The evolution of a cooperative work framework for e-Learning

This paper details the evolution of a Framework for e-Learning, to a Cooperative Work Framework for e-Learning, as presented at the IASK conference (Graham 2008a) and annotated accordingly. It begins by discussing the development of the original Framework for e-Learning, and how this study resulted in a further study investigating whether the use of Blended Learning could fulfill or at least accommodate some of the human requirements presently neglected by current e-Learning systems as identified by the original Framework. This second study evaluated an in-house system: Teachmat, and discussed how the use of Blended Learning had become increasingly prevalent as a result of the enhancement and expansion of Teachmat. It looked at the employment of Blended Learning and Teachmat’s relationship to human and pedagogical issues, as well as both the positive and negative implications of this reality. PESTE factors from Sociology were then applied to appraise the adoption of e-Learning, leading to the proposal of PESTE factors for educational software and e-Learning in particular. Finally, the study evolved to reconsider e-Learning in relation to a Cooperative Work Framework, revealing critical weakness in the fundamental nature of e-Learning and its consequent propensity for failure

New literacies and future educational culture

The paper draws attention to three developments that are crucial to online education. First, the new literacy required by group discussion in writing, i.e. by computer‐mediated communication ('e‐talk') is discussed Educators are urged to delimit and structure their courses so that online conversations in writing are successfully framed for effective discourse. Second, new literacy arising from the merging of multimedia with text is considered It is maintained that this will enhance communication, not debase it. Third, the way that increasing ease of information retrieval is eroding boundaries between traditional disciplines is discussed It is argued that this may create new difficulties in education. The paper recommends various ways of overcoming the problems that arise from the three developments

RFCs, MOOs, LMSs: Assorted Educational Devices\ud

This paper discusses implicit social consequences of four basic internet protocols. The results are then related to the field of computer-assisted teaching. An educational on-line community is described and compared to the emerging standard of web-based learning management.\u

An optimal synchronous bandwidth allocation scheme for guaranteeing synchronous message deadlines with the timed-token MAC protocol

This paper investigates the inherent timing properties of the timed-token medium access control (MAC) protocol necessary to guarantee synchronous message deadlines in a timed token ring network such as, fiber distributed data interface (FDDI), where the timed-token MAC protocol is employed. As a result, an exact upper bound, tighter than previously published, on the elapse time between any number of successive token arrivals at a particular node has been derived. Based on the exact protocol timing property, an optimal synchronous bandwidth allocation (SBA) scheme named enhanced MCA (EMCA) for guaranteeing synchronous messages with deadlines equal to periods in length is proposed. Thm scheme is an enhancement on the previously publiibed MCA scheme

Service Platform for Converged Interactive Broadband Broadcast and Cellular Wireless

A converged broadcast and telecommunication service platform is presented that is able to create, deliver, and manage interactive, multimedia content and services for consumption on three different terminal types. The motivations of service providers for designing converged interactive multimedia services, which are crafted for their individual requirements, are investigated. The overall design of the system is presented with particular emphasis placed on the operational features of each of the sub-systems, the flows of media and metadata through the sub-systems and the formats and protocols required for inter-communication between them. The key features of tools required for creating converged interactive multimedia content for a range of different end-user terminal types are examined. Finally possible enhancements to this system are discussed. This study is of particular interest to those organizations currently conducting trials and commercial launches of DVB-H services because it provides them with an insight of the various additional functions required in the service provisioning platforms to provide fully interactive services to a range of different mobile terminal types

A software-defined architecture for next-generation cellular networks

In the recent years, mobile cellular networks are undergoing fundamental changes and many established concepts are being revisited. New emerging paradigms, such as Software-Defined Networking (SDN), Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC), Network Function Virtualization (NFV), Internet of Things (IoT),and Mobile Social Networking (MSN), bring challenges in the design of cellular networks architectures. Current Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networks are not able to accommodate these new trends in a scalable and efficient way. In this paper, first we discuss the limitations of the current LTE architecture. Second, driven by the new communication needs and by the advances in aforementioned areas, we propose a new architecture for next generation cellular networks. Some of its characteristics include support for distributed content routing, Heterogeneous Networks(HetNets) and multiple Radio Access Technologies (RATs). Finally, we present simulation results which show that significant backhaul traffic savings can be achieved by implementing caching and routing functions at the network edge