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2002-11-29Scholarship and CollegialityeLearning On-LineOh, it's eMBAnetWell I didn't get it. I thought it was some exotic name that the two founders of the company cooked up. Vicki was looking over my shoulder and she got it immediately.ALN and CMC'sALNs are Asynchronous Learning Networks, and CMC is Computer Mediated Communication. The e.MBAnet.com use of FirstClass is as a CMC as part of an ASN. The following material includes a study done early in the use of FirstClass. The class that was observed was one that was training instructors for ALNs (nice touch). Although the study involves a single class and a small number of participants, there were some strong recommendations toward creating conditions by which people become included and establish themselves as a community of practice around the course of study. It is interesting to see the concerns that were raised by students and the recommendations that are made in response.As far as I can tell, KIT eLearning and the University of Liverpool are taking the recommendations to heart. The orientation process and the initial Computer Structures courses are being offered in a way that is designed in accord with those recommendations. It is interesting that we were referred to the paper as part of our first assignment, along with reading the student guide for the on-line Masters Degree programs. The Social Dimension of Asynchronous Learning Networks. A 1998 paper from the Journal of ALN by Rupert Wegerif. "This paper argues that the social dimension is important to effectiveness of Asynchronous Learning Networks (ALNs) and needs to be taken into account in the design of courses. Evidence from an ethnographic study of the Teaching and Learning Online (TLO) course offered by the Institute of Education Technology at the Open University is presented in support of this argument. This study found that individual success or failure on the course depended upon the extent to which students were able to cross a threshold from feeling like outsiders to feeling like insiders. Factors affecting the construction of a sense of community are drawn out from interviews with students. The significance of these findings is discussed in relation to a situated model of learning as induction into a community of practice. Finally recommendations are made for the support of community building in the design of courses. " -- From the Abstract. home - sloan-c.org - online education consortium. "The purpose of the Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C) is to make education a part of everyday life, accessible and affordable for anyone, anywhere, at any time, in a wide variety of disciplines. Sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation..." This is a sponsor for the Asynchronous Learning Networks site. ALN Web Homepage. My just-starting M.Sc studies are being done via asynchronous learning. Here is an organization devoted to the subject. 2002-11-26How We Are To Be Known to MachinesThis continues a topic begun earlier today.Why Human Markup Language?HumanMarkup.org: Bringing Human Qualities into Information Technology. [2002-12-02] The key site. The promise is very bright. I have concerns about the execution and content. How does it accomplish such a great promise?Requirements and application of Human MLHuman Markup Frameworks (ontologies). Here's a grand parade of ontological verbiage. At least this one uses "ethnic heritage," separate from skin color, as a physical descriptor. I can't figure out how this is any more of a physical descriptor than race is, but at least someone was paying attention a little. Culture is a separate category here, by the way.The question I am left with is as follows. Considering that most use of human language is in talking about each other, exactly what fidelity is there to be improved? Look at all of these terms and notions. Look at the proposed sorts of classifications. And tell me again how Human ML accomplishes that. [2002-11-29]I would be completely willing to concede that the defect of Human ML is that it is misnamed. I could deal with a remedy that resolves that and is straight about just what the subject matter is. Perhaps a great contribution to the fidelity of human communication, right there. Human Markup Language Requirements. Hmm, well, I don't know if OASIS has a pro forma for requirements or not, but this is interesting. Procedurally, what's cool is this is a working draft, but the 1.0 Specification has been passed out of the committee already. Another feature, so that people understand how this works, is that the work was done by seven people plus three invited experts. I just want to point out how this sort of thing gets done. I am sure there were more discussants in the development of the specification. And it is useful to know that the framing of something like this is often done by a small, pretty self-selected group of individuals. I haven't done any qualification on this (beyond wondering if competencies are a human characteristic covered by the HML). I wonder if the members of the committee have done these markups on themselves? This document is very focused on technical matters around Human ML as an artifact and as a specification and the process involved in developing it. The requirements are mainly technical ones not having anything much to do with the subject matter. Here is the subject-matter requirement statement: "The Primary Base Human Markup Language XML Schema MUST contain the Elements and Attributes to describe a basic or fundamental set of characteristics of HUMAN entities and HUMAN activities as they occur in digital information systems. In keeping with the charter of the OASIS HumanMarkup Technical Committee, which states that the aim of HumanML is to "enhance the fidelity of human communication," this schema SHOULD specifically address the HUMAN activity of communication." [2002-11-28: This puts a new wrinkle on "enhancing the fidelity of human communication" that I had completely overlooked. That's one more variation that is weasled around here. I either don't know what this means at all (quite likely), or it is a weird transition from enhancing the fidelity of human communication through the use of Human ML to having human communication being a topic of Human ML. Seems quite different to me. And the way in which (a) having a way to describe characteristics of HUMAN entities and HUMAN entities is to accomplish (b) enhancement of the fidelity of human communication seems to be left completely unexamined, as if there is a tacit assumption that (a) will simply accomplish (b). --orcmid:] [2002-11-28: I completely overlooked something even funnier. All of the MUSTs, above, are used in the sense used in IETF specifications. That's simple enough. The technical distinction among MAY, MUST, and SHOULD, as capitalized, is becoming widely adopted in the development of specifications and standards. The use of capitalization to signify a technical/specific usage is also popular. Now, HUMAN is pretty odd in this case, as already noted. But here's what's even funnier to me: SHOULD in the subject-matter requirement is only introduced once. with regard to satisfying the fundamental subject-matter requirement and justification for having this activity in the first place, according to the charter. I think this is a wonderful demonstration of the human propensity for not talking straight. All of the plumbing and formal structure is a MUST, the content is merely something the working gorup SHOULD accomplish. It also strengthen's my recommendation and challenge that this work, and its authors, be subjected to the application of this methodology as a simple reality check of the most fundamental kind. -- orcmid] The use of "HUMAN" in this peculiar way comes from the following definition: «HUMAN "When capitalized, as above, this term is defined as what the HumanMarkup Initiative aims to encapsulate into HumanML. Used thus, this term applies to humankind, i.e.HUMAN individuals, HUMAN thought, HUMAN activities.» And here's the rub: «"human" «When enclosed in double quote marks without capitalization, as above, this term is defined as an individual entity in a digital environment that may represent a [sometime-] living human being with the rights and privileges granted to a "human" or else to a software AGENT acting as a "human."» The additional categories are DEVELOPER(S) and USER(S). This is very data-system centric, with great ambitions of reach (AI to psychology to conflict resolution). This is ridiculous. OASIS - Committees - HumanMarkup TC - Charter. I am looking for a well-defined scope for application of Human Markup Language. The short version is "HumanML is designed to represent human characteristics through XML. The aim is to enhance the fidelity of human communication." The kinds of characteristics are numerous: "Examples of human characteristics include emotions, physical descriptors, proxemics, kinesics, haptics, intentions, and attitude." I note that some of these are not necessarily human characteristics as much as attributions made about individuals and groups. It is also said that "Applications of HumanML include agents of various types, AI systems, virtual reality, psychotherapy, online negotiations, facilitations, dialogue, and conflict resolution systems" This seems to be far more difuse than enhancing the fidelity of human communication. There is then some language that charters HumanML to take a particular form, sort of the technical requirements for it. Deliver XML Schema and RDF Schema specifications, and so on. The modules to be defined in this way will "frame and embed contextual human characteristics including physical, cultural, social, kinesic, psychological, and intentional features within conveyed information." It is presumed that other efforts, under this charter, will "address the overall concerns of both representing and amalgamating human information within data." It seems to me that this is not about enhancing the fidelity of human communication. I would say that it is designed to codify the way information about people is conveyed. Whether the fidelity of that conveyance will be enhanced or not is outside my area of expertise. [2002-11-28: Well, maybe not. Even as a lay observer, I see several places where the fidelity of human communication is deteriorated by unwarranted generalization, universalization, and decontextualization -- yes, all of those -- exhibited in version 1.0 of the Human ML specification. -- orcmid:] Technical Ontologies Considered HarmfulMore on this topic was added later today.Wow, if I wanted a crusade, here is a good one. I find ontology work amusing, generally, and I think, well, it can't do any harm and the classications and terminologies can be useful even when they don't do what people think they will do. I forget that there is thought to be something objective about the work on technical ontologies. And now we start to see the dark side. It is time to speak up, though I am not at all sure of a constructive way to do it. OASIS human markup languageThese notes are in reverse-chronological sequence, as usual for bloggings, so you should skip down to the beginning for the complete picture.I wouldn't mind it if this sort of thing simply wouldn't work and that we'll discover that in an effort to make widespread use of it. No, I am concerned about the unacceptable assertion of a neutral, objective system with dangerous hard-wired classifications. Repeat after me: Race is not a physical characteristic. Skin color, complexion, stature, all kinds of things are physical characteristics. Race is not one of them. I am not sure that tattoos and distinguishing marks should be considered physical characteristics either, but I am not so concerned about that. And this is not about the assumption of "race" as a concept about something physical. It is about the illusion of not taking anything for granted. That conceit is what really scares me. The inclusion of race as an identifiable physical characteristic that can be embraced with some kind of discrete coding system is just the most dramatic symptom that I found in this material. By the way, if you want to argue about whether or not race is an objective physical characteristic, fine. What are the distinct qualities and how are they identified? Remember to include yourself and all the people in your immediate acquaintance as demonstration and evidence for the reliability and objectivity of your proposed classification. Human Markup Language Primary Base Specification 1.0 section 4.4.6 physicalDescriptors: "This huml term physicalDescritors is a set of attributes for a physical description of a human." Apparently the authors are not reading their own statements. How does this apply to an artificial human? OK, I am being picky. I am also now pissed off. Look at what are thought to be appropriate "physical descriptors." "NOTE: The hair color, eyeColor, race or build attributes need code lists for values." Race? Let see, we promised to take nothing for granted, right. And there is some coding of race as if it is a measurable quality of a physical human. Marvelous. OK, now it is time to object. I get that it won't be gotten, but bureaucrats are moved by challenges here even when it isn't understood. It is clearly not politically correct to use race as a physical classification, and I suppose I can base my objection on that, though I really don't like the idea. It would be great if there were simple recognition that race (especially coded race) is a social construction and the legalized use of it for EEO, entitlements, and other demographic purposes is artificial. And very specific to a given culture and governmental authority. I don't mean that it is invalid. I mean that it is artificial and a construction, like the agreed value of money. Yes, "race" is a hot button. I can't understand how that wasn't thought of before this point in the work on HML. For that matter, see how even hair color works as a classification. When my car was painted "Sandlewood" I saw many different descriptions of its color. The range of description was between gold and brown. It's black now, so I no longer have that problem. I wonder what language and ethnicity all of these descriptive terms will be relative to. "NOTE: These issues are deferred to the Human Physical Characteristics Description Markup Language." O great. I wonder where that is being done and if it is of the same calibre as this little gem. I think there is water running down the stairs now. Bye. Really. Bye. Human Markup Language Primary Base Specification 1.0 section 4.2.14 HumanNameElements: "HumanNameElements is a set of attributes for documenting the names and aliases of real or artificial humans, communities, businesses, etc. "This specification does not supercede the standards which have been cited, nor does it wish to establish its own different standards. It only adds its own elements which can be used in applications that do not need or for any reason do not want to use the somewhat duplicated, but interoperable, terms listed in this complexType. " I can't help myself. It just gets worse. If you are looking at this, I recommend that you stand way back and get present to who you are, where you are situated, your experience of yourself and the others there, and then read this again. What does this have to do with your reality as a human being? "Real or artificial humans, communities, businesses, etc." What the !@#$ is an "artificial human," an "artificial community," or an "artificial business." And how is it not taking anything for granted to assume that it is valuable and even sensible to not discriminate from such, whatever that is. I think I hear the tub overflowing. Bye. Human Markup Language Primary Base Specification 1.0 section 4.2.13 Human Group: "This fundamental distinction is necessary in the same way that our definition of Human is necessary. By adopting no crieterion for what constitutes a Human other than self-assertion and no criterion for what constitutes a HumanGroup other than co-existence in any kind of environment, we allow for better clarity in chronicling the set of characteristics which describe a particular Human or HumanGroup, and we require better fundamental descriptions that take nothing for granted." self-assertion? self-assertion???? Did a human write this? Taking nothing for granted! Oh, right. How about self-assertion? Here's a self-assertion: "I think, therefore I am." Or, "I am what am." I am looking for a place to be generous with this. Time for a cold shower. We'll see if that helps. Meanwhile, I want to see an ontology that characterizes itself, with nothing added and nothing left out. I want to see that. Maybe the rub is in the latent assumption that this is about "human" and it is named Human Markup. Cringe. Now for that shower. Human Markup Language Primary Base Specification 1.0. From section 4.2.12 Human: Our interest is aside from establishing basic identity, for we are committed to simultaneously documenting greater depth of individual information while introducing no procedures to distinguish between a living human being and a representation of a human, even if, and especially if, that representation is an agent such as a software program acting according to its instructions, whether on behalf of a living human being or not. An entity which represents itself as human, is human as far as this specification is concerned [emphasis added]. This would be awfully funny if it weren't said so seriously. I can't imagine what would qualify as a constructive response here. Let's see, there is objectification of human being. OK, got that. And then there is collapse of being human, engaging with a human, and dealing with "representations" of humans, of which I would think an agent possessing an "identification" associated with a human is just one example. It is heartening to realize that this is not going to go anywhere in reality. Or is it? OASIS - Committees - HumanMarkup TC. I just saw an announcement about this in my e-mail. I thought it must be a joke or a spoof. No, it is not April 1. So I followed one of the links and here we are. This is taken seriously. How peculiar. Scholarship and CollegialityeLearning On-LineStudy and communication habitsI have been browsing the KIT Campus announcements and also some student postings. Here are some gleanings.Student Ian Barnes [March 1, 2002] advises others to always read 1 week ahead in the textbooks and visit the on-line classroom often. In a later note [2002-03-02], Ian says that before you see the syllabus, it is good to just read the first 1-2 chapters before the start. Ian confirms that he is spending 10-20 hours per week. There is advice given in a report from the Senior VP for Academic Affairs about balancing discussion and other aspects of courses, how to know, and how to avoid overdoing it. There is amazing advice and open-ness here, and I will be capturing more for designing the way I study. Students also get off on rant threads (without changes of subject) the same as on other forum mechanisms. Microsoft technology and Linux are great hot buttons. There is a big difference between being in the KIT eLearning area and among people focused on instruction and participation. Reviewing announcements posted over the past year leaves me very impressed with the attention that the academic staff provides and the open-ness of communication with students. This is in contrast with exploring the Embanet focused material. It seems to me that part of it is because Embanet does not deliver instruction, it delivers systems for instruction to businesses, organizations, and institutions for them to use in delivering on-line instruction. Customization and support is provided, but Embanet is not an educational institution. So the materials on Embanet are about Embanet and why I, if I was part of an enterprise with need to deliver instruction, would be interested in them. That's how it strikes me. And the story of how Embanet was started is an exciting one. Right up there along with success stories about two guys working in their garage. It is just difficult to situate myself in the possibility of Embanet, or in its vision and mission statements. I find some inspiration in it, but everything about the place says I am not who they are interested in serving. [2002-11-29] That doesn't seem to be a problem. KIT eLearning and the University of Liverpool are clearly interested in me as a student and what my student experience is. There are also aspects of Embanet's approach that are focused on learning experience and providing a place where education occurs. The most heartening aspects are the messages I see from the KIT eLearning administration and people concerned for the academic program. Familiarization with the spaceI spent a total of about 5 hours on-line working the tutorials and beginning to explore the student areas, announcements, and so on. The difference, now, is that I have moved past learning how to drive in this space and am now more interested in the content of what is here and what the community is up to. My orientation won't begin for a few days, but there are announcements, student postings, and other materials that I can explore. I am beginning to do that, while also tuning my own résumé, organizing my folders, and so on. I am now finding more room for play and exploration.No easy blogging. Because the Embanet FirstClass interface is delivered by a custom application, there is no easy blogging. This is a demonstration of how a custom interface will ultimately be surpassed and obsoleted. It will be interesting to see how that plays out in the evolution of Embanet and its services, combined with the evolution of the Internet and the change of access and navigation models brought on by internet technologies for collaboration. For now, there is plenty to enjoy right here. And I would love to be able to easily blog notes while exploring the campus. Using the e-mail. I made settings to have messages to me automatically forward to my Outlook e-mail account. That didn't seem to work. On reflection, maybe I don't want it to. It will be harmonious to operate here in the same space as the students, and using the view of messages that is provided and expected here. When I want to save something I will have to forward it to myself or download it. Either works well enough, except formatting is lost (messages show up as plain text out in SMTP-land). Using the browser accessAlthough there are warnings that the browser access will be slow and less functional, I found that it worked well over my DSL connection. The custom client application is very snappy, though.Authoring challenges. I also noticed that it is difficult to author for the three views of material on Embanet FirstClass. The browser view has browser navigation, so that is a help. However, what I seen when visiting a page is not what the author of the page may think I have in front of me. This has to do mainly with FirstClass "directories" also having content. I may not have the proper metaphor for it, but the classic view seems to be the one designed for (it is the most appealing in terms of appearance), and not all of the (contextual) material shows up in the explorer and browser views. I have been using the explorer view as my default, since it has a nice navigation tree on the left panel that I can always orient with and zip through. When it is clear that I am looking at content oriented for the classical view, I double-click on the item's explorer node to open a new window that continues in the classical view. (This seems to all be pretty straightforward use of the Windows 95 way of doing all this, except here a classical view can be split and have active desktop qualities.) Creatures of habit. I have already developed automatic habits for getting around and compensating for the idiosyncracies of the FirstClass interface and the way that information is organized. Less than 8 hours of use, and I am acclimated, habituated, and unconscious already. 2002-11-25Familiarization with EmbanetAn important difference. The Explorer view and the Classic view are not interchangeable. For one thing, a folder can have links or icons in the top part, and these don't show up when a folder is in the top of a split view. So the explorer view will not have what some tutorials refer to in their body text, when the text is in the bottom of a split directory or in the preview pane of the explorer itself. There may be settings to jiggle this together properly. I haven't found them yet.Kvetch, kvetch, kvetch ... I was going through a module on customizing my toolbar view of the desktop application, and it is very clear that the menu structure has been redone since the tutorial page was written. I can figure it out, but I am not so sure I would recommend this experience to someone who is not pretty computer-adroit. The big thing about this is that people will feel incompetent with this, get angry, avoid the thing, and generally not have the kind of experience that I am certain the creators of this system would say is their intention. What, no résumé? I was lucky that the first person I tested the chat tool with was an instructor and she very graciously told me a little about herself. We have similar interests, in both liking the idea of becoming on-line instructors and also instructors "on the ground." As part of my continuing preparation, I prepared a short résumé (we are very continental around here) and added my standard picture and links to things. However, it doesn't show up in the place where it is supposed to be. It's in the system because I can re-open it. There just isn't any web page where it is supposed to be. This may be a latency issue in the Embanet system, so I will keep checking. When it's there, we should all be able to see it at Dennis Hamilton. [2002-11-27] I am not sure that the résumé is automatically implemented as a web page. I think that is a difference in the implementation of the system. There is a web directory at Dennis Hamilton, and I would not be surprised that I can use it, but it doesn't have a home page right now. something new to work on. An Attaboy. OK, something specific that I like about the Embanet FirstClass desktop client. The menu bars are the same over all windows, so that all functions are available from anywhere. There are ways to link to major places from any open window. In the explorer view, using the preview window, with the little folder window above it, one can have complete context, along with the explorer tree down the left. This is a life-saver and I will train myself to use it. Oh, and before I forget, having the explorer window maximized makes it a little difficult to work with other windows at times because bringing the explorer view to the top hides everything else. As long as I keep my windows task bar tidy, that isn't so bad. Things there are to do. 1. I would like to set my signature. - done that. Orcmid's lair is a laim destination though. 2. I want to fill in my resume. - done that. It isn't showing up though. 3. There are some interesting other kinds of document types supported with FirstClass, and they interest me, especially Help documents and Personal Web pages. 4. I want to find a group to work with, especially to see how the White Board technology works when shared. Fiddling about. Well, I have spent 2h 7m logged onto FirstClass so far. I have completed the first two modules. It is all pretty easy going. On the last exit I reset my preferences for the Explorer interface and I'll see how much that helps in getting around in the initial tutorials. In addition to being tired with it for now (more related to having a long day yesterday and less sleep than usual last night), I notice two things: 1. In addition to the proliferation of multiple open windows and the loss of context, I am also becoming disturbed about the degree to which the tutorial is not for the version of software that we are running. I can puzzle it all out, but I don't like having to deal with all of that instead of the purpose for being here. This is, in some sense, a demonstration of the ways that software development is failing. Since my being here is to pursue an M.Sc in IT, there's something perfect about that. In terms of providing "moments of truth," this is disheartening and, if I didn't have a strong self-interest in being here, I would have seen enough and opt out, if this were a regular software package that I could find a substitute for or do without. 2. I like the general idea of this software, the ways it is made appealing, and also the tidyness of much of it. The uneven-ness of my experience in that respect is a demonstration that providing effective on-line training materials is not a trivial undertaking, and the human factors are especially challenging. I shall whip through module 3 (of 7 or is it 8?) and then give it a rest. There is a light bulb I need to change and a ceiling fan that needs cleaning. And dishes to wash. That will be a nice break. Navigation difficulties. All of the work so far is on tutorials for using the on-line system that the courses are delivered over. I don't expect the course work to be like these tutorials, or at least I hope not. The biggest difficulty I experience is around navigation and working in multiple windows at once. In "classic" view, I am always opening new windows as I navigate and it is easy to lose my place. I may have to use the explorer view at this point just to keep things straight for myself, and to have a way to navigate back up as well as down. I also notice that, being in observer mode, I am spending a lot of time, including making notes like this. It is clear that I could just work throught these and that I could re-create how to do most of the basic tasks as I need to in the future. There is a meter that runs, so I shall make use of that. I haven't fully completed the two modules that I was using for calibration just yet, so I will go back to it now. Tutorials not up-to-date with the software? I found it a little difficult to follow the instructions in a few places in my first lesson. There is reference to a "Windows" menu which I do not see in my views of the FirstClass windows. It would be nice to have, because it is very easy to lose context in terms of the hierarchy of discussions and lessons, and so on. I looked around after the lesson and I could not find any such menu. I did discover that I can create an explorer view into everything, but I am not sure it is much help. Maybe when operating full screen. I will stick with the default / classic view for now. First Class Exercise 2: Review the Embanet 7.x Training Materials. Hmm, OK the next exercise is to review some tutorial material on using the on-line eLearning tools themselves. Fair enough. There is also a link to a manual, with the recommendation that I review the manual while working through the tutorial information. The usual double-click does what I expect about the manual -- it is downloaded and opened automatically. The download software talks to me: "File transfer completed." I think it said. Maybe it was "download completed." I was too enchanted with the voice to notice what was actually being said. So now it is time to look at the tutorials and see what it takes to work through them. The setup note says there will be 7 tutorials here. I notice there are 8 objects, but one is apparently for an optional, separately-purchasable component that provides off-line operation. Of the other seven, each of them is an object that is itself a container for 3 or more little tutorials. So I don't have a good handle on how long it will take to work through these. To be done by Wednesday, I need to do two a day. It is recommended that all of the practice exercises need to be done also. So I will do the first two now and see how it goes. I notice that a lot of Windows metaphors just work. In particular, I can close a window once a descendent of it has been opened. This means I don't have to keep a deep stack of windows open because Ihat is what I navigated through to get to the window I'm working on. Onward. First Class Exercise 1: Change Password. OK, the first thing there is to do is change my password. My setup e-mail names exactly the menu path to follow and I do the usual business of specifying my original password, and my new password twice. To see that I have succeeded, I log out of FirstClass. Then I see if I can automatically log in. No, says my ID or password didn't work. OK, I go back to the Login Setup page and paste in my new password. (This field had many more "*" than originally too. I kind of like this device, although I sometimes use the number of "*" to figure out if my password has gotten mangled or something. I won't be able to do that here. All the same, this makes it more difficult for a lurker to figure out the space to do a password search in. OK, let's see what the next lesson is. Embanet FirstClass First Login Interesting. I put my user ID and provisional password into the logon settings window where requests. Then when I went back to the top logon screen it showed that information by default, but the number of "*" characters for password was a lot and many more than the langue of my provisional password. Amusing. This is Centrinity FirstClass Client Verison 7.08 (2002). Wonder if they are a separate firm or became Embanet. Check later. I have the KIT area showing, and there are little message-available flags on 4 of the 5 icons in the client window. There are quite a few people on-line right now, including Dennis Hamilton. Fancy that. I'm rooting around in preferences. It will not automatically be my default e-mail client. Good. There is no help button or context-sensitive help on these panels, which are pretty technical. The ones I haven't figured out have to do with mail rules. I am not going to fool with them just now. I will go see what my Programme Manager says I need to do here and handle that first. The key result is that my router does not seem to interfere with the FCP protocol used by this software. Embanet FirstClass Installation - Pre-Login. Well, installation was very rapid. And CleanSweep didn't notice an installation like process anyhow. I think I didn't manage to have it fully restarted. This software uses its own protocol, over TCP/IP, and I am leaving the given settings alone. Apparently the setting of e-mail preferences requires me to be connected first. Not sure about that. So I will set it up for my first logon. Embanet FirstClass Installation- RTFM. OK, I am reading the PDF of the manual and working through the instructions, having done all morning chores but one. OK, I have to wait for the fibreglass furnace filter to dry before I put it back. Now on to cool stuff. OK, I need to disable anything that might interfere with the install process. All of the little guys on my WIndows 98 SE System tray that might interfere are closed or disabled. That includes Symantec Clean Sweep. I am going to trust this install to be properly removable. It looks like mature software. Hmm, there is a gap in the instructions between downloading and installing. Interesting, they provide all of these directions on preparing to download and having the download work, and then don't explicitly say to install the software once it is installed. Maybe I should turn Cleansweep back on! Fortunately, the programs are in my Start / Programs ... / Startup folder and I don't have to reboot first. Well, OK, there seems to be too much in the manual, and I have this sense of it being out-of-date, probably because it mentions Windows 3.1 and 95 so much. We will cross our fingers and give it a go. PC Pitstop Home. OK, I lied, I am not back to my regularly-scheduled commitments. I went to the Embanet site to see if it is First Course or FirstCourse. While nosing around for that, an Applet from Pitstop, on checking connections, raised a download permission request and offered me a certificate. Checking out the certificate brought me here, and I want to remember to come back here. I am not going to do that just now. Starting up with K.I.T. eLearningI am moving day by day into my University of Liverpool on-line M.Sc in IT program. Today I received instructions for downloading the software that is used to coordinate classes, and I learned about Embanet as part of the procedure I received in my e-mail. I am preparing to install the software today, after I look at where it goes in my schedule. I notice I am wary about installing a custom application on my system, mostly because I have too much software on my systems now and I never know what will be destabilized next. This suggests that simplification of my configurations is called for, and I have embarked on that.Upgrading to XP: Not. I said, on Friday 2002-11-22, that I would start upgrading Compagno, my laptop, to XP. This is to clean up my configuration and have improved configuration management and web-site creation arrangements. It is also so I can run the .NET Framework SDK. As part of clearing the decks, some other commitments came up and I used the time to work on those (for the ActiveODMA project and other projects I have underway). Upgrading of Compagno is going to wait until this next weekend while I give other promises the priority that is called for. My thoughts on the eLearning software (Embanet First Course) is to install it on Centro, my main desktop system, and capture everything that I needed to do so I can put it on Compagno later, after the XP upgrade. I won't be traveling until January, so I won't need to do coursework remotely until then. Making this a Confirmable Experience. I love the idea of on-line education, and I also love the idea of applying ideas about confirmable experience to the start-up and orientation process that I am being offered. There are some opportunities to play here. Here's my little checklist: 1. Run the installer for the software. Let it install where it defaults to. Notice all of the directories it uses so I can back them up myself or learn how to import-export to other places later. 2. In the setup options, disable First Course making itself my default e-mail reader. 3. Log on and change my password immediately. Keep current password information in my electronic safe. 4. Confirm that my router/firewall is not interfering with the custom protocol used by First Course. Later, I will get to see how to work it through ZoneAlarm on Compagno as well. 5. Do the exercises and tutorials or whatever that are required to be completed before the program begins on Thursday, 2002-11-28. 6. Oh, and let Vincent, my Programme Manager for the duration of the program, know what was distracting in the instructions I received this morning. And don't backseat drive the program! Back Seat Driving and other suffering. I started the morning feeling jammed up, a continuation of an experience of the past several days. Yesterday, while assisting on the Landmark Education Advanced Course with Vicki, I used the opportunity to explore what that was all about. I noticed, not the first time, that I easily fall into backseat driving the universe and that I approach my life that way. I noticed that I have these desires to backseat drive this eLearning program, how it is administered, how communication occurs, and the like. All out of a desire to be "helpful," it seems. I do want to contribute and participate. It is something that I have to offer as a mature (dare I say adult) learner. What I see I am dealing with is the idea that, in my life, I must do it all and that I should be able to. So I am being driven. It is showing up in how I am fretting about the courseware and getting it installed, all on top of the innumerable important things I have yet to get to. Oh, woe is me! I promised to have ease and play with this, and there is something for me to give up to have that. I will keep digging into that. Meanwhile, I am going to set this aside, now that I have the reminders and structure that I need, parked right here. Back to my regularly-scheduled commitments. Download Viewers I wondered about the reliance on MS Office for most of the communications done in my eLearning on-line M.Sc program. Here is a nice collection of downloads for MS viewers that don't require editors. Handy to know about. You still need to be working from a Wintel platform. Microsoft Case Study. Here's a case study done of OntarioLearn and its use of Microsoft technology (SQL Server, etc.). It is a promotion piece, and it does reflect how Embanet fits in the picture. I think. They think so. Embanet Corporation. This may get you a flash introduction. Or not. Your mileage may vary. Well, I am getting deeper into preparations for my on-line education experience via KIT eLearning and the University of Liverpool. The courses are delivered using software from Embanet. There is a web interface, which can be used when traveling, for example, and a custom desktop application that provides a fancy interface and more functionality. Embanet, in Canada, presents some impressive accomplishments. What there is for me to do, in the week before my program orientation begins on Thursday, November 28, is install the Embanet software on Centro, my desktop system, see how it works through my router, and also get my settings right. There is useful tutorial and FAQ and installation instructions. I download everything first before installing, so that I have what I need to refer to if cut off from the net, and also so I can do a duplicate installation on my laptop (once I have XP there). There are other things to do this week, so I will get some experience managing my commitments along with this course work.
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