E-Learning Community 2.0

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Title : How to use eLearning Community 2.0 (Knowledge Provider Perspective)

Soon after Adobe released Apollo - a tool that brings Flash contents a step closer to the client side desktop, Microsoft reveals it’s counter strike tool – Silverlight, formerly code-named “WPF/E” . Microsoft’s description of this new program is,

Silverlight is a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering the next generation of Microsoft .NET–based media experiences and rich interactive applications for the Web.

In my understanding, Silverlight is a new Scalable Vector Graphics tool built on Microsoft’s .NET technology with a focus of media components integration. Another word, Silverlight is a new Flash player where combines vector graphics, raster graphics, sound files, video files, and human interaction elements. There have been many discussion on Microsoft Silverlight Vs Adobe Flash. Grant Skinner has a pretty good summary on this topic. In general, I believe the only way for Microsoft to succeed with Silverlight technology is:

1.Focus on the market, dump tons (I mean TONS) of cash towards the promotion of this new software. This one I am almost certain is the least to worry for Microsoft.

2.Understand the usesrs’ and content creators’ need. Design a good user interface for the Sliverlight content authoring. I see the true value of Flash as it provided a bridge between the logically creative developers and the artistically creative designers. The geeky coders were excited by Flash’s simple to use interface and yet powerful scripting engine. The visual designers appreciate the simplicity of the scripting aspect of Flash.

3.Microsoft MUST think cross platform. If Microsoft can not provide both a good user interface and a flawless client side compiler (player), Silverlight is aimed to fail. It’s dead simple, most of the telanted designers I know are using Mac… Not to mention I had some “funny” bugs when I installed Silverlight to my Firefox in Windows XP. I had to restart a few times to see the installed plugin.

4.Break the “search engine black box theory” on rich media content. It’s just fatal that standard search engines can not pick up Flash contents. It’s like you putting content into a black box. My limited understanding of Silverlight is much contents are in well organized XML format where indexing it by the searching engines are feasible.

5.More power. You can’t just “duplicate” the existing power of Flash player, Microsoft needs to invent some well differentiated new features like 3D Open GL support…

6.Microsoft needs to see they are not just competing with 1 of Adobe’s product, they need to consider taking on the entire Adobe’s product line. At the least be prepared for it. Because after the merge between Adobe and Macromedia, applications like Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Flash, Acrobat PDF and Premiere are working together closer than ever. Adobe is creating a true harmony among their web/media publishing tools.

I may add more points to this post later. In conclusion, a majority of designers/developers doing RIA (Rich Internet Applicaitons) and Online content publishing are using Adobe applications. As much as I want to see other alternative technology to take on Flash, I still think Silverlight has a long way to go…

VS

I frequently think about virtual learning environments, what they are, why they matter, what impact they may have on teaching, learning… and the administration of schools and universities.  There’s a great deal of debate about their (as if there’s a category of product called “VLE” to which we can all agree) utility given the effort and cost often required to implement and adopt.

I recently had an opportunity to spend the day with some senior education leaders and policy makers from Europe.  One of the common threads they shared was an unyielding belief (one they intuitively knew but also had research to support) that PARENTS (and their aspirational involvement) are critical to the success of all students.  Their position wasn’t so much centered on how VLE’s may augment the formal or informal learning process… but on how we draw parents into the relationship, leverage their innate aspirations for their children and engage them in a productive, proactive and positive community.

I’m encouraged by insight like the following from an Independent article published today:

“Teachers use the gateway to plan lessons, contact parents and each other and mark school work from home. Pupils can upload their homework for marking and benefit from an e-portfolio of all their computer work, while parents can access their children’s work, check on their attendance and behaviour and even look at pictures of school trips. Unless you invited parents in every week there’s no way they’d have such a window into the life of the school…”