Alaska Vacation Destinations - E-Learning Using Semantic Web and End-User Programming Techniques

Introduction

And migration of simple models that are normally created in spreadsheets to a shared learning environment, this educational modelling research should focus on the creation of a web based knowledge management system. Research is needed into creation of Semantic Web models for educators to use in order to create learning objects and models. Although there are web modelling tools available it still needs considerable effort to adapt these tools for educational use.

Visualisation and interaction provide rapid feedback that gives a powerful representation of the environment to be modelled. This approach can be used in combination with research into enabling end-user programming techniques in order to provide an environment for non programmers to model their problems. The constructionist approach to understanding problems is to learn about them by modelling them. With the development of technologies under the broad terms of Semantic Web and Web 2.0 there are opportunities to establish a highly interactive web based learning environment.

And modellers, and it is important to develop free software and encourage a community of end-user developers, a further constraint is the cost of software. Instead they are limited to the use of certain features that are provided for them. Many people would like to make greater use of computer technology but are hampered by the need to learn programming languages if they are to fully interact with software.

The e-learning software can be customised without requiring programming expertise. This is an alternative to provision of software as a finished article that can't be changed. The aim should be to create a software development environment that enables people to customise their own software solution.

Methodology

End-User Programming and the Semantic Web, the aim of this research is to try to bring together the areas of E-Learning. And remote from the public [2], 'House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology report science and society' [1], the system we could be used to promote engineering to a skeptical public who see the profession as poorly paid and dirty. In order to achieve these aims it is important to examine applications that assist in model building and critically review them. A Semantic Web modelling infrastructure could be created to be the basis of future research in learning systems.

More information about the history of end-user programming is available [7], some examples are available [6]. It is important now to re-examine and apply this research using Semantic Web/Web 2.0 tools and techniques. These systems were defined prior to the Semantic Web. Papert [4] and Smith [5] built on the Augment research to develop a method of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) that can be applied to e-learning. Since Engelbart's Augment [3] there have been attempts to create systems to aid learning.

And so involve those who have not previously been capable of participating in software development, this is different from other open source communities in that the intention is to make the software easier to use and develop. Researchers would benefit the community by providing education tools online and for libraries. This means feedback would be sought from users of software even if they were not software experts. As well as actual involvement in software development, or ease of use of software, the expertise provided by anyone involved can be applied to feedback on usefulness. Has harnessed skills of this very diverse range of people to make new discoveries, for example, astronomy. Retired people and amateurs who have useful expertise, people employed outside the academic environment, this includes students. It also allows the untapped potential to be developed of those who do not have an official research position; the advantages of open source collaboration are that as well as allowing researchers to co-operate and work together where they share an interest. The use of Web 2.0 for public policy is examined in [10], and can provide modelling capability over the Web, these applications are increasing in popularity. Mechanisms of Web 2.0 [8] applications include Google web spreadsheets [9].

In computing and engineering in a project to link together work on information management and visualisation for modelling and decision support, this means there is a need to co-ordinate researchers. Such as web based systems, in any location there are likely to be several researchers examining a different part of a related overall subject. And Human Computer Interaction, web development, computing, systems modelling, engineering, an E-Learning and Modelling tool could bring together experts in science.

And web editors for knowledge management, this corresponds to the type of work normally undertaken using spreadsheets for modelling. This software could allow interactive visual modelling of information. People can then use this to create their own software. These aims are also explained in [12], semantic Web tools and techniques can be used to create a web based end-user programming environment. End-user programming is particularly important in this research to make it possible for people who do not have a programming background to create their own educational tools. Scaffidi et al [11] show that most people who develop software are end users not professional programmers. Many people who are experts in their domain want to create software models.

Semantic/Web 2.0 Web Tools

And semantic web editors [16][17][18] to allow discussion and explanation of the models, blogs, such a project can involve use of editing tools such as wikis [13][14][15]. The tool created must make it practical to interact with and change educational models and to share information with others. Which does not require the user to write code, the need is for an alternative way of representing these models.

REASE (the repository of EASE for learning units) [21] provides a way to find and create learning materials for industrial applications of Semantic Web technologies. But they are still difficult for people to make use of as they require a good deal of development expertise, explained by EASE and in the Jena User Conference [20] or being developed at present, some Semantic Web tools are available. 'EASE: The European Association Semantic Web Education' [19] explains this need, there is an urgent need for Semantic Web tools to illustrate the benefits this technology can provide for education.

And can be searched and accessed using XQuery [25] and XForms [26], oWL can be searched using SPARQL [24] because it is based on RDF (Resource Description Framework)/XML. To achieve this flexibility ontology languages such as the open standard OWL (Web Ontology Language) [23] can be used. Flexibility is essential when different people are not all using the same systems. Berners-Lee defined the Semantic Web as 'a web of data that can be processed directly or indirectly by machines' [22]. Semantic Web techniques should be used because they can facilitate computer based communication. As they provide a higher level declarative view of the problem, semantic languages such as XML can be applied to software development as well as information representation. And programming languages used for actual code, until recently XML has been used to represent information. Amaya [16][17][18]; [13], gé this is why tools should be used such as Proté. Provide an interface and manage the user interface, as the high level translation this infrastructure would depend on tools developed in order to assist the user. This environment can be created using an open standard language such as XML (eXtensible Markup Language). A modelling environment needs to be created in order to allow people to customise their own models, to achieve this. The key problem is enabling a Semantic Web infrastructure that will be the basis for future research in learning systems.

End-User Programming

And learning [30], as this is cheap to support and allows for distributed modelling, this research could be particularly focused on the web environment. This research is influenced by the theory of constructionism explained in [30] and the use of Logo for teaching [31] and [32]. Or for high level end-user programming that can then be translated to a language more easily understood by computer systems, this is particularly useful for language independent programming. And translating to another, program Transformation allows for writing in one representation or language. An end-user programming environment can make use of 'Program Transformation'. Other End-User Programming Consortiums are End-Users Shaping Effective Software (EUSES) [28] and Network of Excellence on End User Development (EUD.Net) [29]. An end-user programming project could involve co-operation with the Institute for End User Computing (IEUC) [27].

Human Computer Interaction

As opposed to a one way causal effect", the idea of a two-way effect is essential to the concept of interaction. This definition used by Simons and Parmee [33] explains the aim "a kind of action that occurs as two or more objects have an effect on each other. And between different software environments, a two way translation is needed between human and computer. The visualisation of the model created could be displayed on the web, translations could be performed into any programming or meta-programming language or open standard information representation language. To achieve this is necessary to create a translator that converts the diagrammatic representation of a problem into e-learning objects. And translation to educational objects, and for provision of a high level interface as a tool for model creation, transformation into different representations as required, use of the Semantic Web is to be a means for open standard representation of learning material.

This process converts an abstract representation of a problem to a concrete model created with the aid of two way communication between the user and the modelling tool. Transformations are performed between a taxonomy representation of information into many different visualisations and software representations. And how a tree based representation is converted into an interactive diagrammatic representation [36], examples show a tree based representation of engineering components [35]. SVG is an XML based syntax so can be searched and modelled as such. Two examples are: as a tree (that can be colour coded to represent different types of information) and as an interactive SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) diagram of a component to be modelled. The visualisation can be depicted in various ways. In order to enable understanding of the models and e-learning objects it is essential to visualise them and allow interaction. And the software learning to do what the user requires, the education is then a two way process of the user learning from computer based software. Using an adaptive modelling tool, learners are thus able to instruct the software and so program solutions. The user has the role of an educator of the software which acts as an apprentice to learn what is required. The analogy of educating computer software to do what the user intends is called programming by demonstration in 'Watch What I Do: Programming by Demonstration' [34]. And education of both users and computer software, sharing of information, this communication strategy improves opportunities for end-user programming.

Ajax techniques for creation of interactive web models will assist computer literate end-users in programming tasks on the web [38]. Which is an overall name for techniques to create highly interactive web pages, interactive web programs can also be created using scripting languages and XML combinations such as AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript And XML). These interactive web pages can be based on visual programming languages such as Alice [37]. Highly interactive web pages that act like programs to provide a user interface can be used to provide an interactive User Driven Programming environment.

Collaborative Modelling

Which are translated into software representations, this subject is explored in [42] and is the basis of our visualisation techniques that enable users to create and understand models. Models must be designed and visualised so that they convey to users a representation of a problem that assists with their vision of it. It is possible to describe algorithms through concrete examples rather than abstractly. The representation of rules and information can be illustrated diagrammatically. He explains that this problem often means systems are created that make the user cope with the problems of mis-translation. Johnson [41] explains that successful interaction requires mapping between levels of abstractions and that translation between these abstraction levels required by users and computers is difficult. The need is to translate from a model-based visual representation understood by users to software. [40] both explain that alternatives to current software development approach are required; huhns [39] and Paternò.

Conclusion
Advantages of this research are : -

- Creation of an open standard online e-learning environment that is usable by non-programmers.

- Enabling of creation of e-learning objects by non programmers.

- Enabling widespread dissemination and sharing of models over the web.

And business, arts, software developers, engineers, scientists, - Provision of an educational resource for students.

And enable greater creation and use of educational tools, - Increased user involvement in e-learning development to allow savings in cost and time taken for this development.

- Availability of e-learning models and interactive visualisation of educational objects much more widely using browser based software.

- Enabling many more people to program.

- Opening up opportunities to people currently outside formal education.

This can give a practical illustration of the benefits end-user programming and Semantic Web techniques could provide for e-learning. This research can bridge the gap between computer literate people and e-learning software creation.

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