Presentation in the research seminar in Tallinn University, 4 October 2013.

1. Dippler and EduFeedr: two
approaches to blog-based
courses
Hans Põldoja
Tallinn University

2. Development of TEL systems in TLU
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
LMS's and
lightweight
VLE's
Experiments
with weblogs
Digital
learning
ecosystems
LePress

3. Three generations of TEL systems
Dimension 1st generation 2nd generation 3rd generation
Software
architecture
Pedagogical
foundation
Content
management
Dominant
affordances
Desktop software
Single-server monolithic
system
Cloud architecture,
mobile clients
Stimulus-response-
reinforcement
Pedagogical neutrality
Social constructivism,
connectivism
Content was integrated
Separated from
software, re-usable
Open, web-based,
embeddable, placed
outside, rich metadata
Presentation, drill, test
Presentation,
assignments
Reflection, sharing,
remixing, tagging,
mashups, recommenders
(Laanpere, Pata, Normak, & Põldoja, 2012)

4. EduFeedr

5. Course blog
Learner blogs
Blog-based course before...

6. ... and after EduFeedr
Course blog
Learner blogs
EduFeedr
Atom
Atom
Atom
AtomAtom
Atom
Atom
Atom
Atom
Atom

7. http://www.edufeedr.net

14. ManyEyes visualization

15. Publications about EduFeedr
Põldoja, H. (2010). EduFeedr: following and
supporting learners in open blog-based
courses. In Open ED 2010 Proceedings.
Barcelona: UOC, OU, BYU. http://
hdl.handle.net/10609/4861
Põldoja, H., Savitski, P., & Laanpere, M. (2010).
Aggregating Student Blogs with EduFeedr.
Lessons Learned from First Tryouts. In F.Wild,
M. Kalz & M. Palmér (Eds.). Mashup Personal
Learning Environments 2010.Aachen: CEUR-WS.
Aggregating Student Blogs with EduFeedr: Lessons
Learned from the First Tryouts
Hans Põldoja1
, Pjotr Savitski1
, Mart Laanpere1
1
Tallinn University, Institute of Informatics, Narva mnt 25,
10120 Tallinn, Estonia
{Hans.Poldoja, Pjotr.Savitski, Mart.Laanpere}@tlu.ee
Abstract. EduFeedr is a specially designed feed reader for following, managing
and supporting the learning activities in blog-based courses. This paper
describes the technical implementation of EduFeedr and discusses the results of
the initial evaluation after using the prototype with real learners. The main
challenges were related with limitations of Web content syndication
technologies while aggregating blog posts and comments from course blogs.
This paper proposes solutions to overcome these limitations.
Keywords: mash-up learning environments, web syndication
1 Introduction
Web 2.0 has opened up a lot of choices for innovative educators. Early adopters have
abandoned centralized learning management systems and started to experiment with
using blogs, wikis and social networking sites in their courses. However, these new
tools have brought up new kind of problems. One of the challenges is related with the
increase of the teacher’s overhead work while managing, following and supporting
student activities, which take place in a distributed learning environment.
This article builds on our previous publication where we presented the conceptual
design of EduFeedr [1]. EduFeedr is an educationally enhanced feed reader, designed
specifically for courses that take place in a distributed learning environment where all
students use their personal blogs and other social software. It is designed so that only
teachers have a user account in EduFeedr but anyone can access it for monitoring
course activities.
In the second section of the paper we give an overview of some related works.
After that we present the technical implementation of EduFeedr and discuss the main
lessons that we have learned from pilot-testing a prototype of EduFeedr during an
eight week long adult education course in Tallinn University. The pilot test was the
second phase of our study, which is based on the methodology of design-based
research [2]. The main challenge in this phase was effortless and error-prone
aggregation of course-related feeds from various blogging platforms used by learners.
EduFeedr: following and supporting learners in open blog-based courses, Hans Põldoja
Proceedings | Barcelona Open Ed 2010 | http://openedconference.org/2010/
Universitat Oberta de Catalunya | Open Universiteit Nederland | Brigham Young University
EduFeedr: following and
supporting learners in open
blog-based courses
Hans Põldoja
Institute of Informatics, Tallinn University.
Abstract
In recent years several educators have organized open courses where participants reflect on
their personal blogs. With a large number of participants it becomes a challenge to follow all
the course discussions. In this paper we present the EduFeedr system that is specifically
designed for following and supporting student activities in blog-based courses.
Keywords
massive open online courses, personal learning environments, research-based design, web
syndication
Recommended citation:
Põldoja, H. (2010). EduFeedr: following and supporting learners in open blog-based courses. In Open
ED 2010 Proceedings. Barcelona: UOC, OU, BYU.
[Accessed: dd/mm/yy].< http://hdl.handle.net/10609/4861>
1

16. Dippler

17. Digital learning ecosystem
• Ecosystem (biol.) is a community of living organisms
(plants, animals and microbes) in conjunction with the
nonliving components of their environment (e.g. air,
water, light and soil), interacting as a system. Nutricion
cycle, energy flow, self-regulation.
• DLE is an adaptive socio-technical system consisting of
mutually interacting digital agents (tools, services,
content used in learning process) and communities of
users (learners, facilitators, trainers, developers)
together with their social, economical and cultural
environment.
(Laanpere, 2012)

18. (Laanpere, 2012)

19. System architecture of Dippler
Social media
Blog Profile
Courses
Activities
RSS
Users
Analytics
Courses
Widgets
Institutional
BOS Middleware:
BackOffice Service
Cloud
Storage
HTTP
WS
Types of tasks:
Post
Structured post
Artefact (file)
Discussion
Self-test
Test
Group task
Offline task
All courses
Featured
My courses
Course page
Summary
Course info
Outcomes
Announcem.
Participants
Groups
Resources
Tasks
Settings
Categories
Learner's Wordpress
with Dippler plugin
Dippler: institutional
client, teacher's tool
IOS
app:
mobile
client
(Laanpere, Pata, Normak, & Põldoja, 2012)

20. http://dippler.net

27. Publications about Dippler
E. Popescu et al. (Eds.): ICWL 2012, LNCS 7558, pp. 307–317, 2012.
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012
Pedagogy-Driven Design of Digital Learning Ecosystems:
The Case Study of Dippler
Mart Laanpere, Kai Pata, Peeter Normak, and Hans Põldoja
Tallinn University, Institute of Informatics, Narva mnt 25, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia
{Mart.Laanpere,Kai.Pata,Peeter.Normak,Hans.Poldoja}@tlu.ee
Abstract. In most cases, the traditional Web-based learning management sys-
tems (e.g. Moodle, Blackboard) have been designed without any built-in sup-
port for a preferred pedagogical model or approach. The authors and proponents
of such systems have claimed that this kind of inherent "pedagogical neutrality"
is a desirable characteristic for a LMS, as it allows teachers to implement vari-
ous pedagogical approaches. This study is based on an opposite approach, ar-
guing for designing next-generation online learning platforms – so called digital
learning ecosystems – with built-in affordances, which promote and enforce
desirable pedagogical beliefs, strategies and learning activity patterns while
suppressing others. We describe the pedagogy-driven design, development and
implementation process of a digital learning ecosystem based on Dippler plat-
form, which was guided by a combination of four contemporary pedagogical
approaches: self-directed learning, competence-based learning, collaborative
knowledge building and task-centered instructional design models.
Keywords: digital learning ecosystems, pedagogy-driven design.
1 Introduction
This study was initially motivated by emerging opposition to the imperative of peda-
gogical neutrality of tools and platforms built for Technology-Enhanced Learning [1].
Among others, Koper [2] has argued that e-learning systems should not be biased
towards any specific pedagogical approach, in order to allow every teacher to imple-
ment the teaching methods of his/her own choice. Some authors have argued that it is
almost impossible to build technological tools that are completely pedagogically neu-
tral or theory-agnostic. This is why we follow alternative path, proposed by Norm
Friesen [3] who advocated the development of ‘pedagogically “engaged” or “com-
mitted” conceptions of content and systems that serve specifiable educational purpos-
es, situations and methods’.
The main research problem for our study is: how to design next-generation Technolo-
gy-Enhanced Learning (TEL) systems with built-in pedagogical affordances, which en-
hance innovative teaching and learning practices and reflect modern learning theories?
This paper is seeking the answers to the following research questions:
• What constitutes the model for pedagogy-driven design?
• Which pedagogical approaches could/should be promoted by the pedagogy-driven
design of the next-generation online learning platforms?
T. Ley et al. (Eds.): OST 2012, IFIP AICT 395, pp. 91–100, 2013.
© IFIP International Federation for Information Processing 2013
Designing Dippler — A Next-Generation TEL System
Mart Laanpere, Hans Põldoja, and Peeter Normak
Tallinn University, Institute of Informatics, Narva mnt 25, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia
{mart.laanpere,hans.poldoja,peeter.normak}@tlu.ee
Abstract. This paper discusses the conceptual design of Digital Learning
Ecosystems, which, as we argue, are becoming the foundation of next-
generation Technology-Enhanced Learning systems (TEL systems). We
illustrate our argument by a case study on design and development of a Dippler
ecosystem. First, the framework for identifying the generations of TEL systems
is described and expectations towards next generation of TEL systems are
drawn from the literature review. After that, the dialectics of ongoing
mainstream discourse (LMS vs PLE) is analysed and platform for reaching the
synthesis is drawn. As we argue, the next-generation TEL systems are better
understood if not referred as “learning environments”, but rather as Digital
Learning Ecosystems. Finally, process and results of a design-based research on
Digital Learning Ecosystem called Dippler is described and discussed.
Keywords: learning environment, socio-technical transition, digital learning
ecosystem, design-based research.
1 Socio-Technical Transitions and Software System
Generations
In the scope of this study, we refer to various types of software application with
educational purpose as Technology-Enhanced Learning systems (TEL systems). We
are focusing at major shifts in technological platforms of TEL systems across the last
50 years, but also in the ways teachers and students have been using them. As we are
interested not only in the structure and design of learning-related software systems,
but also their implementation patterns, we decided to set a wider perspective on TEL
system as a complex socio-technical system, involving various political, economical,
academic and technological aspects.
There is a solid academic foundation for studying socio-technical transitions,
starting from Schumpeter [1] who interpreted technological discontinuities as creative
destruction, which is a natural part of multi-dimensional innovation process involving
changes in products, production processes, markets, supplies and organisations.
Christensen [2] has shown that evolution within a technology generation is taking the
form of a S-shape curve (see Fig. 1). Ansari & Garud [3] have used Christensen’s
approach to explore inter-generational transitions in the context of mobile service
generations, where changes in transmission speed within a mobile service generation
took a form of S-shape curve. 3
MART LAANPERE
PEDAGOGY-DRIVEN DESIGN OF VIRTUAL
LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
Tallinn 2013
Laanpere, M., Põldoja, H., & Normak, P. (2013).
Designing Dippler — A Next-Generation TEL
System. In T. Ley, M. Ruohonen, M. Laanpere, &
A.Tatnall (Eds.), Open and SocialTechnologies for
Networked Learning (Vol. 395, pp. 91–100).
Berlin / Heidelberg: Springer.
Laanpere, M., Pata, K., Normak, P., & Põldoja, H.
(2012). Pedagogy-Driven Design of Digital
Learning Ecosystems:The Case Study of
Dippler. In E. Popescu, Q. Li, R. Klamma, H.
Leung, & M. Specht (Eds.), Advances inWeb-Based
Learning – ICWL 2012: 11th International
Conference, Sinaia, Romania, September 2-4, 2012.
Proceedings (pp. 307–317). Berlin / Heidelberg:
Springer.
Laanpere, M. (2013). Pedagogy-Driven Design of
Virtual Learning Environments (Doctoral
dissertation,Tallinn University). http://e-
ait.tlulib.ee/336/

28. ThankYou!
Hans Põldoja
Researcher
Tallinn University, Estonia
hans.poldoja@tlu.ee
http://www.hanspoldoja.net
http://www.slideshare.net/hanspoldoja