These technical aspects will always be important as the Internet will remain the leading connecting infrastructure allowing cloud, replication, and interoperable services, among others (Leipert, 2013).
The development itself is detected by the current transfer of the GIS role from the category of special software to the role of the necessary, omnipresent IT background, mainly in the area of map resources and basic spatial functions (spatial search, localization, navigation, zoom in/out, measurement, calculation of geometric properties, …). All this is achieved and further developed through the development of the geoweb (with emphasis on spatial relation on the web) (Vávra et al., 2010). Its foundation is cloud solutions, for example the already functioning e.g. ArcGIS Online, GIS cloud (see table 2).
184 ArcGIS
Online
GIS cloud Geocommons Mapmint CartoD B
Crowd map
Demo version Yes Yes Yes No No Yes
Student acount Yes No No No Yes No
Support of web services (WMS, WFS WMTS)
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Support of vector formats SHP, KML, GPX, CSV, GeoRSS SHP, KML, GPX, CSV, DXF SHP, KML, CSV, GPX SHP, KML SHP, KML, CSV KML, CSV Changing of the symbology
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Basemaps Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Support for mobile phones
Yes Yes No No Yes Yes
Technology Flex, HTML5 HTML5 Flex HTML5 HTML5 HTML5
Visualization and Analysis
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Tab. 2: Comparison of the properties currently available geospatial cloud
The user does not seek, install and learn a new special tool but accesses a generally available tool through the internet and a common browser. It stores data resources in the same space (maps, satellite images, sensor information – traffic density, records collected from weather stations) which are integrated and continuously updated. User interface is simple and based on controls and conventions of a common browser with intuitive, user-friendly environment that can be immediately filled with data without the need to deal with technical aspects (coordinate system, data format) and is available any time and anywhere. It provides relevant tools facilitating simple processing of the data. The producers/providers have filtered away the information from the data resources which a common user does not require.
All this is related to another aspect of the development – sharing of spatial functions. Currently, several standards of publishing analytical spatial tools through the Internet exist. They are the OGC – WPS standard, its modification PyWPS or the corporate format of geoprocessing services by Esri. This aspect presents a possible effective division of labour. GIS specialists can write algorithms usable by others. Experts in decision-making processes can create and share a functional algorithm that others will incorporate in their work-flow. There is no need to duplicate the basic tool and to develop the one which already exists. The third element of SDSS development is the construction and sharing of knowledge database. The knowledge once gained, which will be formally documented and shared throughout the community, is the key element. This step will present a shift from locally oriented knowledge databases to web-oriented distributed databases. The term “web-oriented”
185
means that a database is placed in a server/cloud and is available from any location for inference mechanism via the internet. The present standard databases offer this feature (e.g. PostgreSQL, SQL server, Oracle...) although they do not have specific tools to record knowledge, such as NetWeaver or RuleWorks. The eXpertise2GO or CLIPS tools are examples of web orientation.
A distributed database then represents the following concept: a complete database consists of several separately existing databases, usually with the authors of the contents, and it uses replication tools to synchronise the united content. This provides the distribution of load to smaller units, a constant unity of all parts (in the whole community) and a better protection of copyright.
It is desirable from the perspective of the development of decision-making algorithms that the knowledge bases implement means of a formalised record of the decision-making process in the near future. It will clearly capture the decision-making process and the possibility of its repetition, but also with the possibility to capture the reality – the “easy” implementation of the fuzzy logic and soft-computing methods.
Conclusion
The development itself is detected by the current transfer of the GIS role from the category of special software to the role of the necessary, omnipresent IT background, mainly in the area of map resources and basic spatial functions. All this is achieved and further developed through the development of the geoweb. Its foundation is cloud solutions, for example the already functioning e.g. ArcGIS Online or Common GIS.
Benefits are in three aspects: a) The user does not seek, install and learn a new special tool but accesses a generally available tool through the internet and a common browser. It stores data resources in the same space which are integrated and continuously updated. User interface is simple and based on controls and conventions of a common browser with intuitive, user- friendly environment that can be immediately filled with data without the need to deal with technical aspects and is available any time and anywhere. b) Sharing of spatial functions. GIS specialists can write algorithms usable by others. Experts in decision-making processes can create and share a functional algorithm that others will incorporate in their work-flow and c) construction and sharing of knowledge database.
References
KIMERLING, A. Jon., BUCKLEY, Aileen. R., MUEHRCKE, Phillip. C., MUEHRCKE, Juliana. O. Map Use: Reading and Analysis. Redlans: ESRI Press, 6th Revised edition, 2009. 493 p. ISBN: 978-1-58948-283-8.
LEIPERT, Jiří, The evolution of cloud platforms for learning. In: Information and
Communication Technology in Education.: Proceedings 2013. Ostrava: Repronis, 2013, s. 143-148. ISBN 978-80-7464-324-8.
MACHAR, Ivo, PECHANEC, Vilém. Applying GIS to Conservation Education: Case Study Litovelske Pomoravi PLA (Czech Republic). Advances in Education Research. 2013. 28, 67- 72. ISSN 2160-1070.
MORRISON, Joel L. Cartography and Geographic Information Science. In: Cartography and Geographic Information Society. Washington: Changing Philosophical-Technical Aspects of Thematic Cartography, 1994, p. 5-14.
186
PECHANEC, Vilém. Decision support tools in ArcGIS. In: Proceedings of the 15th Conference on GIS ESRI and Leica Geosystems in the Czech Republic. Prague: Arcdata Praha, 2006, p. 50-54.
PECHANEC, Vilém. Geoinformatika v roce 2009 na KGI UP Olomouc. In: 10.seminář uživatelů IDRISI. Brno: MZLU, 2009, p. 92-105. ISBN 978-80-7375-320-7.
PECHANEC, Vilém., VÁVRA, Aleš. Education Portal on Climate Change with Web GIS Client. Journal of Cases on Information Technology. 2013, 15(1), 51-68. ISSN 1548-7717 REESE, George. Cloud Application Architectures. O'Reilly Media, 2009. 208p. ISBN 978-0- 596-15636-7.
REGALADO, Antonio Who Coined 'Cloud Computing'? Technology Review (MIT). Retrieved 31 July 2013.
RITTINGHOUSE, John W., RANSOME, James F. Cloud Computing - Implementation, Management and Security. CRC Press, 2010. 297 p. ISBN 978-1439806807.
SKALKOVÁ, Jarmila. Obecná didaktika. Praha: Grada. 2007. 322 p. ISBN 978-80-247- 1821-7
VÁVRA, Aleš, VONDRÁKOVÁ, Alena, PECHANEC, Vilém, VOŽENÍLEK, Vít. Multi-user e-learning courses for climate and climate changes (e-klima). In: Information and
Communication Technology in Education. Procceedings 2010. Ostrava: Repronis, 2010, s. 70- 74. ISBN 978-80-7368-775-5
187
M-LEARNING IN UNIVERSITY ENVIRONMENT
Petra Poulova, Miloslava Cerna, Ivana Simonova Faculty of Informatics and Management,
University of Hradec Králové, Rokitanského 62, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic {petra.poulova; miloslava.cerna; ivana.simonova}@uhk.cz
Abstract
Substantial shifts have been detected in approaches how the information and communication technologies are used within the current period. While ten years ago the computer was the only digital device in the family or workplace, currently its role and services are taken over by other ones – smart TV, smartphones, tablets, e-readers etc. Currently M-learning, i.e. using mobile devices for educational purposes, is a new approach how to reach the same objectives as Comenius did - Schola ludus. From the FIM´s point of view M-learning is an approach which uses portable information and communication technologies within the process of instruction and students´ education. It does not matter what device is used - smartphone, notebook, netbook, tablet… Since 2001 the FIM has been using the online education solution based on LMS WebCT/Blackboard technology, and the ´Blackboard Mobile´ was selected for M-learning. There are two main approaches how M-learning can be used: (1) to apply the currently used learning contents and methods on mobile devices listed above – this approach can be only effective if we aim at supporting the face-to-face process of instruction; (2) to understand how new devices work, what they strengths and weaknesses are, and apply such new teaching/learning methods which are able to profit from them – this approach is positively preferred and represents the concept which the FIM is running.
Keywords
Edutainment, e-learning, gamification, M-learning, university education
Introduction
Substantial shifts have been detected in approaches how the information and communication technologies are used within the current period. While ten years ago the computer was the only digital device in the family or workplace, currently its role and services are taken over by other ones – smart TV, smartphones, tablets, e-readers etc. As mainly children and young people are interested in such devices, the phenomenon of gamification has appeared, which means games have been implemented in uncommon (mostly business) environments to promote selected products. In 2014 half of promotion campaigns were of gaming type (Černý, 2012). Despite successful these days, the idea is not new. Been called "schola ludus", it was applied 400 years ago by a Czech humanist, scientist and "teacher of nations" Jan Ámos Komenský (Johannes Amos Comenius). His education concept is still alive being based on principles of gaming, learners´ interest, entertainment and engagement without decreasing the quality of learning content and learners´ final knowledge.
Currently M-learning, i.e., using mobile devices for educational purposes, is an approach how to reach the same objectives as Comenius did, under some conditions – not as the only concept of teaching/learning, but in selected subjects, reflecting learners´ age and IT literacy etc. The aim of the paper is to present how this problem is solved at the Faculty of Informatics and management, University of Hradec Kralove (FIM UHK). First, Comenius´didactic principles are introduced and applied in the ICT-supported instruction in the form of e-
188
learning and M-learning. Then, conditions and the process of using the ICT-supported teaching strategies are described on the example of online course Czech Language for Foreigners (Čeština pro cizince). Finally, M-learning and its implementation on the process of instruction are presented and discussed.