[senit] Learning Platforms

This makes it difficult for a school to define

On 29/04/2008, david fettes <davidfettes3 at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> This makes it difficult for a school to define
>  the learning platform it wants as it may be years
>  before some apps move to a LP, and a shorter time for
>  other apps.

Yes, if I read the definition of 'Learning Platform' correctly as
being web based. You may have put your finger on something that is not
being made clear. Perhaps there are local Learning platforms.
Otherwise you run the other apps along side the LP with little
connection between them, unless they can talk to the web apps some
how.

> I've seen reference to "legacy software"
>  in bsf output specs. Would this mean the majority of
>  what we now use for ICt ie the local apps?

Ekk, perhaps. Perhaps someone close to those specs could explain?

>  Perhaps the interface between
>  LPs and local apps needs to be explored a bit more.(eg
>  some apps can save in html or other formats which are
>  VLE friendly).Some can download files from with the
>  app like clicker. Some apps may be able to upload work
>  straight to a VLE etc etc. Is there anything readable
>  on that available or is that all part of the platform
>  Accessibility API standard you mention?

Yes you could integrate by file sharing but that is very indirect.

Platform Accessibility API 's let ATs monitor and control graphic UI
programs. Thus the AT can inform the user what is happening or control
the program. A good web browser like Firefox will extend that to web
documents. However with Ajax and web 2.0 applications there is not
enough info in the raw web page to send to the AT (via the platform
api) so it becomes the web programmers duty to add extra information.
That is done with the ARIA extensions to HTML, or they can use a web
widget toolkit like Dojo that does it for them.

So local apps could conceivably be made to work like ATs and talk
directly to web apps, albeit in limited ways ;-)

Technology like Microsoft's ActiveX extension could help here by
letting web app talk to local apps, but work ONLY on IE (and so
Windows) and are a real security risk. Best to forget that route.

Steve