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Hello everyone, I'm Bracken Mosbacker and I work for Instructure. We create an open-source learning management system, which I'll explain a bit later. It's a platform designed for managing courses, and it's called Canvas. Today, I’m going to discuss hacking education.
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First of all, for those who might be interested, Salt Lake City has a fantastic art scene. This Friday, they hold an event called Art SLC, which takes place every third Friday of the month. The art galleries stay open until 9 PM, and it's an enjoyable experience. I have a couple of favorite galleries. If you're interested, feel free to approach me, and I can take you on a little art gallery tour of Salt Lake City; there's some really cool stuff.
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During this talk, down in the bottom right corner, you'll see a shortened URL that contains links related to my discussion. That link will be visible throughout, and if anything piques your interest, you can follow it to access further information.
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Now, let's delve into the topic of education. Why should you care about the education space? First, there's a significant amount of venture capital flowing into education in recent years. For instance, in 2010, approximately $170 million in venture capital was invested in this space. Many innovative companies are emerging, focusing on interesting projects related to education.
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What particularly excites me are Open Educational Resources, or OER. OER represents a complex but fascinating area. There is a vast array of educational content available, but often, it's inaccessible in a convenient manner. Today, I will explore those challenges and discuss how we can work towards making educational resources more accessible.
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There are many exciting developments happening in education right now, such as Khan Academy, MIT OpenCourseWare, and Coursera. Our community is also contributing with platforms like Codecademy and Mendicant University. These projects highlight the dynamic and transformative energy present in the education space, and it's a great opportunity for all of you to get involved and contribute.
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I believe every programming community is a learning community. We gather at conferences like this to learn and network. Many of us engage in training online or share resources freely, further solidifying our status as a substantial learning community. This collaboration offers us numerous opportunities to build up our platforms and share valuable learning content.
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This diagram illustrates the current state of education, particularly in the United States. There are various sectors—traditional higher education, K-12 systems, and an increasing presence of massive online courses. In our Ruby community, a lot of learning occurs through self-paced materials shared by members, which creates a rich tapestry of learning opportunities. This democratization of knowledge lets anyone explore interests that excite them.
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In our community, learning platforms include conferences, user groups, and GitHub. These platforms serve as important conduits for our collective learning. Traditionally, though, learning management systems in universities are constrained by proprietary systems, which can lead to resource fragmentation. An example of this is Blackboard, a commonly known LMS. At Instructure, we provide Canvas LMS, an open-source Rails application, which contrasts with the traditional LMS framework.
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Over the past decade, the learning management ecosystem has largely consisted of walled gardens, where once a course is set up, it tends to be confined within a specific system. This leads to a significant amount of valuable content going unused or remaining inaccessible simply due to the diverse technology stacks in use.
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Additionally, many small custom LMSs exist, like Codecademy and Mendicant University, which provide tailored educational experiences. While this customization is beneficial, it also risks isolating valuable content that doesn't easily transfer between systems. Even if resources are open and available, the format they exist in can complicate access. For instance, MIT OpenCourseWare has a wealth of educational content, but often it's available as static PDFs. This can make it hard for educators to utilize this content efficiently in their own courses.
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Technologists face challenges even when attempting to create automated pathways to access these resources. For example, while it's easy to grab YouTube videos related to lessons on Khan Academy, the quizzes and analytic functions prove more difficult to aggregate and utilize across various platforms. Teachers often find themselves needing students to create multiple accounts across different platforms to access these resources, which can be frustrating.
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This issue underscores a broader concern regarding access to content and tools. Even when these resources offer open access, educators struggle to move content easily. I want to talk about how we can alleviate some of the tool problems in our education systems through a concept known as Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI).
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LTI is standardized and provides a simple way to launch tools across various systems without complex integration hurdles. It essentially allows tool providers to be universally accessible across different learning management systems, facilitating seamless integration into courses.
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To use LTI, you need to create an OAuth signed request. Most major learning management systems support LTI, allowing developers to create tools easily and users to access a consistent experience across different platforms. This helps educators incorporate innovative tools and educational resources into their curriculums more efficiently.
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The core function of an LTI tool involves having a single URL that teachers can use to link to educational resources. For example, if a resource represents a textbook, an LTI launch allows a user to go straight to chapter three, section five of that book without unnecessary navigation. This provides a streamlined user experience.
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However, the real utility lies in facilitating various integrated tasks, like using a course wiki or blog. For instance, students can click a link that launches them into a course blog, where they can directly make posts or participate in discussions, promoting engagement and collaborative learning.
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This functionality is particularly important as we continue to embrace open educational practices. There is also potential for revenue generation—corporate clients can leverage LTI to integrate certification testing within their training programs using an LMS, providing learners with a uniform experience across platforms while ensuring that grading and analytics are sent back to educators seamlessly.
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The ability to build tools using LTI allows for diverse applications. For instance, I have created a GEM to ease the implementation of LTI. It caters to the OAuth signing, thereby reducing the developer burden associated with crafting LTI integration. During this talk, I’ll showcase a demo of how this tools interoperability allows educators and learners to benefit from the education tools we create.
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An example of using LTI is the 'Try Ruby' tool, which lets students engage with Ruby programming directly within their learning management system. As they proceed through lessons, they can complete assignments, after which their progress updates are sent back to the instructors' system automatically. This integration exemplifies how easily tools can interoperate within an educational framework.
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The process becomes intuitive for both educators and students. When a teacher assigns a ‘Try Ruby’ lesson, for instance, students can access it directly from their LMS without needing separate accounts or manual submissions. This means grades are recorded seamlessly, facilitating effective tracking and measurement of learning outcomes.
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As we explore what LTI can accomplish, it's important to highlight how it can streamline workflows and facilitate more fluid transitions between educational resources. By providing accessible launch URLs, teachers can encourage student engagement while making their educational practices richer and more interactive.
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To illustrate further, tools can incorporate additional features, such as blogs or interactive lessons, allowing students to engage actively with course materials. The potential of LTI lies in easy resource integration while overcoming barriers common in traditional LMS setups.
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The beauty of utilizing LTI is how quickly and efficiently these integrations can be made. I recently worked with a co-worker who built a simple 'hot or not' application, applying LTI to enhance its educational capabilities seamlessly.
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By using the LTI integration, the app became a tool to facilitate engagement and interaction within a classroom setting. This underlines my belief that creativity in tool creation should thrive and that programmers and educators can consider adding innovative features to their systems.
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The 'hot or not' application is a simple yet effective example of how tools can be adjusted for educational use, and I hope this inspires all of you to think creatively about how you can leverage existing platforms and create your own solutions that enhance learning.
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In conclusion, I encourage everyone here to explore the world of educational tools. Whether it’s through LTI integration or creating open-access resources, there's a ton of potential waiting to be unlocked. The education community thrives on collaboration and shared resources. I believe we can work together effectively in overcoming existing barriers and fostering an exciting culture of learning.
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Please don't hesitate to reach out if you’re interested in discussing LTI, OER, or how we can all make our educational resources better. Thank you for your attention, and I'm happy to take questions now.
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What I shared today highlights just a portion of the innovative potential within the education sector. The tools we create have the power to transform how education is delivered and accessed. Let’s work together to harness this creativity and drive forward the future of education.
