Spark: Web 2.0 Tools for the Entire Tufts - NERCOMP - Northeast

Spark Web 2.0 Tools for Communication and Collaboration

David GroganManager, Curricular Technology Group

UIT Academic Technology • Tufts University

•What is Spark?

•What do we hope it will be?

•How is it used?

•What’s under the hood?

•What’s next?

•Questions

What is Spark?

• An extensible suite of highly flexible, web-based tools for communication and collaboration that support teaching, learning, research, and other co-curricular activities.

• A little history … APT Grants

Spark: Web 2.0 Tools for Communication and Collaboration

What is Spark?

• Freely available to entire community.

• Tool set currently includes:

– Wikis (Confluence)– Blogs (MovableType)– Podcast Publisher (homegrown)– Forums (JForum)– Maps (Google Maps/homegrown)– Media Annotator (homegrown)– SparkMeetings (Adobe Connect Pilot)


What is Spark?

• Launched in August 2006.• Continues to grow in features and use.• Won a Campus Technology Innovators Award in

2007.• Core project team includes:

– Project manager– Lead developer– Interactive media designer– All sharing support roles


What is Spark?

• Baseline features of the commercial/opensource products we use:

– Must allow for LDAP integration.

– Must allow for customization of interface.

– Must have robust API.

– Must have access to source code and database.


What is Spark?

• Common features across tools as implemented in Spark:

– Single sign on using Tufts LDAP directory.– Easy one-click creation of new items.– Tufts directory integrated for setting individual

permissions.– World, Tufts-wide, and private permissioning. – Tagging


What is Spark?


http://spark.uit.tufts.edu/

What do we hope Spark will be?

A Tufts-based localized network of people and ideas.

(getting there slowly)


How is Spark being used?


http://wikis.uit.tufts.edu/confluence/display/SparkSupport/Examples+of+Use

How is Spark being used?

Some Interesting Recent Use Cases

• Wikis: Workflow and social networking for citizen scholars.

• Blogs: Anthropology of Media• MediaMarkup: Feedback on patient examinations.• SparkMaps: Mapping Tufts conservation medicine

projects.• Podcasts: Podcasting biology lectures.


What is under the hood?

• Evolution of our systems infrastructure

– Started small, using VMWare for 3 dev systems and 3 prod systems (wikis, blogs, spark)

– Expanded incrementally, adding dev and prod VMs for new services as needed

– Using central resources whenever viable (network storage, authentication)



• Virtualization is one of our keys to staying agile, keeping costs low, and maximizing scalability within our constraints.



• Next generation infrastructure:

– Greater utilization of central resources

– Better support for dev-test-staging-production workflow and automation

– Explore opportunities for improvements in performance, load balancing, availability, change management using advanced VMWare functionality



• Typical Tool Development Effort:– 5 Pages, 3500 Lines of Code


JSP 1500

Servlet 1200

JavaScript 800

Database 200


• Development Approach

– 1.5 Programmers, Designer, Manager, Sys. Admin Support.

– 2 Calendar Months

– JSP, Tomcat, MySQL, YUI, JIRA, SVN, etc.

– Secret release



• Development Challenge: Always Something New!

– MediaMarkup uses Adobe Flex

– SparkMaps uses Google Map API.

– Always incorporating JavaScript libraries.

• Drag and drop, Ajax tables, etc.

– Impacts: Schedule, Plan, Design, Staff



• Future Directions

– Ajax is good• For the user and the code.

– Focus on reducing LOC for tools.• Shared Java database layer.• Shared JSP files.

– Stick with existing technology suite.

– Automated testing?


What’s difficult?

• Supporting people beyond the basics.

• Finding ways to market the site to students.

• Competition from freely available 3rd party sites (e.g. Google, Wordpress etc.)


What’s Next for Spark?

• A new user interface.

• Bring activity to the front.

• Start connecting people and content.

• Better communication and outreach.


What’s Next for Spark?


Any Questions?

• Contact: David Grogan ([email protected])

• Some of my own– What are you doing with these tools?– How have you been successful in marketing tools

to your students?– How have you been successful in scaling

support?


Education

Spark: Web 2.0 Tools for the Entire Tufts - NERCOMP - Northeast