School of Education Technology , Beijing Normal University

Learning Resource Design and Sharing in

Ubiquitous Learning Environment

Shengquan Yu toyusq@gmail.com

http://www.etc.edu.cn

Uppsala May, 2010

Sorry, my English is poor, but I’ll try my best.

1.The Concept and Architecture of Leaning Cell

Progresses of Learning Resource Sharing Technologies

Reusable Learning Unit

SCORMLearning objects

IMS LDLearning activities

Share of learning content

Engineering methods and standards for learning content

sharingshare of education strategies

and learning designs

•More aggregation ： form single resource to highly aggregated and complex resources

•Extending sharing scope ： from learning content to learning process and strategies

•Technology upgrades ： from static learning resources to learning tools & dynamic human wisdom sharing

Future path?How to share generative information during learning processHow to evolve learning content to adapt to all personalized demands?How to share social cognition network as well as resources?How to share interactive learning tools?How to implement content aggregation based semantic technology?How to relate learning processes?

Ubiquitous Learning

• On demand: Anytime, Anywhere, Mobile…

But more:• Social• Situated• Context awareness• Adaptive

Learning Resource Needed in Ubiquitous Learning

• Anything about everything• Adaptive: learning needs & all kinds of devices• Collective intelligences• Evolutive resources• Situated Knowledge: help learner solve real

similar problems

Deficiencies of Current Learning Technologies(1)

• On the background of Knowledge-explosion, the speed of knowledge updating is more and more faster

• Current learning technologies only support single direction information delivery– Experts provide content and solutions as information producers– Learners are information consumers– Ignores the valuable information generated during learning process– Has a longer resource update cycle and a longer distance to users’ actual

needs

Deficiencies of Current Learning Technologies(2)

• Lifelong learning and informal learning will be popular; ubiquitous learning also has a brighter prospect. Thus, there is large need for learning resources and designs that fits the learning on demand.

• Current learning technologies emphasize formal learning, lacking of exploration and research for informal learning.– How to design content for discrete user attentions– How to share learning content on micro-granularity– How to adapt display on all kinds of mobile devices– ……

Deficiencies of Current Learning Technologies(3)

• Learning is not just to know knowledge itself, but to grasp learning methods, ways to get knowledge, and to build up a network where knowledge and human interact with each other

• Current learning technologies emphasize learning resources and activities sharing in a close structure– Ignores the continuous updating of learning resources– Ignores dynamic and generative connection of learning

resources– Ignores building up dynamic relationships between learners

and teachers with learning resources

This research try to proposal a new kind of learning source

organizing model——Learn Cell

The Concept of ”Learning Cell”• The meaning of “cell”

– Component: learning cells can compose higher-level learning resources

– Origin : learning cells grow from small to big, from weak to strong

– Nerve cell: unite to get intelligence

“Learning Cell”

• Generative• Connectivity• Micro-granularity• Evolvable• Cohesive• Intelligent• Social• Open, communicates with other resources • Adaptive to multiple end-devices and platforms

Features of “Learning Cell”(1)

• Learning cell is structural knowledge network– Interior ： integrate content, activities and practices

with extensible knowledge representation model– Exterior ： different learning cells interact to build up

a larger knowledge network

Objective instruction

Learning content

Learning activities

Practice Assessment

Tool Base：BBS

Interactive Q&AOnline survey

Online quizSubject tool

……

Aggregation Model• Different from tree structure of learning objects’

aggregation model, the aggregation model of “learning cell” is a dynamic network

• From resource organization to knowledge organization; From linear tree-form structure to network structure

course

chapter chapter chapter

paragraph paragraph paragraph

Hierarchy aggregation model

Semantic network aggregation model

Knowledge unit

Knowledge unit

Knowledge unit

Features of “Learning Cell”(2)• Runtime information communication through

open services– “Learning cell” is open structured, and can communicate with

other applications and share information– Resource sharing over organizations and systems

Run T

ime

Environm

ent

Learning Cell Service tool library

Information needed by learning

cells

1

2 3

45

tell grab

getput in(or link)

Learning cell

service

Features of “Learning Cell”(3) • The evolution of resources

– Elements of learning cells include current version information, editing process description(e.g.: notes or revisions) and past versions.

– The evolution and development is not aimlessly ,but in a structured and aggregated way, which is related to the interior knowledge structure model

• The growth of resources– Save procedural information when learning resources

are used. – E.g. discussion records in BBS, practice feedback, and

evaluation results.

1

2009-03-122009-03-12 2009-04-072009-04-07 2009-04-282009-04-28 2009-05-092009-05-09

time

2 3 4

the Growth of Knowledge

the Growth of Collective Intellgence

• Describe users and editors in LCs, relate physical resources to human resources

• Making LMSs share social network as well as physical resources through sharing LCs between cross-domain systems

Learning Cell ： from link information to link people

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.doc

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Learning Cell ： from link information to link people

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.jpg

.doc

.xls

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.jpg

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Features of “Learning Cell”(4)——the Growth of Knowledge

Using semantic technology to represent, inquiry and reasoning knowledge

Gene of “learning cell”

• Semantic model for disciplinary knowledge– Knowledge relation

• Upper-basic• Part-whole• predecessor-posterity• foundation-development• equivalence• correlation

– extensible– Reasoning foundation

Knowledge

ontology practice

content

assessment

activities

Generative information

Metadata, aggregation model

Multiple format

Service interface

Learning cells stored in cloud-computing

environment

Co-editing,Learning activities,

Communication service,Test & Assessment

Editing records

Usage records

Learning community

AssessmentrecordsActivity

records

Generative information

Sharable learning

resources

Glacier Model of” learning cell”

Logical Structure of “Learning Cell”

Knowledge ontology

PracticeContent

Assessment

Activities

Generative information

Metadata, Aggregation Model

Multiple format

Learning toolLearning

communityLearning contentLearning activities

Learning assessment

Learning recordsSemantic relation

Cloud-computing environment for Learning service

Service interface

Content Aggregation Model

Net-Structured Aggregation Model• The formation of dynamic link

– Creators of learning cells aggregate related learning cells into a larger knowledge network

– Users of learning cells discover related learning cells or other learning resources during learning process, and put them in a personalized knowledge network

– By setting subject keywords, similar learning cells and resources are searched automatically with the assistance of some semantic analysis functions to find new links

– Analyze intelligently other learning cells that users have visited, to find out related element and form links

– Users can find learning partners through links of learning cells to form social network links among users

Comparison of “Reusable Learning Unit”, “Learning Object”, “Learning Activity” and “Learning Cell”

StandardizedDesign

Share Scope Evolution Resource Producers

Reusable Learning

cell

No Instruction material No Experts

Learning object

Yes Structured learning content Reconstructionallowed

Experts, teachers participate little

Learning activity

Yes Content and correspondenteducation design, methods and

process

Reconstructionallowed

teachers participate in more production

Learning cell

Yes Integrated learning information, not just current content, but also past

version content and the knowledge-construction processes; not just

content delivery, but also activities, tools, practices and assessments; not

just preset information, but also procedural information generated during learning process and social

network; not just learning content but also learning cognitive wisdom

Content and structure can

evolve dynamically

All participants can be producers,

including students

2. Running Time Environment for Learning Cell

Architecture

Learning Cell Repository

Content Storage

Call

Back to Learning cell

Connecting

Recording

Learning Interactive

Learning Tools

Learning Portfolio

Edit tools

Create

Create

Aggregate to Course

Learning Environment

Inquire & Learn

4.Though the Learning services interface, connect with:

– Other learners who use the same learning content

– Experts that edit the content– Join the activities for the learning content– Then absorb experience, build learning relation,

form learning community, promote multiple evolution and development of learning cells

n to 1 learning

1. Users choose a learning cell to start learning process

2.Running time environment based cloud-computing technology provides service according to user’s request:

– The most suited content– Related content– Usage records of the learning content– Evaluation records of the learning content– Editing records of the learning content– Tools for the learning content

Learning service

interface

services3. Send back the learning cell and

related information

Learning pattern

– Learning by reading/ learning by listening/ learning by watching ( 接受中学 )

• 基于学习对象的学习模式– Learning by doing/ acting （做中学）

• 基于学习活动的学习模式– 学习元 学习环境通过将内容与活动、资源的无

缝整合，实现了以上两种学习方式的融合，使学习者可以在学习内容的过程中，自然而然的进入与内容密切相关的学习活动，实现更好的学习体验

Learning pattern– Learning by connecting （联系中学）

• 通过知识的语义关联和可视化导航，在知识的相互联系中整体把握知识结构，从多个角度审视和思考，加深对知识的理解，并有利于激发灵感和促进创新

– Learning by re-organizing （重构中学）• 通过学习元 聚合工具，学习者可以自由的组合和管

理多个小的知识单元，建构自己的知识体系，促进知识管理

– Learning Comparing （同题异解，在比较中学）

Learning pattern

– Learning by reflection （反思中学）• 学习者不仅能学习当前的内容，而且能看到一个知

识单元生长和建构的历史轨迹，在这一过程性的情境中反思知识的内在逻辑；

• 学习元 环境为学习者保留了详细的学习记录，并提供练习和评价，促进学习者在学习过程中对自身学习的反思

– Learning by communicating （交流中学）• 学习者不止是通过物化的学习对象获取知识，更能

够通过学习对象关联到的专家、学习者，构建与学习内容密切相关的社会认知网络，在交流中充分吸收他人的智慧

Learning pattern– Learning by teaching （教中学）

• 学习者在交流、协同编辑的过程中，可能经常性的切换“教”与“学”的角色。许多研究表明，在“教”的过程中，往往能够深化施教者对所教授内容的记忆和理解

– Learning by creating （创造中学）• 学习元 学习者不仅是被动的接受知识，而且可以在综合

、重组、反思、交流的基础上，形成结构化的表达，主动的贡献智慧，创建新的知识内容

• 学习元 学习环境为其提供了开放的创造氛围和便捷的工具，并且通过知识本体和投票与审核结合的机制，保证多人协同创造的内容生长方向，为学习与创新相结合提供了较为理想的平台

Run-time Environment of “Learning Cell”

Terminals

...

Wireless Network

PC

PDA

Smart phone

Internet

Universal network

“ Learning cell” underlying environmentInformation transmission

controller

Active adaper

Resource database

Location resource

material s

Learning cel l s

Resource hi story

User informatio

n

Learning cell runs

Detect inf.Receive inf.Analyze inf.

Responce

GrowAPI

DivideAPI

Trace API

Request

Resource indexResource search

Resource location

Device typeScreen size

Screen resolution

Resource search

Display adaper

information

Information dispatch

Learning cell storage

Learning cell extraction

LearningCell

transmission

White board

Mobile TV

Public terminal

Learning service interface

Learni ngtools

Learni ngcommunity

Learni ngcontent

Learni ngacti vi ty

Learni ngassessment

...

Learni ngrecords

Semanti c rel ati on

SummaryLearning cell……

Extends shareable learning resources in space dimension Extends shareable learning resources in time dimension Adopts semantic aggregation mode, integrating content provided by

different learners according to certain knowledge structure, which is a more practical resource sharing and co-editing mode.

Utilizing cloud-computing and SOA technologies, making the platform highly open and extensible; On one hand, learning cells that are deposited in distributed devices and systems can be shared; on the other hand, it supports plug-in tools, providing multiple content and functions.

• Projects– CETV: “New Media Learning Supermarket”– Higher Education Press: ”Knowledge Community”

Thanks for your comment!

Website: http://www.etc.edu.cn