Blogging and Publishing in the NSDL

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Blogging and Publishing in the NSDL
Dean Krafft, Carol Minton Morris (Cornell) Blythe
Bennett (Syracuse)
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Adding Value and Supporting Contribution in NSDL

• Structure of the talk
• NSDL Architecture From Web 1.0 to Web 2.0
• Overview of the New Architecture
• Inspiring Contribution and Collaboration -
  ExpertVoices
• Integrated Publishing of STEM Content and Context
  - OnRamp
• QA

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Todays NSDL

• A digital library describing over a million
  carefully selected online STEM resources for
  education
• Operated by the Core Integration team (Cornell,
  UCAR, Columbia)
• working with 9 pathways and
• over 200 NSF grantees
• Stakeholders include researchers, librarians,
  content providers, developers, students and
  teachers

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Why not just use Google?

• Google guides users based on analyzing the link
  structure of the entire web
• Search for Lava nothing on the first screen
  is science
• NSDL guides not just resource discovery, but
  resource selection and use
• Supports creating context for resources
• Presents resources in context in a lesson plan
  with ratings correlated with education standards
• Supports creating a permanent archive of
  resources
• Enables community tools for structuring,
  evaluation, annotation, contribution,
  collaboration
• Goal Create a dynamic, living library

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Initial Architecture Web 1.0

• Currently NSDL is based on a Metadata Repository
  created with OAI harvests
• Limited model
• Metadata-centric orientation
• No content only metadata
• Limited relationships collection/item
• Limits on context, structure, and access
• Severe limits on contribution and collaboration
• One-way data flow NSDL ? Users

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NSDL Data Repository Web 2.0

• Goals
• Architecture of participation service-based, not
  a monolithic application/user experience
• Remixable data sources and data transformations
• Harnessing (and capturing) collective
  intelligence
• A free market of millions of inter-related
  resources (create the long tail)
• Two-way data flow NSDL ? users
• Solution Fedora-based NSDL Data Repository

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Implementing the NDR Fedora

• A Flexible, Extensible Digital Object Repository
  Architecture
• Open source project with 2.2 million in Mellon
  funding 2002-2007
• Collaboration of Cornell and Univ. of Virginia
• Key funded users include
• eSciDoc project (collaboration of the Max Planck
  Society and FIZ Karlsruhe)
• VTLS Corp., Harris Corp., Library of Congress
• Australian Research Repositories Online to the
  World (ARROW)
• Royal Library Denmark, National Library, and DTU

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Fedora Overview

• An architecture and toolkit (like IIS or SQL
  Server), middleware, not a vertical application
• DSpace in contrast a vertical application with a
  fixed workflow targeted at users
• Arbitrary internal and external digital objects,
  disseminations (transformations and
  combinations), relationships among objects
• Entirely SOAP/REST based, disseminations are URLs
• XML data store RDBMS cache RDF triplestore
  supports relationship queries

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Implementing the NDR with Fedora

• Network overlay architecture A lens for viewing
  science content on the net, whether content is
  local, remote, or archived it all has a
  repository-based URL
• Multiple Objects Aggregators (collections),
  Metadata Providers (branding), Agents, Resources
  (with local or remote content), Metadata
• Relationships Structural (part of), Equivalence,
  Annotation, with arbitrary graph queries
• Web services disseminations are arbitrary
  recombinations of content
• Authentication/Authorization Collections and
  services manage their own repository content

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Status of the NDR

• Repository in production load
• over 875,000 metadata records
• over 2 million digital objects
• Over 163 million RDF triples (lots)
• Scaling challenges
• moved to 64-bit architecture with 32GB memory
• need to carefully structure RDF queries
• Estimating fully operational beta version of new
  NDR in February

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How should we use the NDR?

• The NDR provides powerful capabilities for
• Creating context around resources
• Enabling the NSDL community to directly
  contribute resources and context
• Representing a web of relationships among science
  resources and information about those resources
• How do we use it?

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Building Value in NSDL

• Issue Need to support scientific inquiry
• Studies of teaching and learning in science
  classrooms had led to two observations. First,
  most teachers were still using traditional,
  didactic methodsExamination of science
  classrooms revealed that many students were
  mastering disconnected facts in lieu of broader
  understandings, critical reasoning, and
  problem-solving skills.
• - From Inquiry and the National Science Education
  Standards (NRC, 2000)

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Building Value in NSDL

• Issue Students need a better understanding of
  the processes of scientific research
• A realistic view of the scientific enterprise
  is paramount as a goal for students studying
  science.
• Students often fail to understand that (a)
  science proceeds by fits and starts, (b) ideas
  based on evidence are still fallible, (c)
  scientific ideas are enhanced through a process
  of sharing, negotiation, and consensus building,
  and (d) continual inquiry is a fundamental
  attribute of the scientific enterprise.
• - From the NSTA Position Statement The Role of
  Research in Science Teaching

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Building Value in NSDL

• Issue Teachers are often under-prepared to teach
  science and mathematics
• The best predictors of higher student
  achievement in mathematics and science are (1)
  full certification of the teacher and (2) a
  college major in the field being taught
• However
• Many mathematics and science teachers in US
  schools do not have backgrounds needed to teach
  these subjects well. Many of the these teachers
  at the high-school level and even more at the
  middle school level do not have a college
  degree in the subject they are teaching. Many
  lack certification to teach mathematics and
  science, and a subset of teachers start in the
  classroom without any formal training.
• - From Rising Above the Gathering Storm
  Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter
  Economic Future. National Academies, 2005

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Building Value Using the NDR

• In Response NSDL is building an educational
  tool that
• Models scientific inquiry and exposes the
  processes of scientific research
• Promotes and facilitates conversations between
  research and education communities
• Brings content expertise into the classroom to
  support under-prepared teachers
• Allows scientists, teachers, and media
  specialists to collaboratively develop
  instructional context around NSDL resources

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ExpertVoices
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What is Expert Voices?

• A system using weblog technology to
• Support STEM conversations among scientists,
  teachers and students
• Tie NSDL resources to real-world science news
• Create context for resources to enhance
  discovery, selection and use
• Enable NSDL community members to become NSDL
  contributors of resources, questions, reviews,
  annotations, and metadata
• Expert Voices ? LiveJournal
• Contributors are carefully selected,
  contributions are about science, the process of
  science, and education

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Expert Voices As An Educational Tool

• Topic-based discussion (e.g. tsunamis) with
  pointers to related resources
• Research outreach (Criterion 2) explaining and
  documenting NSF-funded research
• Experts can add resources with topical context to
  the NSDL
• Resources can be reviewed and annotated
• Question/answer and discussion forum scientist ?
  teacher ? student ? librarian

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Broadening Participation An Expert Voices
Learning Scenario

• Hurricane Season Blog run by a National Weather
  Service hurricane expert, an Earth Science
  teacher, and a school media specialist familiar
  with NSDL resources
• Expert creates entry for Hurricane Gertrude
• On track to hit Ft. Lauderdale in 72 hours
• Currently undergoing eyewall replacement cycle
• Expecting 15 foot storm surge
• Media specialist adds links to NSDL resources
  Hurricane Hunters site, latest satellite photos,
  and USGS flooding and flood plain site (storm
  surge context)
• Teacher makes connections to relevant standards
  and appropriate pedagogy for use by other
  teachers
• Students experience engaging real-time,
  real-world applications of science lessons

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Broadening Participation An Expert Voices
Outreach Scenario

• NSF grantee Bioluminescence researcher wants to
  make research K-12 accessible
• Creates an Expert Voices conversation
• Enables his students and researchers to document
  process and results how science really works
• Writes about publications and educational
  resources (e.g. www.photobiology.info)
• Adds these to the NSDL, creating audience-level
  metadata
• Entries serve as annotations that create K-12
  context for the college-level research

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Expert Voices Implementation

• Open source multi-user blogging system
• Published entries become NSDL resources
• Owner controls publication of entries and
  visibility of comments
• Entries can contain linked references to NSDL
  resources, references to URLs that should become
  resources, and new resource metadata
• Integrated with NSDL community sign-on

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Expert VoicesImplementation

• Initial blog system is multi-user WordPress
• WordPress plug-ins provide NDR integration and
  Shibboleth authentication
• Publication of blog entry creates
• Content, as a new resource with simple metadata
• New NDR resources
• New metadata for any referenced resources in
  content
• Graph of relationships between entry and all
  referenced resources
• Blog available as independent RSS feed

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NDR Entry for Expert Voices
Existing Collection
Topic- based Blog
New Audience MD
New Metadata
Member of
Metadata Provider
Member of
Blog Entry
Metadata Provider
Metadata for
Metadata for
Annotates
Referenced New Resource 1
Referenced Existing Resource 2
Inferred relationship between resources
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StoryStarters What to talk about?

• Interesting questions
• What would happen if I got sucked into a black
  hole?
• How does the body know when to stop growing?
• Why are you a scientist?
• Theme driven events
• Tsunamis, earthquakes, floods
• ESTEME Week, Math Awareness Month
• Stardust (NASA), Foja Mt. species
• Highlighting new resources in NSDL

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Involving the Community

• Real-time entries on critical STEM issues
• Multiple contributors to topic
• Respectful scientific debate
• Educational exchange of ideas
• Information dissemination for NSDL/NSF projects
• Informal but scientifically valid discussion
• Debate results of studies or events in real time
• "Few scientists have caught on to the Internet's
  power of posting, commenting, and debating
  where are the rest?" David Secko, The Scientist
  August 1, 2005

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Collaboration

• Create collaborative discovery among
  experts-teachers/librarians-students
• Adds new content and relationships fully
  discoverable within NSDL.
• Global warming expert blogs about the trends in
  recent glacier melting rates (may include debate
  among experts)
• Teacher/librarian provides additional resources
  and research opportunities to students with
  references to articles on greenhouse gasses, a
  TeachersDomain video clip from Race to Save the
  Planet, and a NOAA site of paleoclimatology data
  sets
• Teacher/librarian team create and share the
  interdisciplinary lesson/unit online
• Students interact with real data, real expert,
  real science

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How Will NSDL Manage, Disseminate, and Highlight
New Content Generated by Many Contributors?
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Why On Ramp?

• NSDL is a large distributed community of
  organizations, contributors, and users
• Critical need to rapidly develop and disseminate
  information in multiple formats drawn from
  multiple sources
• Existing systems (e.g. SPT, web pages,
  hand-managed documents) are inadequate
• Requires flexible workflow, teams, and outputs

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Why not an existing CMS?

• Not integrated with Fedora and NDR
• Many are only focused on efficient storage and
  retrieval
• Most have fixed, static workflow only
• Frequently limited content data types and
  dissemination formats (e.g. web pages only, or
  web pages/RSS only)

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What is On Ramp?

• Fedora-based content management system with
• Flexible packaging, repackaging, repurposing and
  reuse of content
• Support for multiple users in multiple roles
  (e.g. author, editor, reviewer)
• Arbitrary user-defined workflow for document
  creation
• Ability to disseminate package of content in
  multiple formats (e.g. RSS, email, web
  page, print)

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Managing Content

• Multiple pieces of related content are gathered
  together into a package (e.g. a project or
  publication)
• Content moves through the system at the package
  level
• All content is maintained in a single repository,
  with multiple archived versions available at any
  time

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Managing Workflow

• User configurable workflows support multi-person
  authoring, editing, review, and release
• Integrated review process ensures quality of
  content
• Workflow supports scheduled release
• Delayed release (start date)
• Timed release (start and stop date)
• Periodic publication (regular release date)
• Limited lifespan (stop date)
• Ability to start over reinsert package into
  workflow

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Managing the Team

• Collaborators on a project do not necessarily
  reside in the same physical location
• Ability to define a team assigning members to
  specific roles in workflow process
• User roles can vary from project to project

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Managing Disseminations

• Packages can be disseminated in multiple formats
  RSS feeds, sets of web pages, email, or print
  publications (known as targets)
• Targets can disseminate subsets or rearrangements
  of the content in the package
• Pieces of content from multiple packages can be
  combined into a new package for use in a
  different context
• Existing packages can be sent to newly created
  targets

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Single Source Multiple Disseminations

• Maintain a single source of the content
• Example a set of news items for NSDL WhiteBoard
  Report
• Distribute the single copy of the content to
  multiple targets in variety of formats
• WhiteBoard Report (online web page)
• WhiteBoard Report (email sent on schedule)
• NSDL.org Headlines (RSS feed picked
  up by news organizations)
• NSDL Annual Report (print combined with many
  other content items)

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Broadening Participation An On Ramp
Communications Scenario

• The BioSciEdNet (BEN) Collaborative, an NSDL
  Biology Pathway project, is assembling a guide
  for instructors about how to use BEN digital
  resources to strengthen undergraduate teaching in
  the Biosciences.
• A team of teachers is recruited from BEN partner
  societies to author lesson plans and create
  resource context.
• Using NDR-based tools (e.g. Instructional
  Architect, Expert Voices) authors interweave
  existing BEN resources into targeted lesson plans
  and presentations using On Ramp.
• A BEN editor assembles the contributions.
• A panel of instructional specialists review
  content, returning some to authors
  for revision.
• The guide is released in both print and web
  formats.

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Integrating Education and Research An On Ramp
Outreach Scenario

• A scientist would like to create and disseminate
  a K12 workshop about an aspect of her labs
  research that is of particular interest to young
  people.
• Puts a distributed workshop team together with a
  variety of roles and assignments.
• The team plans, schedules and creates several
  packages for dissemination to different audiences
  
• Press release
• Registration information
• Workshop materials
• Evaluation and outcomes documents

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OnRamp Implementation

• Uses Shibboleth-based community sign-on
• Fedora-based content repository integrates with
  NDR
• Uses Fedora Workflow Orchestration Service (phase
  one release provides a single standard workflow)
• Integrates with Groupster user and group
  management system developed at Columbia
• Phase One release RSS disseminations 2Q06
• Phase Two release supports multiple workflows,
  additional disseminations, scheduling 3Q06
• Phase Three release enhanced user interface
  based on evaluation/feedback 1Q07

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Summary

• The NDR opens the door for creating a unique
  database of context, contribution, and
  collaboration on top of NSDL resources
• Expert Voices engages scientists, teachers, and
  library users in a dialogue about science,
  education, and the real world and it integrates
  that dialogue with high-quality STEM resources in
  the NSDL
• OnRamp supports the reviewed and edited
  publication and dissemination of NDR-integrated
  content and context in a wide range of media and
  formats

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Acknowledgements

• Fedora Team
• Sandy Payette
• Chris Wilper
• Carl Lagoze
• Thornton Staples
• Bob Haschart
• NSDL Core Integration Team
• Cornell
• Columbia
• UCAR
• Susan Jesuroga
• Susan Van Gundy
• Cornell HCI Lab
• Helene Hembrooke
• Erika Cullingford

• On Ramp
• Carol Minton Morris
• Lynette Rayle
• Elly Cramer
• Expert Voices
• Elly Cramer
• Blythe Bennett
• Cathy Elmore
• David Lankes
• Nina Shih
• Colin Zhao
• Yi Wei
• NSDL Data Repository
• Carl Lagoze
• Dean Krafft
• Elly Cramer
• Tim Cornwell
• Dean Eckstrom

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Questions?
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Contact Information

• Dean B. Krafft Cornell University
• dean_at_cs.cornell.edu
• Carol Minton Morris Cornell University
• clt6_at_cornell.edu
• Blythe Bennett Syracuse University
• blytheb_at_iis.syr.edu