Semacode Module (allowing location based moodling) (update)

Semacode Module (allowing location based moodling) (update)

by Andreas Forstinger -
Number of replies: 12

as I seem to have posted in the wrong forum the last time here the update to the last thread.

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Hi @ all!

I am a student from Graz, Austria, currently working on my thesis about Mobile Learning.

Motivation

One of the major topics in mobile application development is the "context" of the user. Context means the "state" the user is currently in. The contextual aspect which is of main interest is location information, allowing for location based services (LBS). Currently there are several ways to gather location information - most prominent of course GPS (global positioning system). As there is hardly any mobile device (Notebook, PDA, Smartphone) which offers GPS support natively, there are efforts made, providing context information via so called "tags". These tags are nothing else than URLs, encoded and provided as image information. Compatible readers can decode such tags simply by shooting them with e.g. the built-in camera of a mobile phone. The data is processed and the user is directed to the encoded URL.

Introducing: Semacode

The most famous project involved in such a LBS solution is Semacode (http://www.semacode.org). Semacode is a very promising technology, especially with applications like the Semapedia project (http://www.semapedia.org/) backing it up.

As I am working on possible usage scenarios for a "Mobile Moodle", I developed a module, allowing the creation of Semacode Tags integrated in Moodle.

What you can do with it

Using a LBS technique like Semacode, you can provide context based Moodling to mobile users. Just imagine a scenario where pupils or students are accessing Moodle from a mobile device. Via tags distributed in the environment (outdoor, museum, exhibition,...) additional information about the object they are currently standing in front of can be provided, or even better, location based activities can be offered. E.g. the pupil has to answer a question, or fulfill a task ("take a photograph of xy", "do xy and post the result to forum z",...). I am convinced we are still at the very beginning of real usage of mobile learning, but I am sure there are more and more scenarios and ideas coming up, as the community begins to realize what we CAN do with it.

Installation instructions:

  • Download the provided archive
  • copy language files to appropriate language folders
  • copy module to /mod/ directory
  • call the administration page to trigger installation

Features:

  • seamless integration of Semacode Tagger SDK
  • easily create and maintain Tags
  • create "external" links to other websites
  • create "internal" links, directly leading to a Moodle course or activity

Requirements:

  • developed and tested on a Moodle 1.6 installation, might also work on other versions
  • currently only mySQL is supported
  • JAVA runtime is required for Semacode Tagger SDK

ToDo:

As this is my first contribution to the Moodle Community, I would really appreciate your feedback and comments.

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Update:

  • now also supports headless servers
  • added configuration screen allowing to
    • configure java path
    • configure tag size
    • configure tag file type

Perhaps someone can give some feedback on this!? wink

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In reply to Andreas Forstinger

Re: Semacode Module (allowing location based moodling) (update)

by N Hansen -
I'm very interested in this concept but I have to admit I don't know a lot about mobile technology.

One question comes to mind about the semacode tagging. What if it is impossible to affix a semacode tag to the thing you want to tag? Say a famous statue in a public place. Would it be possible to produce a guidebook with pictures of the statues and a tag next to it that could be scanned by the camera and then the person linked to the Web page in question? Can one thing have more than one tag associated with it-e.g. an English version, a German version etc.?
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In reply to N Hansen

Re: Semacode Module (allowing location based moodling) (update)

by Andreas Forstinger -
Hi. Thank you for your interest.

The point you mention could obviously be a problem somehow. Of course we cannot "tag" every object in the public area as we want smile But you already provided a possible solution - of course it would be possible to provide tags in such a guidebook. Perhaps if the idea of the Semapedia Project emerges, once there will be such tags printed directly on the info panels in front of public points of interest.

For the next question - definitely yes. Tags are nothing else than URLs. So the tag itself does not bother about the object at all from technological view. So you could produce as many tags you like and stick them at the object. You could for example link to the different language pages of the corresponding Wikipedia article. But that reminds me of some blog article I read recently at http://martin.netwg.de/blog/index.php?/categories/17-World (German) where the blogger wonders if there will be a new form of SPAM if there are 20 to 30 tags at an object where 90% are misleading to personal or commercial sites.

The idea I personally like the most about the Semacode Module is the direct linking to Moodle activities. You could implement something like what is called "Schnitzeljagd" in German (I guess it's "paper chase" in English). I have not tried Activity locking yet, but I could imagine it would be possible that e.g. kids have to find several "checkpoints" in an outdoor area, where they have to solve some riddle or do something and are then lead to the next checkpoint. The team completing the chase first could win some small prize for example.

This way making Moodle "mobile" could also make pupils "move"! So to say, spreading Moodle content over an area could bring a complete new dimension to "explorative learning".
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In reply to Andreas Forstinger

Re: Semacode Module (allowing location based moodling) (update)

by N Hansen -
What about GPS? Personally, I like the idea of that better than being tied to semacode. Something along the lines of what is available in Japan would be great.
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In reply to N Hansen

Re: Semacode Module (allowing location based moodling) (update)

by Andreas Forstinger -
I totally agree with you that GPS would allow "better" location based services.
The main problem with GPS is the availability of supporting devices. Whereas in Japan new mobile phones already support GPS natively, this is not quite true in the rest of the world, especially in Europe. To use GPS on the mobile phones available, you would need an external GPS receiver, that is wired up to your phone either by cable or bluetooth. Such an receiver does not only need a power supply, there is also the problem of positioning it. A GPS receiver has to have free sight to the sky, so you would have to set it on top of your backpack or somewhere.
The other thing people often forget - GPS does only work outdoors. As I mentioned before, the receiver has to have clear sight to the sky. In fact there is something like "inhouse GPS", which is not really GPS but a technology either based on wLAN, Bluetooth, radio or in most cases a mix of these technologies.

Semacode will never replace GPS in terms of "real" location based services, that is for sure.
But it offers a free, lightweight way to easily create such scenarios on your own.
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In reply to N Hansen

Re: Semacode Module (allowing location based moodling) (update)

by Andreas Forstinger -
Btw I just had a look at your Moodle site and I really find this a cool idea smile
Perhaps the idea of Mobile moodling could be of further interest for you! The mobile client I am working on would for example allow the community to take a photograph of, say, an inscription and direclty post it into a Moodle forum. The other community members or you as the teacher could directly comment and give your feedback. A hieroglyph translation service on the go so to say smile

regards,
Andreas
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In reply to Andreas Forstinger

Re: Semacode Module (allowing location based moodling) (update)

by N Hansen -
Unfortunately, I don't think mobile internet services are really priced reasonably in Egypt yet to make this a viable idea at the moment. Egypt is in like the top 5 most expensive countries for phone services and it seems they charge by the bandwidth transferred, and a lot at that! But it is something I am thinking about for the future.
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In reply to N Hansen

Re: Semacode Module (allowing location based moodling) (update)

by Andreas Forstinger -
Another good point - the costs.
Here I can just speak about the Austrian market, because I do not know statistics about others.
In fact data transmission was also very expensive here. In times before GPRS technology bringing packet-oriented transmission, you even paid by time rather than amount of data.
Today, with new mobile standars like UMTS, EDGE and HSDPA not even the quality of service has increased dramatically, there are also completely new models for payment. At the moment there is a rumour about "mobile broadband internet" in Austria and nearly every provider offers special data packages here.
So you get a defined amount of data (e.g. 300 MB) at a fixed package price (say, 15€). Only when exceeding this volume you have to additionally pay for every MB of data.
Therefore the costs per KB have dropped dramatically!
And I am convinced this trend will stay. Mobile internet access will have a great boom and not very long there will be "mobile data flat rates", like available for your home internet today.

By the way, one may bear in mind the fact that more and more mobile phones support wireless lan. Of course I guess the density of public wLAN hotspots is rather thin around the pyramids in Gizeh, but for other use cases, this could be a possible way to think about if the costs for mobile data transmission are too high for the moment.
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In reply to Andreas Forstinger

Re: Semacode Module (allowing location based moodling) (update)

by Kremena Gocheva -
And what about RFID usage vs. sematagging? I have not read much about RFID in the last year and a half but back then, there were already RFID enabled cellphones and people were using RFID tags to trigger explanations in museums when one stands close to the tagged exhibit window.

Can a paper barcode survive such competition? I believe I recall correctly that product barcodes need special paper or plastics, and paper can get damaged/torn while a RFID tag is more robust on many occasions.
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In reply to Kremena Gocheva

Re: Semacode Module (allowing location based moodling) (update)

by Andreas Forstinger -
Thanks for your comment Kremena!

You are right that RFID could also be used for such an installation. What makes me wonder is your say about RFID enabled cell phones. At least here in Austria there is to my knowing no model available that is RFID capable. But indeed that would be pretty cool smile

Of course a (Semacode) tag made of paper is not too robust for outdoor environments. But you could as well print the tag information on some shield of plastic, alloy or anything else ;)
Just for comparison, there are also RFID tags, that are printed on some "sticker" made of paper, so you would also have to protect it.

Regards

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In reply to Andreas Forstinger

Re: Semacode Module (allowing location based moodling) (update)

by Stephen Lowe -
Hi, interesting thread. I too am working on this spatial annotation type stuff, with a view to training food processing plant managers. They have to remember a lot of technical stuff and a lot of compliance stuff. I believe that if the processing plant was tagged, and they could access the annotations while actually standing looking at the machine or the process they would find it all much easier to recall. 

I believe Nokia have some NFC technology: "by adding the special NFC clip-on shell to their 3220" but we haven't seen it here in New Zealand yet . . . anyway just put Nokia NFC into Google and see what you get.


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In reply to Stephen Lowe

Re: Semacode Module (allowing location based moodling) (update)

by Andreas Forstinger -
hi stephen!

thank you for your comment. this is true, i also heard about such NFC extensions. these should also be available to other models, i remember one that could be connected via bluetooth.

as far as my interest goes, i want users to be able to use their mobile without any special addons or extensions. they should simply install the client software (java) and that should work.

of course there are "better" near field technologies like RFID or location based technologies like GPS - but what makes these technologies kind of "unsuitable" for me is the lack of supporting hardware. just to point that out - my software design is that open that it should be easy to implement e.g. RFID or GPS support as soon as there are supporting devices out there.
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In reply to Andreas Forstinger

Re: Semacode Module (allowing location based moodling) (update)

by Andreas Forstinger -
I just fixed some bugs. So attached you find the latest version of the Semacode Module.
Please feel free to visit www.mobileclassroom.at for more information about this module and other topics concerning mobile moodling.

Cheers,
Andreas
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