Software Systems for Virtual Academic Society

Timothy K. Shih, Tamkang University, Taiwan
June 1st, 2001

Topic:
Distance Learning/Virtual University system is one of the most important research issues in the literature of multimedia and distributed computing. The presentation starts from the discussion of current distance learning approaches, with a highlight to some potential research problems.

State-of-the-art technologies toward possible solutions of such problems will be presented. The presentation will cover three important research topics: communication tools for virtual university operations, instruction design and assessment systems, and multimedia databases for distance learning. The methodologies to support the design of these systems rely on three virtual university operation criteria: administration, awareness, and assessment. On the other hand, Virtual Conference is another important academia activity. Traditional conference organization requires audiences to attend the conference at the same location. To save traveling cost and time, it is possible to hold virtual conference on broadband networks. Essentially, the communication facilities required for distance education and virtual conference are similar.

However, virtual conference needs other supporting tools, such as a nomadic continuous media server, to enable distributed conference activity. The second part of the talk covers a mobile virtual conference system, which allows session chairs and session servers located in remote areas to manage virtual conference events. With the proposed software systems for virtual academic society, multimedia communication for distance education and research collaboration can be established on the broadband network.

About the Speaker:
Dr. Shih is a Professor and the Chairman of Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering at Tamkang University, Taiwan, R.O.C. His research interests include Multimedia Computing and Networking, Software Engineering, and Formal Specification and Verification. He was a faculty of the Computer Engineering Department at Tamkang University in 1986. In 1993 and 1994, he was a part time faculty of the Computer Engineering Department at Santa Clara University. He was also a visiting professor at the University of Aizu, Japan in summer 1999. Dr. Shih received his BS and MS degrees in Computer Engineering from Tamkang University and California State University, Chico, in 1983 and 1985, respectively. He also received his Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Santa Clara University in 1993. Dr. Shih has published over 200 papers and participated in many international academic activities. Dr. Shih has received many research awards, including Tamkang University research awards, NSC research awards (National Science Council of Taiwan), and IIAS research award of Germany. He also received many funded research grants from NSC, from the Institute of Information Industry, Taiwan, and from the University of Aizu, Japan. Dr. Shih has been invited frequently to give tutorials and talks at domestic and international conferences and research organizations.

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Digital Game-based Learning

Marc Prensky, Corporate Gameware LLC
June 1st, 2001

In a presentation based on his new book Digital Game-based Learning, Marc Prensky will address a growing and under-reported-on trend: The coming together of videogames and education for the generation raised on digital technology. This phenomenon represents the next generation after -- and a big step forward from -- "edutainment." It is happening spontaneously throughout education and training to provide more engaging instruction at all levels. It is especially good at addressing the legendary attention problems of the "Digital Natives" of Gens X, Y and beyond.

The broad-based "Digital Game-Based Learning"phenomenon includes:

• Pre-schoolers learning the alphabet and reading through computer games
• Elementary students reviewing the K-6 curriculum on Playstations;scores rising 30-40%
• Computer chess becoming a big part of K-12 curriculums
• Typing (aka "keyboarding")games becoming the standard way to teach the skill
• High schools students playing a multiplayer online game to learn electoral politics
• Financial traders using computer games to hone their skills
• Auditors using a computer game to learn about complex financial derivatives
• Policy makers playing a Sim City-style game to understand the health care system
• Business executives playing at running simulated HR departments and oil refineries
• Engineers using a consumer-style videogame to learn new CAD technology
• Military trainees fighting realistic battles in videogame-like simulators.
• Area Commanders-in-Chief playing out multi-force scenarios in a custom-designed video game

In his presentation Mr. Prensky will discuss the What, How, and Why of Digital Game-Based Learning and will show and discuss several examples from education, training and the military.

Biography:
Founder and CEO, Corporate Gameware LLC. He has written or been written about in dozens of magazines, and has spoken at conferences such as interactive 97 and ASTD International Convention. He recently spoke to organizational learning conferences sponsored by The Conference Board and IBM in the U.S., Japan, and Europe. Former vice president of a Boston-based software development company, where he developed the first multimedia applications for Harvard Business School, J.P. Morgan, The Boston Consulting Group and other clients.

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Internet2

Ted Hanss, University of Michigan
June 2nd, 2001

Internet2 (www.internet2.edu) is a consortium led by over 180 universities working in partnership with industry and government to develop and deploy advanced network applications and technologies, accelerating the creation of tomorrow's internet. Internet2 is recreating the partnership among academia, industry, and government that fostered today's internet in its infancy. The primary goals of Internet2 are to create a leading edge network capability for the national research and education community, enable revolutionary internet applications, and ensure the rapid transfer of new network services and applications to the broader internet community.

This talk will provide examples of the types of applications under development within the Internet2 community in support of research, teaching, and learning. These include streaming video (up to HDTV quality), high energy physics data mining, digital libraries, virtual reality in health care, and much more.

Internet2 has recently expanded access to its national backbone, Abilene, to include K-20 organization outside the research universities that make up the core of the membership. This will, we hope, lead to new collaborations and new applications. In addition, Internet2 has many international partnerships, working together to support global education communities.

Biography:
In January 1997, Ted joined the Internet 2 Project as the director of applications development. Basically, he's the applications advocate for the next generation of Internet services supporting higher education research and education.

He's doing this on loan from the University of Michigan Information Technology Division where up until January 1997, he had a wide variety of responsibilities as a Director/Senior Manager of the Division.

He participates in various external activities and gives presentations around the world (and occasionally writes about things). He received his bachelor's degree in Biology from Boston College and his Masters of Business Administration from the University of Michigan. His hobbies include travel, photography, cooking, and reading.

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Leveraging Distributed Expertise
in Learning and Teaching with Technologies

Roy Pea, SRI International
June 2nd, 2001

Innovations in component software, richly-interactive multimedia, and community tools promise significant improvements to K-12 learning and teaching environments. To make rapid progress toward fulfilling these promises, we illustrate through two projects the importance of "leveraging distributed expertise"--from teachers, web developers, programmers, curriculum experts, and standards developers. The ESCOT Project focuses on bringing together, for middle school mathematics, diverse developers and teachers in "integration teams" to create new web-based interactive learning activities from powerful interoperable software components. Teachscape provides a comprehensive approach to integrating on-line and on-site use of web-based video case studies and communities for K-12 teacher learning and professional development.

Biography:
Roy Pea is Co-Director of the Center for Technology in Learning at SRI International (formerly Stanford Research Institute), in Menlo Park, California (http://www.sri.com/policy/ctl), and Consulting Professor in the School of Education at Stanford University. He serves as Director for Teachscape, a company he co-founded that provides comprehensive K-12 teacher professional development services incorporating web-based video case studies of standards-based teaching and communities of learners. Pea is also a Director of VIPTone, a portal-based computing company providing e-integration services for reducing the complexity of integrating, delivering and managing the applications, curriculum and assessment, communications tools, networks and professional development for the education market.

Roy also directs the multi-institutional Center for Innovative Learning Technologies (http://cilt.org), funded by the National Science Foundation. One of its aims it to create a national knowledge network for catalyzing best practices and new designs for improving K-14 learning with technologies among researchers, schools, and industries.

Since 1981, Dr. Pea has been active in exploring, defining, and researching new issues in how information technologies can fundamentally support and advance learning and teaching, with particular focus on topics in science, mathematics, technology education. Particular areas of interest are computer-supported collaborative and on-line community learning, scientific visualization, and pervasive learning with wireless handheld computers. He has published over 100 chapters and articles on cognition, education, and learning technologies, and was co-author of the 2000 National Academy Press volume, How People Learn (Expanded Edition). With NAE President Bill Wulf, he is currently chairing a joint National Academy of Sciences/National Academy of Engineering Committee on Improving Learning with Information Technology.

Dr. Pea was a John Evans Professor of Education and the Learning Sciences at Northwestern University (1991-1996), where he founded and chaired the Learning Sciences Ph.D. Program, and served as Dean of the School of Education and Social Policy. During 1995-96, he was a Fellow of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Pea is a Fellow of the American Psychological Society. His consulting has included education program advisement for Ameritech, Apple Computer, ETS, George Lucas Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Mellon Foundation, National Science Foundation, Russell Sage Foundation, Sloan Foundation, Spencer Foundation, the states of Illinois and California, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. In 1978, he received his doctorate in developmental psychology from the University of Oxford, England, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.

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Videoconferencing: Fresh Faces in New Places

Bob Dixon, Ohio State University
June 3rd, 2001

Bob Dixon, an internationally known videoconferencing expert, will discuss the current status of videoconferencing: what people from around the world are using it to accomplish, what works and what does not, secrets of making multiple connections, quality of service concerns, and the future of videoconferencing as he sees it.

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