Samir,
I have worked with the newest version of Wimpy Point for OpenACS and it
needs some work before it can be ported to dotLRN. The present version has
a few bugs, some which can even cause database inconsistencies (one slide
had three live revisions with two different sort keys, every slide should just
have one live revision and one sort key which caused an error - Peter
Marklund tracked the problem down, but could not find the cause).
One thing that is missing is a function which allows the user to create a
computer/network independent version of their presentation (for backup
purposes). Printing each individual slide is quite laborious and unpractical
(having something serverside that creates a pdf of all the slides would be
nice).
As far as a standard for glossary export (as you asked in the other thread)
you should seriously consider the IMS Content Packaging Specification as
outlined here: http://www.imsglobal.org/content/packaging/index.cfm
I found a sample implementation of an export from a glossary tool in a commercial eLearning platform:
http://www.webct.com/service/ViewContent?contentID=10936290
Starting on page 64 of the document you will find an recommended IMS data
manifest and data file for the WebCT glossary tool.
It would also be nice to see a bulk upload/download feature for glossary which uses a format the users are used to dealing with (e.g. .csv).
I also feel that it is critical for the platform that all dotLRN packages/
applets take advantage of the group/community structures which are built into
dotLRN (which I hope make it into OpenACS soon). This applies to both the
glossary and Wimpy Point (and all other packages/applets for that matter).
This would allow for different levels of collaborative authoring, content
sharing, permissioning and publication with others in learning communities.
Content should be able to be shared and commented on within a scope
defined by the author, so that the author can publish to any user, group, or the
general public. It would be best if there was a single UI for this. This kind of
functionality will eventually make dotLRN stand out of the crowd... I really look
forward to seeing the approach taken with the Research and Collaboration
tool.
