Re: Agenda for W3C Most Important Priorities [Education] call, 9 January

On January 6, 2015 at 11:32:42 PM, Jeff Jaffe (jeff@w3.org) wrote:
> > 2. Online Learning Experiences
>  
> This subjects would include questions like :
> What is a learning object ?
> How to propose an active reading great experience vs passive  
> reading (Digipub) ?

It would be good to have examples and definitions of active VS passive learning. In particular, I would be extremely interested in seeing "exemplars" of active+digital learning experiences (i.e., apps or ebooks that have been shown scientifically to provide superior learning experiences to passive content) and how they compare with passive learning experiences.

This would allow people creating the technology on which these active systems run to see what functionality is missing on the Web. I assume Kahn Academy is one platform that provides such an experience - noting that, at least in iOS (iPhone), one can only passively watch videos, while on the website one can actually do active exercises.  

> Can we import pedagogical nature of learning in openweb platform  
> ?

This assumes that the Web can't already do this. This needs to be rephrased as: 

Does the web platform impose limitations on the pedagogical nature of learning? If so, how? 

Additionally, how do other platforms compare? Which platform does better and why? This can include paper or a combination of paper and digital forms etc.  

> How to manage links between teacher and pupils ? Links in the Education  
> Community ?

This would indeed be interesting... again, in particular if hyperlinking, or websites and social networking sites like Facebook, are somehow insufficient. 

In particular, I would be interested to see examples where using HTML-based systems did not serve the purposes of educators and they found themselves having to create native applications. 

For instance, Apple's App Store has a huge education section where one can find things like "BlackBoard Mobile" (which was, and probably remains, traditionally a HTML-based learning platform). Kahn Academy is also now a native application.

There is also native applications for creating pedagogical content, like "Explain Everything". 

With regards to connecting parents/student/teachers, see the QSchools app created by the Australian Government.  
http://deta.qld.gov.au/about/app/qschools-app.html

(It just takes web data and puts into a native app context).


> We should also cover the difficult subject of cognitive mapping.  

Ok, but so long as it relates to the Web platform somehow. 

> ----
> 3. MOOCs
>  
> As one of the current possible online learning experience, this  
> is a subject to cover.
>  
> ----
> 4. Collection of Data and Privacy
>  
> Web Technologies will be used for Education purpose. We must  
> be more than serious on that or our Kids data could be "stolen". 

Again, this needs to look at the limitations of what the platform can provide (e.g., with respect to TLS). However, encrypted client-side storage might be useful here.   

> This subject is linked to MOOCs and
> adaptative learning matters. There is a serious need for standardization  
> here. 

Be nice to see if there are a list of abuse cases that have occurred that we could learn from. What was stolen, how, and from who? 

> May be we could need a "data handling description language"  
> allowing the codification of consensual agreements, in short  
> enabling students to agree to reasonable data sharing procedures.  

Maybe, but often these kind of agreements are one way: like EULAs, they leave the end-user (in this case, students) with only a [x] check box to click and with no way to negotiate terms or any legal leg to really stand on. 

What would be nice is to have better assurances on the client side about what things only students are able to access (affording students more privacy and protection from teachers, parents, system admins, or anyone else they might not want looking at their stuff).

Received on Thursday, 8 January 2015 07:33:52 UTC