LOCAL foilset Web Technologies for Education and NPAC Projects Master Presentation

Given by Geoffrey C. Fox at Workshop on Education and Training Technology -- NIST on 25 March 1996. Foils prepared 24 March 1996
Abstract * Foil Index for this file

See also color GIF

• The World Wide Web offers the potential for revolutionary changes in education at all levels from K-12, undergraduate, graduate and continuing (lifelong) levels.
• We describe four significant activities where we have used Web Technologies to prepare and deliver education. These are the
• Living SchoolBook -- 6 K-12 schools in New York State connected by the high-speed ATM network NYNET to HPCC resources at NPAC;
• Undergraduate science education for non-science majors;
• Graduate computer science courses both at Syracuse and remotely with students in China.
• These curricula development and delivery activities build on a suite of Web Technologies.
• We will describe how text-indexed video, Perl, JavaScript, Java, VRML (incurrent and future 2.X version) and object databases can and are being woven into a novel interactive educational technology base.
• We speculate on the implication of pervasive availability of such capabities on Universities or more generally the current educational establishment.

This table of Contents Abstract

Foil 1 Web Technologies for Education --
The Virtual University and other Projects

• http://www.npac.syr.edu/users/gcf/teachingmar96.html
• Workshop on Education and Training Technology
• March 25-26,1996 at
• NIST, Gaithersburg, Maryland
• Geoffrey Fox
• NPAC
• Syracuse University
• 111 College Place
• Syracuse NY 13244-4100

Foil 2 Abstract of Web Technologies for Education Presentation

• The World Wide Web offers the potential for revolutionary changes in education at all levels from K-12, undergraduate, graduate and continuing (lifelong) levels.
• We describe four significant activities where we have used Web Technologies to prepare and deliver education. These are the
• Living SchoolBook -- 6 K-12 schools in New York State connected by the high-speed ATM network NYNET to HPCC resources at NPAC;
• Undergraduate science education for non-science majors;
• Graduate computer science courses both at Syracuse and remotely with students in China.
• These curricula development and delivery activities build on a suite of Web Technologies.
• We will describe how text-indexed video, Perl, JavaScript, Java, VRML (incurrent and future 2.X version) and object databases can and are being woven into a novel interactive educational technology base.
• We speculate on the implication of pervasive availability of such capabities on Universities or more generally the current educational establishment.

Foil 3 Choices of Formats and Filters in Web Systems

• Original Form of Data is mapped in batch or real time
• Natural Storage Format for particular type of Information
• Optimal Format for network transmission incorporating synchronization as in audio and video streams as well as compression
• Local Client formatting to (HTML,VRML) needed for standard browser display standards

Foil 4 Some (New) Web Technologies in a Nutshell - I

• Java -- Objected Oriented version of C/C++ supporting Interactive Distributed Computing. Previous Web computing (eg CGI) was server-side. Java allows design and Implementation of balanced Client Server Applications
  • Java likely to be a dominant software engineering language
  • Java will probably be prefered language for development of next generation Web servers and clients
  • Java Applets can implement Client Side (and hence scalable) Simulations to bring to life educational concepts e.g. neural networks, ecosystems, math functions etc.
  • Java can build customized GUI's and graphics/image processing as in NPAC's Visible Human Viewer (won JARS award Dec 95)
  • Java will be used for filters/agents to convert formats etc.

Foil 5 Some (New) Web Technologies in a Nutshell - II

• JavaScript -- only superficially related to Java and was called LiveScript -- is Netscape's fully interpreted Client side extension of HTML. This is a good integration/customization technology where flexibility more important than performance
• i.e. use JavaScript for Rapid Prototyping
  • Current examples use JavaScript together with frames (Netscape HTML extension) for interactive multi-window technologies
  • JavaScript is roughly equivalent to "Abstract Windowing Toolkit/ Layout Manager" in Java but applied to Netscape Frames and not Java windows
  • JavaScript cannot build filters or simulations

Foil 6 Some (New) Web Technologies in a Nutshell - III

• PERL is a relatively old technology which is being overtaken by Java tidal wave. Still PERL has much better Systems and Document handling capability than Java
  • traditional and probably best (today) choice for server CGI extensions and development of filters
  • -- especially those for text documents
  • Perl5 is object oriented but much less elegant (in my opinion) than Java
  • Perl5 has very useful multidimensional associative and regular arrays

Foil 7 Some (New) Web Technologies in a Nutshell - IV

• The Web provides a convenient integration environment for "mature" technologies migrating from existing computer environments.
• Relational databases are a good example where it is now straightforward in Oracle, DB2, Sybase etc. to provide a Web Interface which can be used for data (mail, curricula material etc.) with Java/JavaScript/Forms based Interfaces
• Object databases such as Illustra also interfaced to Web
• Several excellent Java to Database packages becoming available
• CORBA will have good Web and Java Interfaces

Foil 8 Some (New) Web Technologies in a Nutshell - V

• VRML 1.0 is now available and specifies static 3D scenes through which you can navigate. Already provides universal visualization environment and we have examples of use In Geographical Information Systems
  • Note can embed clickable URL's as with ImageMaps which can be used to annotate images to provide interactive educational resources
• VRML 2.0 is subject of active debate led by Mark Pesce. This is designed to support full interactivity (televirtuality) with texture mapped video, avatars etc.
  • VRML 2.0 will require huge computing resources whether used as the virtual car-dealership / interactivity gaming or more academic uses such as collaboration between teachers and students

Foil 9 Some (New) Web Technologies in a Nutshell - VI

• Digital Video and Audio. This will enable collaboration and dissemination of fixed assets (audio/video clips) stored in multi-media databases or of information encoded in real-time.
  • RealAudio commercial product uses wavelet compression and delivers AM quality audio over 28.8Kbaud lines. Therefore works on Internet and can combine with images (or Interactive Java animations) for Web Conferencing and Consulting
• Note these are typically streaming and not "batch" approachs. Current default Web downloads video to client before playing and this approach cannot scale!
• Can use traditional (relational) databases to store metadata and text with which to index video.
• Digital video works well over ISDN (128 kbits) but for full screen needs about .5 megabits per second even with wavelets
• This will be CNN/Network digital delivery technology for future infinite cable channel world

Foil 10 Examples of the Use of Java in Education

• I expect Java to be the the dominant implementation language for everything on the Web from Servers, Clients, MOO's, filters, Animations, Simulations etc.
• Can build neat clickable images including Visible Human (biology education!) and our 2D "Interactive Journey" clickable GIS for New York State
• This has several obvious near term applications including some examples of education in HPCC arena:
  • Downloading software for demonstrations or general client side computing
  • Use of Java to animate the display of performance visualization data
  • Use of Java to produce visualizations of data movement in algorithms such as matrix and particle dynamics -- Brown University initially demonstrated in sorting
• The above examples are quite interesting reasons for introduction of electronic journals as you should be able to explain complex ideas better this way
• Note Web was initially book/libraries done digitally.
• Now we are the second wave of opportunities exploiting the specific advantages of distributed computing backbone

Foil 11 Possible Uses of JavaScript in Education

• There are some cases where JavaScript is a rapid prototyping alternative to Java (Java can in principle do anything!)
• Current use (demonstrated in WebWisdom) is for customized display's of information where base information, simulations, audio(video), and indices can be linked in a friendly fashion.
• Syracuse is extending to a set of WebTools (originally developed as Server CGI scripts) with which you can build customized front-ends with user defined configurations choosing between type of access (administrator and naive user would be different) and display capabilities (resolution, color) of terminal
• Note client side and so fast even though interpreted
• However does not yet have (but needs) text processing capabilities of Perl

Foil 12 Possible Uses of VRML in Education

• VRML allows user annotated 3D visualizations so that you can explain features of results of simulation in a universal fashion which can be viewed on any machine
  • e.g. click on "cloud" and get informations on humidity, fluid velocity etc. (this could be generated automatically)
  • Experts can add insight as to why things are what they are!
• VRML is Very good GIS (Geographical Information System) technology and can be used by NASA/EPA etc for presentation of spatial data with again clickable annotations
• VRML is currently and perhaps intrinsically (numbers ascii) inefficient and Java is alternative / augmentation technology
  • We use Java client/server agents to generate VRML on the fly
• VRML 2.0 will allow projects like Argonne Labspace to produce collaborative televirtual environments

Foil 13 Uses of Databases in Education

• You can use structured databases such as Oracle to store resource data such as Glossaries in an organized fashion with (well-known technology) to generate HTML on the fly
  • Note WebFoil illustrates that computer generated HTML allows one to track changes in standards and exploit new features quicker
• Can also store unstructured information as illustrated by Usenet computer and other relevant newsgroups
• Use the powerful Search engines with domain (i.e. particular courses) specific keywords . These can be attached to commercial (e.,g. altavista) or inhouse Web Search sites so search confined to subset of curricula material
• Object databases can be very useful for VRML and other data which is naturally of this form such as images and output of simulations

Foil 14 Possible Uses of Digital Video in Education

• Clearly digital audio and video supports the type of collaborative environments needed for good teaching
  • this is natural use by consultants in distributed computer centers as envisaged by NSF resolicitation for supercomputer centers
• Digital video (in fashion similar to VRML 2.0) can be annotated to provide much more interactive results of scientific simulations
  • This is video equivalent of clickable 3D VRML scenes discussed earlier and is "academic" version of consumer interactive Movies where you can choose paths etc.
• Digital Audio and Video is currently less than 5% of web data but eventually it will be dominant (95%) form of digital information and serving will be major Web activity.
• Broad distribution requires ISDN-ATM speeds but can deliver from local WebServers as only needs Ethernet or less for each client
  • This is "Education in a box " -- ship multimedia courses on a Windows NT server to remote sites

Foil 15 Experiments with WebFoil and WebWisdom

• Presentation Systems -- Persuasion and PowerPoint -- give material at the right level of abstraction for teaching and highlighting issues.
• Books and conventional HTML pages are appropriate for in depth study and reference
• So claim information model for teaching (as I do it!) is:
  • Presentation Style Material hyperlinked to:
  • Structured book-style reference material for more detail
  • Glossaries/ Encyclopedia Galactica -like resources for structured background resource information
  • Search Engines of the multimedia Web with suitable curricula dependent keywords for unstructured background/new ideas
  • laboratories to experiment with concepts -- programming laboratories and the virtual field trip (clickable GIS)
• All linked to collaborative (Chat to MOO to VRML 2.X) interactive environment

Foil 16 From a PC/Macintosh Presentation to the Web

• Persuasion (quite easy) and PowerPoint(harder) Presentation:
  • Outline (Incomplete Information)
  • Full Images

Foil 17 Experiences with WebFoil

• Currently 161 "foilsets" with 6499 foils covering education, research and institutional presentations
  • Sets of "screendumps" are "fake" foilsets!
  • foils not unique as "scripts" generate composite presentations aimed at particular audiences
• 4 courses with material to cover at least a full semester
  • ECS400 -- Undergraduate Web Technologies
  • CPS616 -- Graduate Practical Information Technologies including Web
  • CPS615 -- Graduate Simulation HPCC Technologies
  • CPS713 -- Graduate Case Studies in Computational Science
• Various tutorials derived from this

Foil 18 WebWisdom--JavaScript for Structured Information

• Provides disciplined navigation and option control (from font size, Image background to RealAudio Carousel) for hierarchical Information World

Foil 19 Self-Documenting Web Pages

• WebWisdom uses self - documenting web pages (prepared by PERL filters!) where header has JavaScript functions which define:
• "World" in which document lives
• "Level" or "Family" in World
• Where associated indices are for lower level information
  • If page is Virtual University -- indices are to Degree Programs
  • If page is Degree Program -- indices are to Courses
  • If page is Course description -- indices are to Foilsets
  • if page is abstract of a Foilset -- indices are to Foils
  • if page is Foil -- indices are to Notes and Reference material
• Defines style of document -- whether it is audio,video, parameterized HTML etc.
• Defines different views (GIF/HTML)
• Defines URL's of child material for indices (which can be associated notes or further notes)

Foil 20 Web Education Areas of Interest to NPAC

• Living SchoolBook with 3 schools connected by ATM to NPAC -- excellent content, SU School of Education, Teacher Partnership
• Science for the 21st Century -- Science for non Scientists taught using (partially) Web Modules with growing student interest (currently 250 enrolled)
• Graduate/Continuing Education -- 4 courses and several Related Tutorials on the Web
• Education in a Box -- Web based Certificate in Computational Science offered at graduate level to initial group of students in China
• HPCC and Parallel Computing Consulting -- Develop resources to help NSF supercomputer centers consultants -- partiucularly interesting for resolicitation with distributed centers
• Interfaces for disabled as by product of home health care project

Foil 21 Some Technology Contributions of NPAC

• Text Indexed Video -- CNN/Reuters/Discovery Channel and other Video available on demand for use as supplemental material using Oracle based text index based on close captioning, associated programming or eventually speech recognition from video.
• Perl, Java and JavaScript WebWisdom system to allow Web Interface to Presentations with over 160 foilsets and 6500 foils
• VRML(3D) and Java(2D) Interface to Geographical Information System with clickable locations to be added by teacher and students -- this is virtual field trip
• Java Client Applets for Visible Human, Animation of algorithmic structure etc.
• Object databases for storage of VRML -- currently terrain data but will add annotated (by hyperlinks) VRML from weather and other HPCC simulations

Foil 22 Education in a Box -- Initial Steps to Understand Web Based Education

• Certificate in Computational Science offered at Harbin Institute of Technology (China) Spring 1996 -- started March 1,1996 -- is a prototype of Syracuse University extension school
• Although Internet Connections to China are not guaranteed to be great(!) we can still use Web Technology but assume that Electronic Course material will be packaged at NPAC(SU) in a Pentium PC running WindowsNT and Java
  • Possibly Oracle and Digital Video Server Support as well
  • Possibly RealAudio or similar digital audio
• This will be updated in batch mode by Syracuse -- China Connection
• Students in China will Interact with mentors in China and with NPAC via Internet (web and email)
• Project designed by Fox,Leskiw(NPAC), Xiaoming Li(Harbin and Peking visiting NPAC)

Foil 23 Scope of Certificate in Computational Science

• Graduate Students -- initially 5 guinea pigs
• 4 Courses -- each 10 1 hour lectures -- offered Spring 1996 over 20 week period
• ICPS 700: Introduction to Simulation Track of Computational Science
  • Parallel Architectures, Software, Grand Challenges, Parallel Algorithms (scaled back version of CPS615)
• ICPS 701: Parallel Programming Laboratory
  • Use of MPI to do real problems on a Cluster of Workstations/PC's
• ICPS710: World Wide Web Technology
  • Scaled back version of CPS616
• ICPS711: Web Programming
  • Laboratory companion course to ICPS700. Initially will use Java PERL4 and PERL5.

Foil 24 Some Synergies between Education and Home Based Health Care

• We are experimenting with home care terminals based on David Warner's "neat thing" sensory front-end, with rehabilitation and disabilities as initial application target.
  • We have rewritten original PC code in Java to allow Web Integration of sensory input and output
• This allows Doctors to interact with Patients at the Home with Instruments monitoring their health
• But it also allows Disabled access to Web and to Education on the Web as "neat thing" allow us to replace Mouse/Key board input with any measurable human signal
• For structured data at least, we have full control over both Patient and User Interface.
  • If not enough "resolution" to move mouse, can replace clickable URL's by scrolled list in Java or JavaScript with clickable NEXT PREVIOUS GO or SKIP-10 URL's in list etc discrete buttons controlled by disabled

Foil 25 Synergies with TeleMedicine

• There are several clear analogies between medical and education infomation systems and indeed we built a patient record database using similar JavaScript technology to that developed for WebFoil
• TeleMedicine -- Video Conferencing -- evolving to Medical Interventional Informatics -- a full interactive rich (Web) environment
• K-12 School Nurse - Web based patient record database with links to medical information (diagnosis, treatment) and 3 hierarchy levels:
  • 1) nurse terminals in local K-12 schools, connected to
  • 2) nurse practitioner station at the SU Nursing College, connected to
  • 3) pediatrician station at SUNY HSC (Local Hospital).
• Naturally synergistic with Teacher -- School of Education etc. Interactions

Northeast Parallel Architectures Center, Syracuse University, npac@npac.syr.edu