Step 2: Solving the Browser-Consistency Dilemma

How do you provide a consistent browser experience?

Firefox Portable has solved one of the biggest dilemmas - not all browsers and machines are the same, and I need to ensure that all students have access to the required tools.

In the past, access to required learning tools was delivered to students on a CD-ROM. For example, Deakin University provided all off-campus students with the Deakin Learning Toolkit:

“Students receive a Deakin Learning Toolkit. This contains basic written material introducing the website, services and support available. They also receive a CD, which gives them the necessary software to become connected and lots of information about support services, how to connect to the web, library resources, faculties and courses. The CD is designed to set up the students with all the necessary resources and information for them to begin their studies.”

Higher bandwidth has overcome most of the distribution challenges of the past. But just try and organise a large group of students to access a particular add-on in a particular browser which must be at a particular version and on a machine with the correct plug-ins and apps installed. Not once has this ever been possible with a 100% success rate in more than a decade of computer lab teaching!

With Firefox Portable, I set up the browser with the add-ons I require students to use. For the media-sharing assignment, I have decided upon the AddThis add-on for Firefox. The choice was based on the ability to restrict the choices of sharing sites in the button to Blogger only. To see the set up, a zip-file containing the full portable browser (as delivered to students) is available here.

With a class of over 60, separated into two computer labs, the first shock was to see the entire class turn up to a workshop which is deemed quasi-compulsory. The next challenge was that every fifth computer did not have java installed, so registering for a Google account required access to a mobile phone to retrieve the SMS code. Surprisingly, most of the students simply entered their phone numbers, retrieved the code, and wetn on with their registration.

By the end of the one-hour workshop, every student had registered a Google account, logged into the blog (I had to mass email the students beforehand and add late enrolments during the class), and posted a comment. Some had even downloaded Firefox Portable and added it to their student desktop (on the roaming profile). Those who had installed Firefox Portable had all attempted the use of the AddThis add-on. In the next workshop, this process will be complete and we should be able to start with the blogging and media-sharing the week after.

Lessons for next time: Ensure everybody has a Google account before arriving and have full written or video-recorded instructions on how to download and install Firefox Portable. Also, check whether the roaming profile is big enough to handle the 35mb required by Firefox.

Blog 'comments' provide Spam Act loophole for Oz spammers

Have you received one of these comments on your blog yet?

"There are many Australians that use wireless broadband as an additional home broadband service, allowing them the convenience of being connected to both the home and office while out and about or when traveling. -- http://www.let.com.au"

Now check out the search engine results here. As you can see, this is clearly a form of spam.

But not according to the Spam Act 2003. I received this response from the ACMA to my query from last week:

The Spam Act 2003 covers unsolicited commercial electronic messages. This includes emails, SMS, MMS and iMS services.

Under the Spam Act, the distinguishing feature is that a commercial electronic message needs to be sent via an Internet carriage service or any other listed carriage service to an address connected with an account of some sort.

In the case of the posting commercial messages on blogs, the blog itself and not an account (such as an email address) is used to receive the message.

Therefore, such postings are not within the scope of the Spam Act.

Obviously it is difficult to keep up to date with spammers and their techniques, and in many ways Australia was a pioneer in introducing legislative protection from spammers.

Nonetheless, the spammers seem to have the upper hand in extra-territorial matters. Interestingly, it has been two telecommunications companies who have posted spam comments on my blog.

While domestic communications networks remain tied to territorial jurisdiction, it would seem that a Wilsonian approach to solving the global spam problem is needed. The ITU has shown some leadership in this role although the international institution views 'appropriate legislation and effective enforcement' as the best means of reducing spam.

But businesses can also play a role. Recently, Microsoft received court approval to shut down the Waledac botnet.

And what of Australian businesses? At the moment, blog comments are not counted as spam and it would be difficult for any domestic government to police. But what about updating the Internet industry code of practice? I will attempt to submit something to the IIA about this issue and will report back later.

Step 1: Managing the Web 2.0 Environment

The Assessment Items

Two main assessment items are being addressed in this first project:

    A group blog: This activity requires students to write a number of blog posts, with a set word limit, each requiring references using the APA referencing system. Students are required to comment on a set number of their colleagues’ posts.
    A media sharing assignment: Students are required to identify and share a set number of media articles related to set topics, and then comment on their colleagues’ articles.

The Web 2.0 Challenge

A significant challenge for teaching in the Web 2.0 environment is developing efficiencies which can be up-scaled to large numbers of participants. After using Facebook as an optional channel for online participation in 2007 (with about 200 participants), I found the effort required was not worth the ‘wow’ factor which some students experienced, even though participation improved dramatically.

Working in an online environment with large groups also means waiting for participants to perform simple tasks like registering new accounts (such as Blogger or Facebook) and requesting new passwords to forgotten email accounts. Further, it is surprising the number of 'digital natives' who have not received a 'digital education'. For example, out of a class of 65 students aged 18-22, only two had blogged before. The administrative tasks are therefore a major obstacle.

Purpose-built learning management systems (LMS) provide better administrative controls to monitor and keep track of participants' contributions. However, LMS do not give students experience with common Web 2.0 applications. I am focusing on assessing the learning outcomes, which include contextual and conceptual knowledge, but in a Web 2.0 environment. The approach is designed to develop students' generic skills in online written communication. While the online environment is a secondary focus, it tends to require the most effort.

The Web 2.0 challenge, then, is to minimise the transaction costs yet provide students with a genuine Web 2.0 experience.

The Browser Drama

In the near future, we should have access to a hosted blog-aggregator or buddypress site. In the meantime, I have set up a simple, private Google Blogger blog and invited students to join as contributors via their student email. During the first computer lab session, numerous problems with web browsers emerged, such as outdated versions, a lack of plugins or no flashplayer or java installed. The usual forgotten email passwords occurred, too, but there is little that can be done other than allowing plenty of time and providing concurrent activities for those who are better organised.

Without a blog aggregator, I decided to use just the one group blog to enable me to keep track of all students and control access to outsiders. But the media sharing activity proved to be a difficult. The different browser characteristics also prevented some students from posting comments during the practice run. I had originally intended to use digg.com for the media sharing, but without an aggregator the setup time seemed daunting.

After dicussions with UC Hothouse colleagues today and some trials this evening, I have decided on the following solution:

• Firefox Portable enables the browser environment to be controlled. I have set up the relevant add-ons, and the blog and other instructions have been set as the home pages. Because Firefox is self contained, I will set up a html intro page with instructions for using the browser with the blog. The entire browser is 35mb so I can set this up on the LMS page for students to download to their flashdrives. I have also located a number of old marketing flash-drives that I can provide for students who need them. This has solved the browser problem.
• I tested a number of sharing apps that integrate with Blogger. I found the AddThis function the best as it enabled me to restrict the sharing choices to Blogger only. This means that students can simply search the Net for relevant media articles, and then use the AddThis button in the browser to share the article via the blog.

This is where I am up to today. Tomorrow I will be testing this approach during the computer lab workshop. The next steps are to solve the browser consistency dilemma and then the identity drama, but more on that later.