graded.• 4 tools for both instructors and

students!

Photo by Zoom Zoom

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The unSakai

Kernel

Service ServiceService

Service

Serv

iceSe

rvice

Kernel

iGoogle

Windows/Mac Widgets Mobile Apps

Facebook

Documented data feeds allow Sakai to appear anywhere

Sakai 3 Functional Architecture

Fundamental CapabilitiesWiki-like Content Editing Page Templates Interactive Widgets

Users Groups

Meaningful Arrangements

Dynamic, Collaborative PagesDashboards Defined & Custom Workflows

Public

Unified Content RepositoryUploaded Files Contextual ContentAuthored Pages Media

Collaboration Spaces

Learning Research Project Portfolio

Personal Spaces

PLE Profile

SAKAI 3 TECHNOLOGYWhy Sakai 3?

Using Open Source

• Don’t write our own code• If we can help it

• Criteria:• Functionality• License-compatible open source• Open standard• Approachable community

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Sakai and Apache

• Sakai 3 Kernel built on Apache Sling• RESTful web development framework for content

management• Sling incorporates Jackrabbit and Felix

• Everything as content• Discussion post, User profile information, etc.• Components put Content into JCR Content store• Sakai Kernel creates relational indices in DB• Component doesn’t need to do anything• Automatic tracking of most events by kernel

COMMUNITY PRACTICES

Community Practices

• Functional Leadership• Design First• Minimize Technology Frameworks• Quality Focused• Unit (and other) Tests

• Internationalization & Accessibility

TIMELINES

What I hear

• Sakai 3 needs to go faster. Why aren’t more people working on it?• We’re getting pressure to switch to Moodle• It’s too hard to maintain/develop

• We’re in no hurry but are looking forward to Sakai 3

• Too much emphasis is being placed on Sakai 3. We need to work harder on Sakai 2

Why Sakai 3 is Critical

• Sooner or later your users will want more• Substantial growth in the community will

require something different• The vision of a platform for local

innovation requires different technology• Sakai 3: It is not a question “if”, but

“when?” and “how?”

Balance of Resources

• Maintenance of Sakai 2?• Minor features for Sakai 2?• Major new features for Sakai 2?• Sakai 3?

The difficult question is feature development. Maintenance of Sakai 2 must continue. But the majority of new feature effort must move to Sakai 3 “soon”

My View

• 2.8 is likely and important• Google integration• Gradebook 2• Assignments 2

• No 2.9!• New tools/features built on Sakai 3• Evolution of Sakai 2 tools as “independent

release” on top of 2.8 core services

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Official Releases

Timelines

Sakai 2.6

Sakai 2.7

Sakai 3.0

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Previews

HybridMode

Sakai 2.5

Sakai 2.8

Plan

• Several institutions are begging to assemble a coordinated team• Includes existing Sakai users and new Universities• Centralized project management

• Goal:• Basic hybrid version by July• A usable release by March 2011• Perhaps this is Sakai 3.0?• Specialized tools still come from Sakai 2

Sakai 3 and Sakai Europe

• Get involved• Immediate: Localizing Sakai• Sakai 3 team needs feedback on I18n• You know what happens if you leave this to

the Anglo-Saxons.• For Denver: Get organized• Find a way to provide resources to the project• Requirements, design, development, testing

PARTING WORDSAdvice for the Sakai Community

What the community needs to do

• Don’t wait for the Sakai Foundation• Leadership needs to come from the

community• The Board does not control the product

• Invest in Sakai 3• Sakai 2 works well• But will not deliver the long-term vision

What Europe needs to do

• Work together more effectively• Despite the various barriers

• Promote Sakai throughout Europe• Conference presentations (e.g. Online Educa)• Boca a boca

• Speak up on list!

What the Foundation needs to do

• I’m not going to answer this question…• That will be up to the community and the

next Executive Director

Thank You

• The most interesting (and challenging) assignment I’ve every had.

• I was often surprised• At how hard some things are• At how easy others are• At how difficult it is to tell whether I had

anything do with either of those outcomes

Anthony Whyte

• For his stalwart support of Sakai developers everywhere

• For his willingness to do what it takes to make Sakai succeed

• For his positive attitude in the face of challenges

• For his help making my tenure both successful and enjoyable