Education Technology

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_technology

Hashtags: #EdTech, #EduTech

STEM

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is a broad field of R&D fields.

• Science (Science, Data Science)

• Technology (Computer Science, Information Systems, Art & Design, Education Technology)

• Engineering (Knowledge Engineering, Software Development, Project Management)

• Mathematics (Data Science)

Why STEM?

• STEM combines fields for holism

• STEM combines fields for allocation efficiency

• STEAM includes Art & Design

Why CS?

• Computer Science tools are foundational to Data Science, which is foundational to STEM, which is foundational to infrastructure.

Publishing

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publishing

• Project Code and Artifact Repositories

  • Version Control: Git, Mercurial

  • Project Forge: GitHub, BitBucket, SourceForge

  • Artifacts: built packages, reports, PDFs, data files

• DOI-granting repositories (“getting a citable identifier which resolves to a URL” (~like a shorturl)):

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_object_identifier (URN)

  • https://guides.github.com/activities/citable-code/

  • https://figshare.com

  • https://zenodo.org/

• Data Hosting (see: Web Distribution):

  • HTTP Object Storage (private/public CDN)

  • BitTorrent

    • BitTorrent + HTTP Web Seeds

  • It is faster to run the code next to the data.

    • HDFS, Hadoop, Hive, Cassandra, Spark, Mesos, ibis, DDFS

    • Accumulo iterators

    • SQL (Relational Database)

    • SPARQL (Linked Data)

• Publishing Tools

  • GitHub Pages

  • ReadTheDocs

  • Sphinx

  • Jupyter Notebook

    • nbformat JSON -> HTML, HTML slides, LaTeX, PDF, ePub, MOBI

    • nbviewer

  • Documentation Tools

GitHub Pages

Homepage: https://pages.github.com/

GitHub Pages serves webpages from Git branches.

• GitHub Pages serves from the gh-pages branch of project repositories

• GitHub Pages serves from the master branch of user and organization repos

• GitHub Pages is backed by a CDN

• GitHub Pages get URLs like: https://wrdrd.github.io/

• GitHub Pages can have URLs like: https://wrdrd.com/

  • Adding a ./CNAME file to a repo causes GitHub Pages to redirect URLs to the CNAME (e.g. https://wrdrd.com/)

  • If the DNS domain name does not resolve, GitHub Pages still redirects to the address in the ./CNAME file

• Pgs can also serve webpages from Git branches like gh-pages and master

GitLab Pages

Homepage: https://pages.gitlab.io/

ReadTheDocs

Homepage: https://readthedocs.org/

Source: git https://github.com/rtfd/readthedocs.io

Source: git https://github.com/rtfd/readthedocs-docker-images

Docs: https://read-the-docs.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

ReadTheDocs is a free and Open Source web service for publishing Sphinx documentation sets which functions like a Continuous Integration build server and artifact publisher.

• ReadTheDocs can rebuild HTML, PDF, and ePub from Sphinx ReStructuredText every time a commit is made to a e.g. GitHub or BitBucket repository: https://read-the-docs.readthedocs.io/en/latest/webhooks.html

• ReadTheDocs can build and serve localized versions for one or more languages: https://read-the-docs.readthedocs.io/en/latest/localization.html

• ReadTheDocs can build and serve multiple versions or Version Control Systems revisions. By default, ReadTheDocs will try appending /en/latest/, so these links all redirect to the first link

  • https://read-the-docs.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

  • https://read-the-docs.readthedocs.io/

  • https://read-the-docs.rtfd.org/

Self Directed Learning

“Self-Directed Learning with Online Resources:

An independent study of challenges, opportunities and

strategies for encouraging feedback

between tools and resources in online learning systems” (2012)

Source: git https://github.com/westurner/self-directed-learning

HTML: https://westurner.github.io/self-directed-learning/

HTML: https://self-directed-learning.readthedocs.io/

HTML (zip): https://media.readthedocs.io/htmlzip/self-directed-learning/self-directed-learning.zip

PDF: https://media.readthedocs.io/pdf/self-directed-learning/latest/self-directed-learning.pdf

ePub: https://media.readthedocs.io/epub/self-directed-learning/latest/self-directed-learning.epub

Report Process:

• [X] Goals: overbroad scope

• [X] Generate: 1 ream of paper; 1 pack of pens

• [o] Generate, Reduce, Clarify: Bookmarks, Zotero

• [X] Reduce, Clarify: match, cluster, re-sequence sheets (2D)

• [X] Products: transcribe handwritten sheets of paper as slides

• [o] Products: glossary

• [ ] Products: essay form

• [o] Tools: Sphinx, ReStructuredText, ReadTheDocs

• [o] https://westurner.github.io/self-directed-learning/process.html

Online Courses

• Course Catalogs

  • Class Central

• Linked Curricula Graphs (RDF, RDFa, Schema.org/Course)

Class Central

Homepage: https://www.class-central.com/

Source: git https://github.com/dhawalhshah/class-central/

OpenBadges: [ ]

Class Central aggregates lists of Online Courses.

Coursera

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coursera

Homepage: https://www.coursera.org/

Courses: https://www.coursera.org/courses

OpenBadges: [ ]

AndroidApp: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.coursera.android

iOSApp: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coursera/id736535961

Source: https://github.com/coursera

Docs: https://tech.coursera.org/app-platform/

Coursera is a platform for Online Courses.

edX

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EdX

Homepage: https://www.edx.org/

Courses: https://www.edx.org/course

OpenBadges: [ ]

Homepage: https://open.edx.org/

AndroidApp: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.edx.mobile

iOSApp: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/edx/id945480667

Source: https://github.com/edx

Source: git https://github.com/edx/edx-platform

Docs: http://docs.edx.org/

Docs: https://edx.readthedocs.io/projects/edx-guide-for-students/en/latest/

Docs: https://edx.readthedocs.io/projects/edx-partner-course-staff/en/latest/

Docs: https://github.com/edx/edx-platform/wiki

Docs: https://github.com/edx/edx-platform/wiki/Sites-powered-by-Open-edX

Docs: https://open.edx.org/open-edx-rest-apis

Docs: https://open.edx.org/features-roadmap/all

Twitter: https://twitter.com/edXOnline

edX is an Open Source platform for Online Courses written mostly in Python and Javascript.

Jupyter and edX

• Jupyter Notebook and edX are mostly written in Python

• It’s possible to generate an edX course from Jupyter notebooks:

  • http://mail.scipy.org/pipermail/ipython-dev/2015-February/015911.html

  • https://github.com/topocm/topocm_content/

Udacity

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Udacity

Homepage: https://www.udacity.com/

Courses: https://www.udacity.com/courses/

OpenBadges: [ ]

Docs: https://www.udacity.com/wiki/

Udacity is a platform for Online Courses.

• Udacity offers “Nanodegrees”: https://www.udacity.com/nanodegree

Jupyter and Learning

Jupyter Project is great for learning and education.

• Jupyter Notebook, JupyterHub

• Jupyter Notebook supports over 42 languages other than Python.

• Jupyter notebooks can be published as HTML, PDF, ePub, MOBI.

• Jupyter notebooks can be published as reveal.js HTML slide presentations.

• Jupyter notebooks can be published to and served directly from GitHub repos.

• Jupyter notebooks can be published as edX courses (Jupyter and edX)

• Jupyter notebooks can be structured into per-user, per-class, per-project Docker containers (and folders)

• Jupyter notebooks can be saved to and read from Google Drive:

  https://github.com/jupyter/jupyter-drive

• Jupyter notebooks are great for taking notes:

  https://github.com/notablemind/notablemind

• Jupyter notebooks should specify package dependencies (see: Jupyter and Reproducibility)

  • Jupyter notebooks can utilize code from SciPy Stack Packages (e.g. Pip Python Packages, Conda, Anaconda)

• JupyterHub servers host Jupyter Notebook servers for one or more users; with authentication and optional Docker integration.

Learning Topics:

• Computer Science

• Data Science > Data Learning

• Software Development

• Python

• awesome-python-testing

Jupyter and Reproducibility

Jupyter Notebook, Open Science, and Reproducibility.

Lecture notes (in IPython Notebook format) on

Reproducible Science And Modern Scientific Software

https://github.com/fperez/reprosw

“Ten Simple Rules for Reproducible Computational Research”

http://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003285

Rule 3: Archive the Exact Versions of All External Programs Used

• [ ] List required Packages and extensions

  • watermark: datetime stamp, package versions

    https://github.com/rasbt/watermark

  • version_information: Python interpreter, and Python Package versions

    https://github.com/jrjohansson/version_information

• [ ] List instaleld Packages and extensions

  • Pip: pip freeze

  • Conda: conda env export

  • Dpkg: dpkg-query -l, dpkg --get-selections, wajig list-installed

• [ ] List reference and other maybe supported OS

  • OS X, Linux: uname -a

  • Windows: systeminfo

• [ ] List reference and other maybe supported platforms

  • CPU: i386, i686, x86-64, ARMv

  • GPU

  • RAM

  • osquery

  • Salt Grains

• [ ] Generate complete machine image (Backup, Restore, Virtualization)

  • Machine image process:

    • [ ] Backup: Take snapshot

    • [ ] Post-process: compress, add metadata, test decompression

    • [ ] Archive: share/store/backup/upload/verify

  • Machine Imaging Tools:

    • clonezilla (backup and restore partitions from CD/DVD, LAN, HTTP, SSH, PXE)

    • bup (Git-like backups for very many and very large files)

    • rsync, rsnapshot, rdiff

  • Virtualization Machine Imaging Tools

    • Docker Dockerfile and image

    • Packer config and image

    • Vagrant Vagrantfile and box

Jupyter and TDD

• The input/output feedback cycle of IPython and Jupyter notebooks captures the essence of Test Driven Development

• Jupyter notebooks can be tested with runipy and ipython_nose

• Jupyter notebooks can be tested and graded with nbgrader

• awesome-python-testing links to a number of testing concepts and Python tools

nbgrader

Source: git https://github.com/jupyter/nbgrader

Jupyter notebooks can be submitted and centrally graded with nbgrader.

Note

While it’s possible to run tests of all code cells in a Jupyter notebook programmatically with runipy, it’s usually preferable to factor testable code into a module and a package (e.g. Python Package, Conda package) and then reference those tested functions from within a Jupyter notebook.

JupyterHub Servers

• Sharing resources affords many challenges and opportunities

  • Timeshare resource exhaustion (CPU, RAM, Storage)

  • Security

• Principle of least privilege (“privilege separation”, Confidentiality)

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_least_privilege

• There are Docker containers for IPython Notebook, Jupyter Notebook, JupyterHub and supporting services.

  • https://github.com/ipython/ipython/wiki/Install:-Docker

• JupyterHub servers spawn and proxy to separate instances of Jupyter Notebook; which run on different ports, IPs, and/or containers.

  • https://github.com/jupyter/jupyterhub/wiki/Spawners

• JupyterHub servers authenticate users from a number of sources (local, OAuth, GitHub)

  • https://github.com/jupyter/jupyterhub/wiki/Authenticators

Knowledge Engineering

See: Knowledge Engineering

Linked Curricula Graphs

• https://westurner.github.io/self-directed-learning/slides.html#knowledge-graph (2012)

• https://westurner.github.io/redditlog/#comment/ci3c1o3 (2014)

• [ ] Add RDFa to Course Catalog / Index HTML pages

  • [ ] schema.org/Course: https://github.com/schemaorg/schemaorg/issues/195

• [ ] Link each component of the curriculum to a Concept URI

  • Knowledge Engineering lists a number of Wikipedia Concept URIs

    Wikipedia (-> DBpedia RDF <- LODCloud))

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DBpedia – Wikipedia page for “DBpedia”

    • https://dbpedia.org/page/DBpedia – DBpedia page for “DBpedia”

    • https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q465 – Wikidata page for DBpedia (“Q465”)

  • A more local/structured vocabulary (with #permalink URIs) could also defined mppings from local Concept URIs to one or more Wikipedia Concept URIs

    • Common Core

    • LRMI

• [ ] Write tools to discover curriculum resources relevant to one or more concept URIs

• [ ] Write tools to sequence curriculum resources which have URIs

  • Art & Design > Web Production

OpenBadges

Homepage: http://openbadges.org/

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Open_Badges

Standard: https://github.com/openbadges/openbadges-specification

Docs: https://wiki.mozilla.org/Badges

Twitter: https://twitter.com/openbadges

• [ ] OpenBadges JSON Web Signatures and Schema.org (RDFa, JSON-LD):

  https://github.com/openbadges/openbadges-specification/issues/9

OpenBadges Backpack

Homepage: https://backpack.openbadges.org/backpack/

Source: https://github.com/mozilla/openbadges-backpack

See also: Team Building, Jupyter