Extending the MVC Design Pattern towards a Task-Oriented Development Approach for Pervasive Computing Applications

This paper addresses the implementation of pervasive Java Web applications using a development approach that is based on the Model-View- Controller (MVC) design pattern. We combine the MVC methodology with a hierarchical task-based state transition model in order to achieve the distinction between the task state and the view state of an application. More precisely, we propose to add a device-independent TaskStateBean and a device-specific ViewStateBean for each task state as an extension to the J2EE Service to Worker design pattern. Furthermore, we suggest representing the task state and view state transition models as finite state automata in two sets of XML files

The Origins of the Underline as Visual Representation of the Hyperlink on the Web: A Case Study in Skeuomorphism

This thesis investigates the process by which the underline came to be used as the default signifier of hyperlinks on the World Wide Web. Created in 1990 by Tim Berners-Lee, the web quickly became the most used hypertext system in the world, and most browsers default to indicating hyperlinks with an underline. To answer the question of why the underline was chosen over competing demarcation techniques, the thesis applies the methods of history of technology and sociology of technology. Before the invention of the web, the underline–also known as the vinculum–was used in many contexts in writing systems; collecting entities together to form a whole and ascribing additional meaning to the content. This early usage made the underline a natural choice, semantically, as a hyperlink signifier. The technological context in which the web was created also played a significant role in the use of the underline. Early computer systems were limited in their display capacities and the interfaces created on them were influenced by these constraints. Specifically, the NeXT computer on which Berners-Lee developed the web made underlining text very simple using its Interface Builder software. The combination of the existing semantic meaning of the underline in written language, coupled with the affordances of contemporary computer systems resulted in the commonplace use of the underline to signify hyperlinks

Evangelical Visitor - July/August, 1999 Vol. 112. No. 4

Vol. 112. No.

Concept of a distribution and infrastructure model for mobile applications development across multiple mobile platforms

Der Markt fuer mobile Applikationen ist in den letzten Jahre drastisch gewachsen, vorallem durch die staendige steigende Zahl and Mobiltelefonen. Gruende fuer den raschen Anstieg sind unter anderem die steigende Anzahl an Applikationsportalen von Endgeraeteherstellern sowie Telekomunternehmen. Durch die Vielzahl an unterschiedlichen Endgeraeten mit konkurrierenden Betriebssystemen, Entwicklungsplatformen, physische Charaktersistika sowie Netzwerk Infrastrukturen ist ein in sich komplexes Oekosystem entstanden. Durch die Unterschiede der Systeme ist vorallem auf Seiten der Applikationsentwicker ein hoher Grad an Unsicherheit in Bezug auf die Entwicklungsstrategie entstanden was die Technologie und vorallem auch die Nachfrage betrifft. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es ein “aggregiertes” Modell fuer die Distribution von Applikationen ueber mehrere Platformen zu finden. Im ersten Schritt wird die Analyse der existierenden Literatur in der Fachpresse, Internetquellen und Experteninterviews zum Thema Distributions- und Infrastrukturlandschaft in Form eines „Top-Down“ Ansatzes durchgefuehrt um eine Vergleichsbasis aufzubauen und eine Bewertung durchfuehren zu koennen. Im Folgenden wird die Modellierung der analysierten Geschaeftsprozesse mit dem ADONIS® Business Process Management Toolkit durchgefuehrt sowie fuer die Erstellung der Infrastrukturmodelle ADOit® IT Architecture- & Service Management Toolkit verwendet. Die daraus resultierenden Ergebnisse werden analysiert und gegen die „ideal“ Charakteristika verglichen und ein aggregiertes Modell erstellt. Im Anschluss wird der Ansatz eines aggregierten Models in Form der Meta Platform WAC getestet indem deren Entwicklungsumgebung fuer die Erstellung einer Beispielsapplikation verwendet und die Kompatibilitaet auf verschiedenen Platformen getestet wird.The mobile application market continues to grow drastically due to the explosion in the sales of mobile device. One of the drivers behind that increase is the development and penetration of application stores provided by different stakeholders in the mobile space especially handset manufacturers, operating system developers and network operators. Therefore handsets nowadays contain competing operating systems, development platforms and physical characteristics. This diversity leads to a large degree of uncertainty in the mobile space on a strategic, technological, and demand level for mobile application developers. Currently developers need to decide which platform to develop and distribute for. Decision factors include among others the target market, compatibility issue, development time, hardware requirements and scalability. This work provides an overview of the existing mobile application and app store market, investigating in business models, processes and infrastructures to develop and distribute mobile applications across multiple platforms. As the goal is to find an aggregated model for the distribution of cross-platform applications I will start with a top-down approach to identify the existing distribution and infrastructure landscape, therefore I will conduct a research of the literature, internet i.e. Application store developer sites, specialized press and expert talks. The modelling of the business processes will be done with ADONIS® Business Process Management Toolkit and the modelling of infrastructures with ADOit® IT Architecture- & Service Management Toolkit. The final part of the thesis describes the development of a sample application using the WAC environment and the compatibility of on different platforms will be tested

The design of active workspaces

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2001.Includes bibliographical references (p. 89-93).This thesis investigates the creation of context-specific environments designed to assist people engaged in productive tasks. These Active Workspaces are an emerging class of applications that combine interaction design, innovative input and output techniques and multi-media coaching methodologies to teach people to create things in the physical domain. The design and implementation of two systems that exemplify the features, process and goals of Active Workspace design are detailed and evaluated. CounterActive is an interactive kitchen counter that guides users of varying age and skill level through the preparation of several recipes. CounterActive enlivens the experience of cooking with instructional videos, illustrative photos, entertaining music and sounds. Origami Desk is an exhibit that teaches people how to fold paper into beautiful boxes and cranes. The desk not only projects animations and videos for the user to mimic, but also monitors the folding of the paper to enable performance feedback. These project descriptions are accompanied by generalized principles for the design of Active Workspaces, process guidelines, and as well as analysis of relevant technologies and ruminations on possible future applications in this arena.by Wendy Guang-wen Ju.S.M

Negotiating a Mentor Practice in an Age of Reform

This dissertation builds on a theory of situated social practice, which holds that social practices, such as mentoring, can be transformed in and through relationships among people who are engaged in activities in the socially and politically structured world (Arnseth, 2008; Kemmis & Smith, 2008; Freire, 1970). A participatory action research study grounds this work and adds to a nascent line of empirical research on mentoring in urban teaching residency programs (UTRs) by asking how inquiry supported mentors and teacher educators in recognizing, negotiating, and naming a mentor practice for their hybrid, practice-based, district- and university-sponsored, teacher preparation program. I drew on situated learning theory (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998, 2010), to assert that mentoring in this study was a “boundary practice” that bridged teaching and teacher education practices in the UTR. Further, I showed that the boundary where mentors and teacher educators met was actively developed as a relational space where participants could resist pressure to conform with standardized, instrumental, performative, and complacent mentoring practices for the sake of improving the life chances of students in urban schools. Finally, I conclude that engagement in collaborative inquiry offered opportunities for mentors and teacher educators to negotiate the meaning and purpose of mentoring, jointly interpret and address problems of practice-based teacher learning, appropriate teacher evaluation protocols for preparing residents, and overcome discontinuities between their separate practices

Getting started with cloud computing : a LITA guide

"A one-stop guide for implementing cloud computing. Cloud computing can save your library time and money by enabling convenient, on-demand network access to resources like servers and applications. Libraries that take advantage of the cloud have fewer IT headaches because data centers provide continuous updates and mobility that standard computing cannot easily provide, which means less time and energy spent on software, and more time and energy to devote to the library's day to day mission and services. Here, leading LITA experts demystify language, deflate hype, and provide library-specific examples of real-world success you can emulate to guarantee efficiency and savings. Among several features, this book helps you select data access and file sharing services, build digital repositories, and utilize other cloud computing applications in your library. Together, you and the cloud can save time and money, and build the information destination your patrons will love."--Publisher's website.Edward M. Corrado, Heather Lea Moulaison, Editors ; with a Foreword by Roy Tennant.Perspectives on cloud computing in libraries / Heather Lea Moulaison and Edward M. Corrado -- Understanding the cloud : an introduction to the cloud / Rosalyn Metz -- Cloud computing : pros and cons / H. Frank Cervone -- What could computing means for libraries / Erik Mitchell -- Head in the clouds? A librarian/vendor perspective on cloud computing / Carl Grant -- Cloud computing for LIS education / Christinger R. Tomer and Susan W. Alman -- Library discovery services : from the ground to the cloud / Marshall Breeding -- Koha in the cloud / Christopher R. Nighswonger and Nicole C. Engard -- Leveraging OCLC cooperative library data in the cloud via web services / Karen A. Coombs -- Building push-button repositories in the cloud with dspace and amazon web services -- Untethering considerations : selecting a cloud-based data access and file-sharing solution / Heidi M. Nickisch Duggan and Michelle Frisque -- Sharepoint strategies for establishing a powerful library intranet / Jennifer Diffin and Dennis Nangle -- Using windows home server and amazon s3 to back up high-resolution digital objects to the cloud / Edward Iglesias -- Keeping your data on the ground when putting your (lib)guides in the cloud / Karen A. Reiman-Sendi, Kenneth J. Varnum, and Albert A. Bertram -- Parting the clouds : use of dropbox by embedded librarians / Caitlin A. Bagley -- From the cloud, a clear solution : how one academic library uses google calendar / Anne Leonard -- Integrating google forms into reference and instruction / Robin Elizabeth Miller -- Ning, fostering conversations in the cloud / Leland R. Deeds, Cindy Kissel-Ito, and Ann Thomas Knox -- Not every cloud has a silver lining : using a cloud application may not always be the best solution / Ann Whitney Gleason -- Speak up! using voicethread to encourage participation and collaboration in library instruction / Jennifer Ditkoff and Kara Young.Includes bibliographical references and index