Jisc will be showcasing a number of exciting and futuristic projects at its inaugural Digital Festival. The purpose-built Technology Garden will display the latest innovations in education and research through a series of live demonstration and talks.
The Jisc Digital Festival is a two day event that will take place at the ICC Birmingham from 11-12 March 2014, designed to celebrate the best in digital technologies and explore the future trends that will impact education and research.
In the Technology Garden, visitors will experience a variety of presentations including a 3D printing and scanning demonstration from The British Geological Survey (BGS) of the world’s first 3D virtual fossil collection. The GB3D Type Fossils Online project, funded by Jisc, has developed a single database of macrofossil species and subspecies specimens found in the UK. This includes links to photographs and laser scans to produce a selection of 3D digital models. The collection aims to provide an incredible insight into the history of life on Earth, providing a record of the evolution of creatures, how continents were once connected, and how environments across the globe have transformed.
Visitors will also have the chance to view the specialist collection of Digitised Diseases, a web-searchable 3D record of chronic diseases that affect the skeleton, using archaeological and historical exemplars from world-renowned collections housed in the Biological Anthropology Research Centre, at the University of Bradford and the Museum of London Archaeology and Royal College of Surgeons of England. These digitised records combined with current clinical knowledge will make it easier to view, manipulate and safeguard these valuable type-specimens, as well as develop a more detailed understanding of the progression of diseases.
Working closely with the academic community to foster innovation, Microsoft Research will also be in the Technology Garden demonstrating their Kinect sign-language translator which enables communication between signer and non-signer, as well as translation between different sign languages. Visitors will also have the chance to hear about the team’s Windows Azure for Research programme which is helping researchers discover how cloud computing can expand their work in environmental science, humanities, research data management and infrastructure.
Also on show in the Technology Garden will be the SCARLET project, an initiative which enhances the experience of studying first-hand medieval manuscripts, landmark editions and modern literary archives using augmented reality, ‘surrounding’ the pages with digitised content; images, texts, online learning resources and related information. Matt Ramirez, technical lead on The SCARLET project will be delivering an interactive presentation on this.
With demand for open data growing, delegates visiting the Technology Garden will also have the chance to listen to a presentation from Chris Gutteridge, linked open data architect at the University of Southampton and creator of Data.ac.uk. He will speak about how the higher education community can best use the wealth of data it has access to.
In addition, visitors will be able to learn more about BatMobile, an ambitious new project which identifies bats from their ultrasonic calls using a smartphone and an external microphone. Using the GPS signal from a smartphone, the information gathered will provide researchers with accurate information about species distributions which can be used to support national research programmes and inform conservation policy.
Rather appropriately, the Technology Garden will also showcase Leaf Watch, a citizen science app which enables the public to help academics at the universities of Bristol and Hull to identify the UK horse chestnut trees damaged by a species of moth.
Commenting on the current lineup of projects, presentations and demonstrations in the Technology Garden, Rachel Bruce, director of technology innovation at Jisc said:
“The Jisc Digital Festival marks an exciting return for us to the conference circuit, promoting the best of what the UK has to offer in digital innovation. The Technology Garden gives attendees a chance to see first-hand the great work being done across the sector in using technology to enhance learning, teaching and research as well as technology innovations of the future.”
For registration and to see the full programme for the Jisc Digital Festival on the 11 and 12 March 2014, visit the event web pages.
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Jisc has announced the programme, including four headline speakers, for its upcoming Digital Festival on the 11 and 12 March 2014.
The four speakers, who have gained huge accolades in their respected fields, are Sugata Mitra, TED winner and pioneer behind the Hole in the Wall project; Diana Oblinger, the CEO of non-profit organisation, EDUCAUSE; Paul Curran, vice-chancellor of City University London and former NASA researcher; and, completing the lineup, Ray Hammond, a futurologist who wrote The Modern Frankenstein (1986), the world’s first book to predict the importance of genetic engineering.
The Jisc Digital Festival, which will be held in the ICC in Birmingham, will showcase innovations in higher education (HE), further education (FE) and skills sectors, as well as explore the future of digital technology. In addition to the four keynote addresses, the Digital Festival will offer a wide selection of workshops, surgeries, panel discussions, expert speakers and live demonstrations of the latest education technology.
The speakers will be addressing delegates, including key decision-makers within universities and colleges. Their keynote talks will be focused on a diversity of topics designed to provoke discussion around the role of digital technology in education institutions, and how it can improve student experience.
Speaker Diana Oblinger, CEO of EDUCAUSE said:
“I’m looking forward to attending and speaking at the Digital Festival in March. My talk will involve a landscape exploration; looking at some of the exciting things happening in higher education and some of the key developments which will serve as a game-changer to the sector.
While higher education is not a homogenous community, we do share many similar issues and ideals. In the US we have some research programmes that we feel could benefit from the input of our colleagues in the UK and elsewhere. As well as sharing my insight, I hope to come away from the Digital Festival with tangible and innovative ideas on how we can collectively advance the use of information technology in higher education.”
Speaking about the lineup, Jisc’s executive director customer experience, Robert Haymon-Collins said:
“Following a two year break from our annual conference, the Jisc Digital Festival represents a fresh new event for the sector. We have worked hard on developing a programme that encompasses the achievement and innovation that is enhancing education and opening the door to exciting new possibilities in teaching and learning.
The headline speakers embody the purpose of this festival, which is all about sharing cutting-edge ideas and best practice. I am confident that visitors to the event will come away with useful advice they can implement in their institutions.”
Key programme highlights include demos and surgeries, practical hands-on workshops and a ‘Technology Garden’ featuring the latest innovations for education and research including 3D printing and augmented reality. The Digital Festival will also include a ‘startup’ zone with some of the UK’s leading technology talent.
Jisc was established to support education institutions in effectively adopting digital technologies and to help position the UK at the centre of digitally advanced education and research. The Jisc Digital Festival is aimed at HE and FE senior managers, library professionals, teachers, policy makers, IT experts, academics and learning technologists.
Earlybird registration discount available until 14 February 2014.
To register attendance at the Jisc Digital Festival on the 11 and 12 March 2014, and for more information, visit the event web pages. Join the conversation by following the hashtag #digifest14 on Twitter.
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Jisc Collections welcomes the recent letter from the Rt Hon David Willets MP, minister for universities and science, which responds to Dame Janet Finch’s review of progress towards implementing the Finch report.
In 2012 the Finch report examined how to expand and improve access for everyone to international peer-reviewed research. The letter addresses the November 2013 review by former members of the Finch Group of the work undertaken since then.
In the letter the minister recognises that the total cost to research institutions will rise under a fully gold open access model. This is because, on top of paying article fees, they will need to continue to maintain their subscriptions to hybrid journals for access to international research.
The Government "looks to the publishing industry to develop innovative and sustainable solutions", which should involve a "meaningful proportion of an institution's total [article processing charges] with a publisher" being "offset against total subscription payments with that publisher".
We acknowledge the minister's statement that "Government welcomes efforts by Jisc Collections to develop sustainable funding models that establish a relationship between the payment of APCs (and the costs of administering them) and subscription fees for an institution." Jisc looks forward to working constructively with the publishers of hybrid journals to explore and implement sustainable systems that will offset the additional costs of article processing charges. Some publishers have already established schemes of their own and we are in active discussions with many others about ways to put this into practice.
We also welcome the opportunity for further work on the development of licence extensions to the benefit of small and medium enterprises.
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From today subscribers to the popular BoB National (Box of Broadcasts) TV and radio recording service will now be able to search for and view over a million off-air TV and radio programmes.
Today the British Universities Film and Video Council (BUFVC) and Jisc are pleased to announce that they are greatly increasing the content available on the popular BoB National TV and radio recording service.
This expansion, a result of work with the BBC to broaden access to digital materials for educational use, means that subscribers will now be able to search for and view over one million off-air TV and radio programmes dating from 2007.
Lorraine Estelle, executive director content and discovery Jisc said:
“Jisc exists to expand and improve UK research and education. The growth of BoB creates a wonderful opportunity for researchers to delve deep into a treasure trove of additional BBC TV, film and radio content.
This will enable us to understand more about the history of audiovisual media and provide invaluable opportunities to study the UKs evolving broadcast culture.”
This update of BoB National continues to build on its history of enabling thought-provoking study. Research has ranged from a journalistic assessment of the style of Gulf War reporting to a look at the economic impact of 2008 news reports of the Lehman Bros collapse. BoB National can be used to bring all academic subjects to life for both students and researchers, who can access hundreds of hours of TV and film footage and radio broadcasts.
Tony Ageh, controller, BBC archives and digital public space, said:
"The BBC is working hard to make access to its historically important archives easier and simpler. Educational use of archive material is increasingly important in teaching and research, and our collaboration with BoB is a very effective way to make more off-air recordings available."
Anna Goatman, senior lecturer in marketing University of Manchester and BoB user said:
"The days of being able to stand at the front of a lecture theatre behind a lectern and read something that you prepared years ago are long gone. Using material from BoB National it is possible to quickly engage a roomful of students with up-to-date and relevant content."
All UK higher and further education institutions are eligible to subscribe. So far 150,000 users in the 56 subscribing institutions subscribe to this wealth of content for research and study under the terms of the ERA licence (s).
Other new features are also being made available from today including access to off-air recordings on mobile devices and rolling transcripts. Together with the expanded collection these will ensure that BoB National continues to be a valuable teaching, learning and research resource.
For more information about the BUFVC visit bufvc.ac.uk and for BoB National visit bobnational.net.
To read more detail about the project, including case studies, visit the Research and Education Space project pages.
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Jisc is offering five technology start-up companies the opportunity to showcase their innovative products and services at its inaugural Digital Festival.
The Jisc Digital Festival is a two day event that will take place at the ICC Birmingham from 11-12 March 2014, and is designed to showcase and celebrate the best in digital technologies and explore the future trends that will impact education and research. The festival will include keynotes from renowned education experts such as Sugata Mitra and Diana Oblinger.
In launching this bursary, Jisc is offering start-up companies free exhibition space at the event, a two day exhibitor pass for two people, as well as a demonstration slot to highlight what their company offers. To be considered for the bursary, applying companies have to be UK-based start-ups, have less than ten employees, and offer a technology product or service that is innovative, primarily targeting UK higher education, further education and/or skills sectors.
The Jisc Digital Festival will bring together delegates that represent HE and FE including, senior managers, academics, library professionals, policy makers, learning technologists and others.
Andrew McGregor, deputy chief innovation officer at Jisc said:
"One of the most exciting things about the Jisc Digital Festival is the sheer diversity of people who will attend; people from a variety of higher and further education institutions and commercial organisations with many different roles and titles. This makes this bursary a fantastic opportunity for educational technology start-ups to meet potential customers and network with experts in digital technology.
Jisc’s role is to use digital technology to improve education and research so the chance to meet and support people who have established companies that are seeking to use technology in new, exciting ways is always an intriguing prospect."
The deadline to apply for the Jisc start-up bursary is 31 January 2014. See full eligibility details.
For anyone interested in attending the Jisc Digital Festival on the 11 and 12 March, the early-bird delegate rate applies until 31 January 2014. See full information on tickets.
Join the conservation on twitter using the hashtag #digifest14.
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Today, ten international research funders from four countries are jointly announcing the winners of the third Digging into Data Challenge.
This competition is run to develop new insights, tools and skills in innovative humanities and social science research using large-scale data analysis.
14 winning teams representing Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States will receive grants. They will investigate how computational techniques can be applied to “big data” which will change the nature of humanities and social sciences research. Each team represents collaborations among scholars, scientists, and information professionals from leading universities and libraries in Europe and North America.
The first round of the Digging into Data Challenge was held in 2009 and the second in 2011. Previous Digging into Data research projects have received international attention. For the current round, there are ten sponsoring funders and a total of 14 funded projects.
The projects cover a wide variety of topics, some of the UK projects include:
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Three outstanding specialists in digital learning for adults this week became winners of the prestigious Jisc-sponsored Digital Practitioner Awards, presented on Wednesday at the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education's (NIACE) 2013 conference, Learning at the Digital Frontier.
The Digital Practitioner Awards recognised the winners for their on-the-ground work in making learning more accessible through the use of digital technologies.
Simon Pearson, one of the three winners, set up Puzzlebox Learning in Weston-super-Mare after finding ways to make learning materials more accessible to himself, as someone who found the existing routes to learning challenging because of his severe dyslexia and physical disabilities.
He is now passing on his innovative methods of learning to others through training materials and resources that help with the assistive technologies that are commonly found in further education colleges, schools and the workplace but are often not fully exploited. His work enables learners to find a path that works for them in a very ‘text heavy’ education system.
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The other two winners are Lisa Darkin of Get Shropshire Online and the MAES Digital Mentors and Champions – a team of 13 volunteers led by Nuala Trace and Kath Castle for Manchester Adult Education Service.
Robert Haymon-Collins, Jisc's executive director customer experience, who presented the awards, said of the winners:
"Jisc was delighted to support the NIACE conference this week by sponsoring the Digital Practitioner Awards. All three winners are excellent examples of the critical component that makes technology such a game-changer: it's all about the people.
Through individuals such as Simon, Lisa and Nuala and Kath's team of volunteers, with their passion and determination, technology is being used to transform the lives of people across the country, enabling them to access learning, improve their lives and take full part in today's super-connected communities."
Susan Easton, programme manager for digital learning at NIACE said:
"Staying on top of new digital developments and gaining new skills is an issue for many adults. What our remarkable award winners clearly show is how learners and practitioners can work side by side to effectively address it. I’d like to extend NIACE’s congratulations to all of this year’s nominees, who were of an exceptionally high standard and proved that many digital practitioners go beyond the call of duty to enable quality learning to take place. We’re also very grateful to Jisc for supporting our conference and for its commitment to making these important awards happen.”
The awards were presented on 11 December 2013, at Learning at the Digital Frontier, an annual conference held in London.
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Jisc is pleased to announce that from today, 11 December, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has agreed to make a grant of up to £550 to universities in England that participate in the Knowledge Unlatched pilot.
This grant contribution will be used to reduce the participation fee paid by English libraries by 50%.
Knowledge Unlatched is an organisation dedicated to promoting open access for scholarly books. Their model uses the collective purchasing power of the world’s libraries to make academic books freely available to all and they are inviting libraries from around the world to participate in a pilot to trial this new model. Libraries can participate by pledging (a maximum of) £1100 to ‘unlatch’ a collection of 28 humanities and social sciences books. If at least 200 libraries from around the world sign up for the collection by 31 January 2014, these books will be made free for anyone in the world to read on an open access basis.
Libraries that participate in the pilot will receive a Knowledge Unlatched membership fee waiver until January 2016, usage data on the collection and the right to participate in Knowledge Unlatched governance. As a result of HEFCE’s grant, English libraries will be able to secure the benefits of participating in the Knowledge Unlatched Pilot by pledging a maximum of £550.
HEFCE senior policy advisor, Ben Johnson said:
“I'm delighted to be able to confirm HEFCE's support for the Knowledge Unlatched scheme. I believe this is an important pilot in testing out a potential new model for open access book publishing. The lessons that we learn from this pilot will be of prime importance in gauging both the viability of models like this in the longer term and the readiness of the scholarly book publishing world to support open access more widely.”
Jisc is managing the pledging process for UK universities and colleges and will administer grant funding for the English libraries. Full details of how to pledge can be viewed on the Jisc Collections website. Pledging will remain open until 31 January 2014.
Lorraine Estelle, Jisc’s executive director of content and discovery and divisional CEO Jisc Collections, welcomed the announcement:
“Scholarly monograph publishing is important to researchers, especially in the humanities and social sciences where the book is the main method by which they communicate their research. It is important that we explore new publishing models to support the monograph and we hope that the HEFCE grant will encourage libraries to participate in the pilot and help drive forward the future of scholarly monograph publishing.”
Frances Pinter, executive director of Knowledge Unlatched added:
“The HEFCE grant is a major contribution to helping explore new ways of reaching open access for books through cooperation between libraries and publishers that will decrease costs to institutions while at the same time bring all the benefits of open access to the world.”
Knowledge Unlatched is planning to establish a joint forum that brings together libraries and publishers in early 2014.
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Today, 10 December, registration opens for Jisc’s Digital Festival taking place at the ICC in Birmingham on 11-12 March 2014.
After a two-year break the conference is taking a new guise aiming to not only showcase the best digital talent in the UK but provide ample networking opportunities.
The festival will be innovative, informative and fun, showcasing and celebrating the very best in UK digital talent by bringing together experts and providers from the higher education, further education and skills sectors to share ideas and best practice.
Robert Haymon-Collins, executive director customer experience said:
“This is an opportunity for the UK’s education and research sectors to come together, discuss real solutions, enhance the student and research experience whilst, most importantly, giving people the tools to make a positive change through digital technologies in their own organisation.”
There will be practical ideas and tips to take away and use straight away in your institution as well as thought-provoking ideas on technologies of the future.
Further information about the Jisc Digital Festival 2014 is now available on our website, including:
A full programme will be released in January 2014, and you will then have the opportunity to register for the festival sessions that you wish to attend.
If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact us at digifest@jisc.ac.uk. Join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #digifest14 or join our Facebook event.
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A unique online resource bringing together some 1,600 specimens of diseased human bones into a single digital collection will offer trainee medics, clinicians and medical historians around the world the chance to study in detail the effects of chronic diseases on bone.
The specimens, currently housed in major archaeological and medical collections across the UK, have been digitised and collated into a single online educational resource.
This offers the opportunity for researchers to study a wealth of specimens in one place, including samples that would otherwise be too fragile to handle. It will also be a valuable resource for students and researchers in countries that do not have access to bone collections, or where the study of real human remains is restricted.
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The Digitised Diseases web resource launches today at the Royal College of Surgeons in London and contains 3D models of bones affected by over 90 chronic pathological conditions. These range from common complaints such as osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis, to rare bone cancers, skeletal trauma and conditions that are often considered to be diseases of poverty in the modern world, such as tuberculosis and polio.
The resource, created by the University of Bradford and Jisc, brings together world-renowned skeletal collections including the university’s own archaeological skeletons housed in the Biological Anthropology Research Centre (BARC); historic medical specimens housed in the Hunterian Museum and the Wellcome Museum of Anatomy and Pathology at the Royal College of Surgeons in London; and human remains excavated by the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA).
The bones have been digitised using a combination of 3D laser scanning, CT and radiography, providing a unique opportunity for students and researchers all over the world to examine both the internal and external changes caused by chronic diseases. The models are accompanied by descriptions and broader clinical synopses of these conditions.
Lead researcher, Dr Andrew Wilson from the University of Bradford, said:
“This is a fantastic teaching aid. Many of the conditions included in the digital collection are still seen by clinicians around the world; however the age of these bones means that they came from individuals who were alive before effective medical therapies were available and so offer the chance to show how these diseases progress if left untreated.”
The project will safeguard fragile specimens in these collections used for teaching that have until now been susceptible to damage from handling and provide a 3D digital model in the case of archaeological remains under threat of reburial.
Paola Marchionni, programme manager at Jisc, said:
“Digitised Diseases builds on the successful pilot digitisation project - From Cemetery to Clinic - where the University of Bradford developed methods to create photo-realistic 3D digital models of bones affected by leprosy excavated from a medieval leprosy hospital in Chichester. The team has now taken this approach further by setting up new partnerships, broadening the scope of the collections to include other chronic diseases that affect the skeleton and experimenting with innovative ways of delivering these models online.
The opportunity for clinicians, trainee medics and medical historians to look back in time at archaeological remains in order to aid modern medical understanding will, we hope, prove invaluable.”
The Digitised Diseases project has been funded by Jisc and undertaken by a multidisciplinary team of researchers from the Biological Anthropology Research Centre and the Centre for Visual Computing at the University of Bradford and project partners MOLA and the Royal College of Surgeons of England in London, with further support from Pinderfields Hospital, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and Smith & Nephew. Associate partners Museum of London, Historic Scotland, National Museum of Scotland, York Archaeological Trust, Yorkshire Museum and York Minster also provided additional specimens for digitisation.
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Last week saw the University of Central Lancashire take home the prize for outstanding ICT initiative of the year, sponsored by Jisc, at the Times Higher Education Awards 2013.
The awards, hosted this year by writer and broadcast Sandi Toksvig on the 28 November, represent a unique and high-profile opportunity to celebrate the excellence and amazing achievements of UK higher education institutions.
The University of Central Lancashire won with its Digital Shift project, which set about transforming the online learning experience of its student body with an ambitious programme of cultural change.
The university produced a set of minimum standards for integrating pedagogy and technology, which had to be met by all 350 first-year core modules. These included uploading course information; ensuring that tutors’ reading lists and key lectures were available online; allowing remote submission of assignments; and giving students the option to offer digital feedback about courses.
The project, which was introduced in 2011-12, resulted in a 136% increase in electronic coursework submissions and a 312% increase in the number of feedback reports submitted online.
The Digital Shift process has been embraced by staff, who have taken the opportunity to develop their digital skills by moving their seminars online and embracing a ‘blended’ approach to teaching. More than 4,000 staff attended academic and technology development workshops, underlining how university employees have bought into the project.
Martyn Harrow, a judge and chief executive of Jisc, said of the winners:
“The panel was very impressed with this entry and judged that the University of Central Lancashire Digital Shift project had best embraced all the criteria for the award.
It demonstrated in particular an innovative approach, and considerable skill and effort in successfully embracing both staff and students in the process.”
Lisa Banks, the acting head of the University of Central Lancashire’s learning and information systems team which implemented the project, commented:
“We are thrilled to accept this award in recognition of our work on the Digital Shift project.
We set out to truly transform the student experience and this ambitious programme of cultural change has combined technology and teaching to leverage institutional-wide benefits for both staff and students.”
For more information about the awards and to see a list of the winners, visit the THE Awards 2013 website.
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A unique digital archive The Welsh Experience of the First World War was launched today at The College Merthyr Tydfil by Huw Lewis AM, the Welsh Government minister for education and skills.
The Welsh Experience of the First World War was developed as a collaborative initiative led by The National Library of Wales, in partnership with the Archives and Special Collections of Wales (partners are Aberystwyth University; Bangor University, Cardiff University; Swansea University; the University of Wales Trinity St David; BBC Cymru Wales, The People’s Collection, Wales, and archives and local records offices that are part of ARCW: the Archives and Records Council of Wales).
The project was funded by a £500,000 grant from the Jisc content programme as part of our work in support of education and research, and through support from the partner organisations.
Huw Lewis AM, the Welsh Government minister for education and skills said:
"For 20 years the library has been a trusted provider of digital content from its collections, based on a series of collaborative projects. The Welsh Experience of the First World War is an example of Wales-wide collaboration to create an important new digital resource and one that will prove invaluable for teaching, research, and public engagement, worldwide, free of charge, for all those interested in this important period of history.
Digital resources can unlock our past for a variety of audiences, in Wales and around the world. This very special digital archive will be widely used for education and research purposes, especially as we approach the centenary of the outbreak of World War One. It reveals the hidden history of World War One, demonstrating its effects on all aspects of Welsh life. The archive will contribute greatly to the commemorations in Wales by providing a comprehensive online facility for all sectors of education, local and family history researchers."
Paola Marchionni, Jisc’s programme manager digitisation said:
"I am delighted that Jisc have been able to support the development of this resource. It is a prime example of the benefits that digitisation can bring to researchers and the public at large by creating a virtual collection that reunites material from different physical locations. The library and its Welsh partners are providing a really valuable, openly accessible, resource that can search collections of newspapers, images, sound and archival material both in English and Welsh."
Aled Gruffydd Jones, the National Library’s chief executive and librarian said:
"The National Library is proud to have led this important and unique initiative with the Archives and Special Collections of Wales. We feel sure that this innovative new digital resource will prove invaluable for teaching, research, and public engagement."
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He added his thanks to the minister for his support and to Jisc and the partner institutions "without whom The Welsh Experience of the First World War could not be delivered."
The formal launch of the archive also marks the beginning of The National Library of Wales’ Community Partnership Initiative. This will enable more people across Wales to access the library’s extensive printed, manuscript and visual collections. The programme was announced at the event by John Griffiths AM, Welsh Government minister for culture and sport in the company of several partners from Merthyr Tydfil.
For more information on World War One resources made possible by Jisc, visit our WW1 centenary hub.
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Edinburgh Napier University and the Royal College of Music (RCM) have linked up to demonstrate the power of the Janet network in supporting collaborative performances across remote locations.
The advanced network, whose latest edition, Janet6, was officially launched by Jisc at an event at the London Film Museum, has been designed to address future demands for high capacity connectivity. At the launch event, guests were treated to a unique musical performance which saw musicians from both the Royal College of Music, based in London, and Edinburgh Napier University playing simultaneously, in real-time, via audio video streaming.
This technological feat was achieved using LOLA (LOw LAtency Audio Visual Streaming System) technology, via the Janet network. Using state-of-the-art 100 gigabit ethernet technology, the network provides excellent bandwidth and low latency, which made the simultaneous musical performance possible.
Despite being hundreds of miles apart, three musicians performed a number of arrangements, including tango numbers by Piazzolla. The collaboration used latency of approximately 40-75ms round trip, which ensured there was no perceptible delay and the demonstration was seamless. Apart from enabling collaborative performances, LOLA has the potential to link experts from around the world for master classes and rehearsals, without the added expense of travel and time to get to remote venues. It opens up a world of possibilities for the creative industry, enabling new types of art to work in different spaces at the same time.
Tim Marshall, the executive director responsible for Jisc technology and infrastructure including Janet and the Janet6 programme, spoke about the LOLA demonstration at the launch event.
He said:
“The musical performance between the Royal College of Music and Edinburgh Napier University almost 400 miles away, was a visual manifestation of the capabilities of the new Janet network. Launching this flexible network infrastructure to the research and education sectors will encourage experimentation and ensure that ambitious projects such as this will continue. Janet6 has the power and capacity to support the UK in its quest to remain at the forefront of global innovation for years to come.”
Dr Paul Ferguson, lecturer in the School of Arts and Creative Industries at Edinburgh Napier University said:
“It was great to be involved in such an exciting project and to see the culmination of a 14 month partnership with Janet using LOLA, to such stunning effect. Having access to such a high performance network has opened our eyes to the possibility of similar projects, not just with music; we are looking to deliver simultaneous performances with dance and drama too.
None of the musicians involved with the performance at the Janet launch had used the LOLA technology before we started rehearsing. They were blown away with the fact that they could play their instruments in perfect synchronicity with others hundreds of miles away. We have just started working on a project with Janet that will link performances between Edinburgh Napier University and sites in Italy and the Czech Republic. The power of the Janet6 network will certainly continue to raise our ambitions.”
Matt Parkin, from the Royal College of Music said:
“The Royal College of Music has a history of being at the forefront of music technology – the first electronic music studio in any UK educational institution was established at the RCM in 1967 – so we’re thrilled to be working with Janet and the LOLA system because it’s another game changer. Nothing before has allowed classical musicians to actually play together over these kinds of distances. And with the quality and speed of the Janet link, they don’t have to compromise at all.
Musicians are always astonished by how transparent the Janet/LOLA connection is. You actually notice it just as much when they’re chatting together in rehearsal as when they’re playing, because unlike any previous video conference system, there is no perceptible delay at all, so it’s just like they’re in the same room. And whereas traditional ‘live links’ have relied on delays or click tracks to create an illusion of musicians playing together, audiences can now experience a truly live, synchronous performance between musicians hundreds of miles apart for the first time.
The combination of Janet and LOLA promises to revolutionise music rehearsals, teaching and performance, and opens up a host of new possibilities for collaborations which we at the RCM look forward to exploring further.”
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Jisc is today set to increase the country’s global competitiveness by launching one of the world’s most advanced computer networks: Janet6.
This advanced network has been designed to address future demands for high capacity connectivity, enabling vast amounts of data to be exchanged in seconds. Designed specifically for research and education, Janet6 is highly scalable up to 8.8 terabits of capacity and uses state-of-the-art 100 gigabit ethernet technology. Janet6 provides excellent bandwidth and a flexible infrastructure, enabling the UK’s research, higher education, further education and skills sectors to collaborate and compete on a global scale.
Martyn Harrow, chief executive of Jisc said:
“We are delighted to have been entrusted with this investment, to develop and launch Janet6. We are certainly very proud of the Janet team who have made it happen; implementing this substantial project within budget and on time.
Our core mission is to advance and support the use of digital technologies in UK research and education for advantage. This leading edge network infrastructure, delivered so smoothly by the Janet team, is a fundamental component in achieving this and will unlock new levels of ambition and collaboration on a national and international level.”
Tim Marshall, the executive director responsible for Jisc technology and infrastructure including Janet and the Janet6 programme, said of the network launch:
“The needs of the research and education communities are constantly evolving and we are developing flexible network architecture able to respond not just to these but to future needs. Major developments in bio-medical research and climate science have been made possible over the lifetime of the current network SuperJanet5. The power, capacity and flexibility of Janet6 will further stimulate and support the exploration that ensures the UK remains at the forefront of global innovation.”
Professor Robin Baker OBE, CEO of Ravensbourne, the university sector college specialising in digital media and design, cites the strength of the network as a unique benefit:
“The Janet network has helped us deliver unique projects using high-performance technology, which we specialise in at Ravensbourne. Our recent partnership with the RSC saw a live performance of Richard II followed by a live Q&A with David Tennant streamed to schools across the country.
We're planning similar projects with other cultural institutions, along with hosting the annual Mozilla Festival for the third year in a row next year, and we’re now planning virtual open days as online events for people who want to see Ravensbourne but aren’t able to visit, which gives us a greater reach and contributed to a 17 per cent rise in applications last year.
Some of these projects simply wouldn’t be possible without such a sophisticated network. With the Janet backbone there could be a thousand users at the same time all downloading data and it’s more than robust enough to cope, which makes it an incredibly valuable asset.”
Replacing the current SuperJanet5 backbone, the Janet6 architecture will facilitate further development of the UK’s knowledge economy.
The current Janet network has been critical to landmark scientific projects such as the ‘Upscale’ climate simulations, which required petabytes of data to be moved from supercomputers in mainland Europe to sites in the UK, including the Met Office. Mathematical models and high-resolution data captured form Earth observations from space are used to glean important information on sea surface temperature and cloud cover, which provides valuable insights into climate trends that are needed to inform policy decisions.
The European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) use the infrastructure to share research data from DNA sequencing and other high-throughput methods. Ewan Birney, associate director of EMBL-EBI, says:
“The Janet network is crucial to what we do. The exchange of data supports scientific research and innovation throughout the world and this requires good connectivity, low latency and high bandwidth; exactly what Janet6 provides. This supports the discovery of new drugs, therapies, diagnostics and new ways to track biodiversity. The people we work with want the best datasets on demand, at the right time and Janet6 makes this possible.”
The official 'switch over' to the Janet6 network will take place on 26 November 2013. The new infrastructure will help businesses that connect UK education institutions to one another, super-computing facilities and global research and education networks, unlocking the potential for a greater number of collaborative research projects.
The Janet6 project was brought to successful fruition in partnership with a number of organisations. The key partners included: SSE Telecoms for the underlying fibre for the network; Ciena for the optical processors to light the fibre; Juniper Networks, who provided the high-performance routing and switching technology to create the network, and its deployment partner Imtech.
Janet6 has been developed in the context of the government’s Public Services Network with funding from the Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) and managed through the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).
For more information about the Janet6 network visit the Janet website.
via Jisc news
Staff and students at Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor are celebrating after winning the Association of Colleges (AoC) Beacon Award for ‘Effective Use of Technology in FE and Skills’, sponsored by Jisc.
The awards, dubbed the ‘further education Oscars’, were announced by Matthew Hancock, minister for skills and enterprise, at the AoC Annual Conference in Birmingham on Tuesday 19 November.
Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor won the award for its innovative use of video conferencing to support and deliver A-levels to schools across Wales. This has enabled school pupils to have access to a range of high quality courses that would otherwise not be available to them.
The students on these courses achieve, succeed and progress to higher education. The assessors for the award state: “The project is a showcase for other colleges and schools demonstrating highly effective collaboration and partnership when serving the needs of students”.
Robert Haymon-Collins, Jisc’s executive director of customer experience said:
“Jisc is delighted to have sponsored this award, recognising people who are really making the most of what technology has to offer those in the further education and skills sector. I am always fascinated and excited by what our colleagues in education and technology are producing and Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor is no exception.
“We at Jisc believe the UK can be the most digitally advanced education and research nation in the world and, by looking at the innovative projects nominated in this category, look forward to what the future brings for further education and skills”
Dr Ian Rees, principal at Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor, said of their success:
“We are delighted to have won the award as recognition of the staff team's work and the way that we want to extend our areas of specialism with students all over Wales.
“Video teaching certainly offers part of a solution to the problems being faced by education due to diminishing finance. We look forward to extending it both geographically and through the medium of English.”
Chair of the AoC Beacon Awards, Dame Pat Bacon, said:
“As chair of the National Steering Group it has been a really interesting and exciting experience being involved in the selection of the AoC Beacon Award winners once again.
“The field this year was as strong as ever. It’s great to see colleges identifying the challenges that we face, and confronting them head-on in innovative and creative ways.
“The winning entries this year are all fantastic examples of the ways in which colleges are demonstrating how thoroughly they understand and respond to the needs of their learners, wider communities and employers.
“I should like to congratulate all of the successful colleges and hope that they can make the most of the opportunity afforded to them through the Beacon Awards to help stimulate innovation and curriculum development across the sector”
Roger Marriott, AoC Beacon Awards chief assessor, said:
“I have been greatly impressed by the innovative and excellent initiatives which have been identified through the assessment process of the AoC Beacon Awards this year.
“It is a privilege to be able to see, first hand, the many imaginative and creative approaches that colleges are adopting to support their learners. The dedication and passion shown by these winning colleges to ensure that individuals are given the opportunity to realise their full potential is inspirational and I hope that the wider sector will benefit as a result of celebrating their achievements.”
Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor will host a local celebration event in the new year and will be presented with its award by Matthew Hancock MP at a national presentation ceremony due to be held at Westminster on 5 February 2014.
via Jisc news
Today Matthew Hancock, MP for skills and enterprise, Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has announced the opportunity for all English further education (FE) colleges to put in place a resilient network connection.
During Mr Hancock’s speech at the Association of Colleges (AoC) annual conference he shared that BIS, AoC and Jisc will be working together to support colleges in enhancing their network provision. BIS will provide the initial capital funding for English colleges to install a resilient connection.
Martyn Harrow, Jisc chief executive said:
“Working with BIS and the AoC we understand the importance of ensuring colleges have the support and technical infrastructure in place to deliver for their learners, staff and communities. This will now be made possible, through our Janet organisation, due to the capital investment announced today by BIS.
We will be writing to FE colleges in December to understand their interest in taking up this opportunity for a second connection, which safeguards and provides a backup for their day-to-day network connections meaning their college can remain online 24 hours.
A resilient connection is essential in providing continuity of online learning and new forms of provision, online assessment and the requirements of learners, who now expect to use their own devices as part of their studies.”
For more information, visit the BIS website.
via Jisc news
Professor Martin Hall has been appointed as the new chair of Jisc, succeeding Professor Sir Tim O’Shea after his very successful tenure.
Creative Commons attribution information
Martin HallAll rights reserved
The appointment, announced today by UUK, GuildHE and AoC following an open and competitive selection process will see Professor Hall taking up his position in January 2014. He has been closely involved with Jisc a member of the board since 2011 and became a trustee in December 2012 when Jisc was incorporated and became an educational charity.
Professor Sir Tim O’Shea, vice-chancellor and principal at the University of Edinburgh has provided exceptionally strong leadership, guiding Jisc through a challenging time for higher and further education. He has overseen a series of changes in the organisation, notably its move to charitable status and the development of a more focused, impactful and clear customer-focused ethos.
Professor Hall has been vice-chancellor of the University of Salford since August 2009. He joined Salford from the University of Cape Town where he was deputy vice-chancellor for six years. His career has been characterised by a passion for innovative research, teaching and learning – particularly through the use of advanced digital and new media.
Professor Martin Hall said:
“Sir Tim will be a very hard act to follow, but I am looking forward to the challenge. Under his leadership and direction Jisc has developed into an organisation with greater customer focus. He has also secured successfully the next generation of digital connectivity and national infrastructure for UK education and research with the implementation of Janet6.
“I am very much looking forward to working with the board of trustees and the Jisc team across the UK. I recognise this role will be key in overseeing the change and continuing development of Jisc to ensure it makes its crucial contribution to the UK higher education, further education and skills sectors most efficiently and effectively.
“Jisc has a crucial role, as a trusted partner, in helping the education and research sectors to embrace the use of digital technologies for advantage.”
Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of UUK commenting on behalf of UUK, Guild HE and AoC said:
"We are delighted that we have been able to name Professor Hall as the next chair of Jisc. He has huge strategic leadership experience and knowledge in areas such as open access and digital technologies. This expertise will be invaluable in continuing Jisc's already impressive progress towards achieving its strategic vision and mission."
via Jisc news
Professor Martin Hall has been appointed as the new chair of Jisc, succeeding Professor Sir Tim O’Shea after his very successful tenure.
Creative Commons attribution information
Martin HallAll rights reserved
The appointment, announced today by UUK, GuildHE and AoC following an open and competitive selection process will see Professor Hall taking up his position in January 2014. He has been closely involved with Jisc as a member of the board since 2011 and became a trustee in December 2012 when Jisc was incorporated and became an educational charity.
Professor Sir Tim O’Shea, vice-chancellor and principal at the University of Edinburgh has provided exceptionally strong leadership, guiding Jisc through a challenging time for higher and further education. He has overseen a series of changes in the organisation, notably its move to charitable status and the development of a more focused, impactful and clear customer-focused ethos.
Professor Hall has been vice-chancellor of the University of Salford since August 2009. He joined Salford from the University of Cape Town where he was deputy vice-chancellor for six years. His career has been characterised by a passion for innovative research, teaching and learning – particularly through the use of advanced digital and new media.
Professor Martin Hall said:
“Sir Tim will be a very hard act to follow, but I am looking forward to the challenge. Under his leadership and direction Jisc has developed into an organisation with greater customer focus. He has also secured successfully the next generation of digital connectivity and national infrastructure for UK education and research with the implementation of Janet6.
“I am very much looking forward to working with the board of trustees and the Jisc team across the UK. I recognise this role will be key in overseeing the change and continuing development of Jisc to ensure it makes its crucial contribution to the UK higher education, further education and skills sectors most efficiently and effectively.
“Jisc has a crucial role, as a trusted partner, in helping the education and research sectors to embrace the use of digital technologies for advantage.”
Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of UUK commenting on behalf of UUK, Guild HE and AoC said:
"We are delighted that we have been able to name Professor Hall as the next chair of Jisc. He has huge strategic leadership experience and knowledge in areas such as open access and digital technologies. This expertise will be invaluable in continuing Jisc's already impressive progress towards achieving its strategic vision and mission."
via Jisc news
The JUSP (Journal Usage Statistics Portal) welcomes the adoption of Release 4 of the COUNTER standard by international publisher Springer Science+Business Media.
The implementation ensures that the journal usage data Springer is providing to higher education libraries are now compliant with the standard, ensuring comparable, standard-based measurement.
The COUNTER Code of Practice for e-Resources provides an agreed international set of standards and protocols governing the recording and exchange of online usage data. Springer is the first of the 59 JUSP participating publishers to implement the new Release 4 standard, setting a precedent for other publishers to follow suit by 31 December 2013. This will ensure that data provided by JUSP continues to be of the highest quality.
JUSP, funded by Jisc, is the first system of its kind internationally that automates the process of gathering journal usage data from publishers and provides a single point of access to this data for higher education libraries.
The COUNTER standard forms the basis of JUSP, enabling access to consistent and comparable journal usage statistics. Graham Stone, information resources manager at the University of Huddersfield says:
“We see COUNTER as essential in helping us to understand usage of our resources in order to show value for money in times of increased pressure on library budgets. The better the information we have at our fingertips, the more informed our decisions will be. We strongly encourage all publishers and intermediaries to adopt this latest standard.”
Jo Lambert, JUSP project manager, said:
“The COUNTER standard is integral to JUSP, facilitating delivery of an efficient and cost-effective service. Release 4 of the standard provides a number of new features and opportunities; for instance, the new Journal Report 1 GOA provides usage data on gold open access articles. Working with Springer and our knowledgeable and committed user community will enable us to explore the potential for this new report and reflect their ideas and feedback within the JUSP portal. We applaud Springer for adopting this latest standard and encourage other publishers to follow suit.”
Rone Robbetze, vice president, sales at Springer Science+Business Media, says:
“Giving libraries access to usage data in this way will allow librarians to assess value for money in journal agreements. Springer believes that in implementing the COUNTER standard, we are supporting JUSP to help provide a crucial service for higher education libraries.”
The benefits of JUSP include immediate access to data that is verified to be COUNTER compliant, and access to the system provides economies of scale to save institutions time and money, enabling organisations to concentrate on the important task of data analysis rather than data collation. A shared approach also ensures a better quality of data than was previously achievable. Lastly, the automated usage statistics portal helps libraries to assess the value for money they are deriving from participating in NESLi2 journal agreements and other licence agreements with scholarly publishers.
For more information about using or joining JUSP email jusp@mimas.ac.uk.
via Jisc news
The Jisc-funded EDINA Digimap service is launching a new collection containing land cover data from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology today, providing valuable resources for people working in environmental, biological, health and planning studies.
Environment Digimap offers users land cover maps and data: the crucial information to help people understand the distribution of plants, rocks, animals and other coverings across a wide area.
The new collection, which allows undergraduates and researchers to annotate, search and look at changing environments over time, is available free of charge to colleges and universities until July 2014, through the licensing service Jisc Collections.
Geoservices expert at EDINA, Emma Diffley explains:
“Environment Digimap adds to the myriad of ways that people already use Digimap. This is the first time that this data has been available under a national agreement to people working in education and research in the UK.
“Whether an area is arable or grassland, whether a wood is deciduous or evergreen – these are all important considerations for those in town planning, biology, ecology and environmental studies.”
Currently, professionals use this kind of data for a variety of purposes, for example to observe changes in the environment, manage natural resources and flood risk modelling to help keep people and buildings safe on flood plains. Simple information about plant spread can allow experts to control and prevent illnesses, for example, bracken can support ticks that carry human diseases.
The data available through Environment Digimap is a snapshot for each of three years: 1990, 2000 and 2007, each at resolutions of 25 metres and 1 kilometre, allowing people to model and hypothesise about the date more easily.
The maps aren’t just static images. Users will be able to download, rescale and print the information, as well as use the online facilities to add annotations, titles and hill shading to a map generated for printing.
Digimap is one of Jisc’s most popular resources. Every week thousands of users in universities, colleges and research centres make use of its massive library of interactive, detailed maps and geospatial information. Currently there are more than 150 subscribing institutions and over 50,000 registered users for Digimap, making it a well-used and highly valued service.
Environment Digimap is the latest in a suite of Digimap services which includes Ordnance Survey data, historical, geological and marine mapping.
via Jisc news
Mae opsiwn Cymraeg newydd BigBlueButton ar gael yn y fersiwn diweddaraf, gan ddod â'r rhith dosbarth byw cod agored i filoedd o ddysgwyr sydd â Chymraeg fel iaith gyntaf neu ail iaith.
Cymraeg | English
Daeth y syniad o awgrym gan Curon Davies, Cynghorydd e-Ddysgu sy'n gweithio i Jisc, y darparwr DU sy'n cynnig gwasanaethau digidol ar gyfer addysg ac ymchwil.
Ddatblygwyd a chyfieithwyd yr adnodd gan Curon, sy'n gweithio yng nghanolfan cymorth rhanbarthol Jisc (RSC) Cymru, fel bod pob defnyddwyr sydd am gynnig darpariaeth ddi-dor trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg, lle bynnag y maent yn y byd - yn gallu gwneud hynny.
Dywedodd Peter Scott, Rheolwr Jisc RSC Cymru:
"Ar y wyneb gall ymddangos yn hawdd cymryd amgylchedd dysgu ar-lein a'i gyfieithu i'r Gymraeg, ond mae llawer o arlliwiau i’r ieithoedd, a wnaeth Curon weithio'n galed i’w ddatrys.
"Bu'n ofynnol ystyried y cyd-destun ymddangosai geiriau yn y rhyngwyneb defnyddiwr, gan nad oedd rhan synnwyr lleferydd gair yn amlwg yn y rhestr oedd angen cyfieithu. Rydym yn falch iawn gyda'r canlyniad a gobeithiwn y bydd y gymuned addysg ac ymchwil yng Nghymru yn falch hefyd."
Mae nifer o golegau addysg bellach yng Nghymru eisoes yn defnyddio'r rhith amgylchedd ystafell ddosbarth cod agored BigBlueButton sydd wedi'i integreiddio â'u rhith amgylchedd dysgu Moodle. Mae hyn yn caniatáu cynadledda ar y we gyda sain, gwegamera, sgwrsio, fideo, rhannu sgrin a sleidiau cyflwyno ynghyd â dogfennau swyddfa eraill. Roedd rhyngwyneb defnyddiwr BigBlueButton wedi’i gyfieithu’n llawn mewn 20 o ieithoedd gyda gostyngiad syml i newid iaith yn ganol defnydd. Nid oedd y Gymraeg yn un o'r dewisiadau a yma.
Dywedodd Claire Roberts, Cyfarwyddwr Dwyieithrwydd ColegauCymru :
"Mae datblygiad pecyn iaith Gymraeg ar gyfer BigBlueButton yn cefnogi ac yn ategu ymrwymiad y sector i ddatblygu cyfleoedd ar gyfer dysgwyr mewn addysg bellach ar draws Cymru i ddysgu drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg.
"Wrth alluogi sefydliadau i gyflwyno dysgu drwy systemau rhith dwyieithog, rydym yn symud yn nes at wireddu'r dyheadau a amlinellir yn ein Strategaeth Genedlaethol ar gyfer Dwyieithrwydd mewn Addysg Bellach."
Dechreuodd y prosiect BigBlueButton ym Mhrifysgol Carleton, Canada, gyda'r nod o wneud y broses o sefydlu rhith ystafell ddosbarth mor hawdd â phwyso botwm glas mawr metafforaidd. Cyflawnir hyn heb yr angen i osod meddalwedd arbenigol gan y defnyddiwr gyda'r defnydd o Flash mewn porwr gwe (os yw'r cyflwynydd yn dymuno i rannu eu sgrin yna mae angen Java hefyd). Chwaraeir recordiadau sesiynau drwy HTML5, tra bod cleient HTML5 ar y gweill.
Llwyfan sefydlog a phrofwyd yn dda yw BigBlueButton, sydd yn hawdd i'w osod naill ai fel rhith offeryn neu gyda phecynnau Ubuntu. Mae’r lleoleiddiad Cymraeg ar gael ers fersiwn 0.81-RC3, a bydd ar gael yn y rhyddhad sefydlog terfynol 0.81 a fydd ar gael yn fuan. Mae demo BigBlueButton, gan gynnwys y lleoleiddiad Cymraeg ar gael nawr.
Cynhelir cynhadledd ar y we i lansio'r rhyngwyneb Cymraeg ac i ddarparu trosolwg ar ddefnydd BigBlueButton a'i hintegreiddiad gyda Moodle ar ddydd Mawrth Tachwedd 12fed. Mae gwybodaeth bellach a chymorth ar sut i ddefnyddio BigBlueButton ar gyfer darparwyr a chefnogir ar gael trwy gysylltu â cymorth@rsc-cymru.ac.uk.
Ym Mai 2013, gosododd y cyn Weinidog Llywodraeth Cymru dros Addysg a Sgiliau pedwar blaenoriaeth ar gyfer y sector addysg bellach yng Nghymru yn 2013/14. Un o'r pedwar yw datblygu darpariaeth cyfrwng Cymraeg.
via Jisc news
A new Welsh language option of BigBlueButton is available in the latest release, bringing the open source live classroom tool to thousands of learners with Welsh as their first or second language.
Cymraeg | English
The idea was the suggestion of Curon Davies, e-learning advisor who works for Jisc, the UK provider who offers digital services for education and research. Curon who is based at Jisc’s regional support centre (RSC) Wales, developed and translated the resource so all users who wish to offer seamless provision through the medium of Welsh, wherever they might be in the world – are able to do so.
Peter Scott, Jisc RSC Wales manager said:
“On the surface it might seem straightforward to take an online learning environment and translate it into Welsh but there are many nuances of the languages that Curon worked hard to resolve.
“It was necessary to consider the context that words appeared within the user interface, as part of the speech sense of a word was not obvious from the list that required translation. We’re really pleased with the result and hope the education and research community in Wales will be too.”
Several further education colleges within Wales already use the open source BigBlueButton to provide a virtual classroom environment that is integrated with their Moodle virtual learning environment. This allows a web conference with audio, webcam, chat, video, screen sharing and presentation slides along with other office based documents. BigBlueButton had a user interface available in 20 fully translated languages with a simple drop down selection allowing a change of language mid-use. Welsh was not one of the language options available.
Claire Roberts, Director of Bilingualism at ColegauCymru/CollegesWales said:
“The development of the Welsh language pack for BigBlueButton supports and underpins the sector’s commitment to developing opportunities for learners in further education across Wales to learn through the medium of Welsh.
“In enabling organisations to deliver learning through bilingual virtual systems, we are moving closer to realising the aspirations set out in our National Strategy for Bilingualism in Further Education.”
The BigBlueButton project started at Carleton University, Canada, with the goal of making the process to setup a virtual classroom as easy as pressing a metaphorical big blue button. This is achieved without the need for specialist software installed by the user with the use of flash within a web browser (if the presenter wishes to share their screen then Java runtime is also required). Playback of session recordings is via HTML5, whilst a HTML5 client is in the pipeline.
BigBlueButton is a stable and well tested platform that is easy to install as either a Virtual Appliance or with Ubuntu packages. Welsh localisation is available as of version 0.81-RC3, and will be available in the final 0.81 stable release which will be available soon. A demo of BigBlueButton, including the Welsh localisation is available on the demo site.
A webinar to launch the Welsh interface and provide an overview on the use of BigBlueButton and integration with Moodle will be held on Tuesday 12 November - details available on the Jisc RSC Wales website. Further information and help on how to deploy BigBlueButton for supported providers can be obtained from support@rsc-wales.ac.uk.
In May 2013, the former Welsh Government Minister for Education and Skills set out four priorities for the Welsh further education sector in 2013/14. One of these four is the development of Welsh-medium provision.
via Jisc news
From smallpox to sun lamps, the health of London and Londoners over 125 years is uncovered with London’s Pulse, an ambitious digitisation project from the Wellcome Library which launches today supported by Jisc.
The online resource contains over 5000 fully searchable reports, from 1848 to 1973, detailing the health of Londoners in intimate detail – borough by borough and often street by street - written by the people responsible for keeping the city healthy over a period of drastic social, economic and technological change.
The site showcases the often overlooked work of Medical Officers of Health (MOH), qualified medical practitioners who became some of the most influential agents of social and medical reform in the city. Their yearly reports amount to a health check of the capital over a century and a quarter, recording vital statistics on births, deaths and illness, infant mortality and infectious disease.
The reports also offer an unparalleled insight into Londoners’ lives. From weather reports to sanitary conditions, the MOHs covered a dizzying array of topics. They contain details of London’s lost trades, such as hair-merchants and pigeon-fatteners, provide reports on the conditions of child-workers in factories and families in slum housing, and trace Londoners’ changing tastes in fast-food from oysters to Chinese takeaways.
They record attendance at maternity and child welfare clinics, the number of pints of milk dispensed, and medical statistics on everything from deaths from diseases such as ague and cholera to the numbers of boils lanced or carbuncles cured. The MOH reports give a comprehensive account of how and where Londoners, rich and poor, were living, working and dying.
London’s Pulse allows users to navigate this vast collection of data, and uncover the stories behind the statistics. Searchable by date and region, Londoners can follow the ups and downs of their own parish, trace local histories and the spread of diseases across the capital. The text of the reports can also searched so they can be data mined and cross referenced, opening up exciting new research possibilities.
London’s Pulse brings together reports from the Library’s holdings and those at London Metropolitan Archives. Digitised pages can read on the Library’s media player, which allows close reading, embedding and free downloading of all pages from the reports.
Simon Chaplin, Head of Wellcome Library, says:
“The Medical Officers of Health reports provide a fascinating portrait of London life and the lives of Londoners. ‘London’s Pulse’ opens up a wealth of information about Londoners’ homes and workplaces, food and drink and of course health and illness, and enables researchers and curious readers to search and cross reference the reports with ease. The resource helps fulfil the Wellcome Library’s ambition to make our collections freely available and accessible to all.”
Paola Marchionni, digitisation programme manager at Jisc, said:
The Medical Officers of Health reports are a real treasure chest of information, so making them openly accessible online for use by researchers and the public is vital if we're to make good use of them. Now that Jisc has funded the digitisation of the Greater London collection, I am quite sure that future researchers will find as yet undiscovered gems within the archives
The Wellcome Library holds the largest collection of MOH reports not just from London, but across the UK, with some 70,000 in its holdings. ‘London’s Pulse’ is the first step in bringing these resources together so they can be accessed by anyone, anywhere.
View images taken from the reports.
via Jisc news
Jisc’s Summer of Student Innovation digital showcase at Imperial College London on 12 November 2013 is now open for registration.
This free event will explore the results of the co-design competition which looked for ideas from students on how digital technologies could enhance students’ learning experience in universities and colleges. Register to see the solutions for yourself and sign up to become an early adopter.
The digital showcase will bring together 21 student teams from universities and colleges around the country to display their ideas about how to use technology to improve education, research and student life. Since being granted £5,000 funding from Jisc in July, the teams have been hard at work developing prototypes of tools and services that will enhance student experience. This event is an opportunity for the students to show off the results of their work and seek partners to work with to develop the ideas further.
Andy McGregor, programme manager, digital infrastructure at Jisc says:
"This is a great opportunity for directors of IT, heads of e-learning, heads of libraries and heads of student experience to see the products that the students have created to improve their learning experience. Sign up and you can explore opportunities to work with the teams who are seeking further investment or support for their ideas. Come and see for yourself some of tomorrow's great technology tools and services, created by students for students."
Jisc is now working to develop some of these projects into products so that universities and colleges can reap the benefit of the students’ work. Attendees will be able to sign up as early adopters or testers to ensure that students at their own university or college benefit from these new platforms. Places are limited so will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Registration closes 31 October 2013 .
Join the conversation on Twitter now using the Student of Summer Innovation hashtag #studentideas.
For more information please contact Georgia Hall.
via Jisc news
Landmark agreement makes it easier for colleges and universities to sign up to Google’s free cloud services such as Gmail, docs and spreadsheets
Janet, part of the Jisc group, whose primary purpose is to provide network infrastructure and related services for schools, colleges and universities in the UK, is today announcing a major framework agreement with Google Apps for Education. The agreement will make it easier for colleges and universities to make the move to Google Apps for Education and open up the free online collaboration and communication benefits it offers to more staff and students.
The framework agreement will mean that colleges and universities in the UK are now eligible to sign up to Google Apps for Education using a contract approved by Janet, as meeting UK legal requirements. This Cloud Services for Education Agreement will give colleges and universities peace of mind in relation to security, resilience, legal and data compliance, cost and functionality.
Speaking to a number of university chief innovation officers (CIOs) at the framework agreement signing event at the Google office in London, Dan Perry, director of product and marketing at Janet said:
“Over the years we’ve had huge interest from our members in moving to Google Apps for Education. Yet these same universities and colleges did not have the time nor resources to explore and understand the contractual complexities of cloud security, safety and data protection. So, we worked closely with Google to create a Cloud Services for Education Agreement. This agreement removes the need for colleges and universities to conduct their own due diligence, saving approximately £20,000 in time and cost for each UK higher and further education organisation.”
Liz Sproat, head of education for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Google, said:
“We’re always looking for ways to make it easier for schools, colleges and universities to take advantage of our free online collaboration and communication tools. One third of all UK colleges and universities already use Google Apps for Education. We hope this new framework agreement with Janet will enable even more students, professors, lecturers and teachers to collaborate and communicate more easily whilst also saving money for their educational institutions.”
There are more than 25 million Google Apps for Education users worldwide and many different use cases. Students working on group projects can work simultaneously in real-time in documents, spreadsheets and presentations, no matter where they are based, making it easier to share ideas and preventing the difficulty of version control. Professors and teachers can comment directly within student assignments, streamlining the faculty feedback process. Lecturers can even run entire seminars on Google Hangouts, meaning that students can catch their classes online, even if they’re not on campus. Student committees can also host their social calendars on easily accessible Google Sites and post pictures of their events on Google+. Google recently signed a similar agreement in the Netherlands and since that time half the country’s universities and colleges have moved to Google Apps.
Visit the Janet website for more information about the framework agreement.
via Jisc news