KONG, S.C., et al. (Eds.), ICCE2009; ©2009 Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education.
Constructing a Plant Learning System Based
on Web 2.0
Shu-Chen Cheng, Ting- Yun Huang
Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Southern Taiwan
University, Tainan 710, Taiwan
kittyc@mail.stut.edu.tw
Abstract: This research has adopted artificial intelligence technology to build up a
Plant-Enquiry system to enhance the user’s cognition about the plants. The concept of Web
2.0 has been used to construct a share-learning network. Doing on-line and real time editing
of the digital multimedia could deliver the message in a more effective and more convenient
way, and, by implementing the technology of video-film indexing and marking, it allows the
users to more effectively access huge amount of useful information; the technology
implementation of GPS and QR-Code has been added to provide the course-editing function
of M-Learning. Combining the conveniences mentioned and the fast operations, it achieves
plant-retrieving, complete plant-introduction, the building up and collection of plant
database, the integrated application of GPS, QR-Code and map information; it has also
reduce the development difficulty of digital course design and the cost. The above are the
contributions of this research.
Keywords: Web2.0, GPS, QR-Code, Annotation for Video
Introduction
The usage of GPS, QR-Code could further lead the students to move from indoor textbook
teaching to the outdoor environment for practically experiencing the real situational mobile
learning (m-learning) (Huang, Kuo, Lin & Cheng, 2008). Therefore, a situation-sensing
plant-learning system has been developed in this research (Chen, Tsong-Hsi, Huang,
Yue-Min, Chiu, Po-Sheng and Chang, Cheng-Hsien, 2007); regarding the course learning, a
learner could use a mobile carrier to connect with GPS positioning system, getting the
latitude and longitude coordinates, and to search the neighboring plants to mark them on the
map. When it is detected that a learner is approaching, course-learning information will then
be given, or when a user discover a QR-Code and take a picture of this QR-Code, learning
information will be provided to make up the functional deficiency of the mobile carrier or
the shortcomings caused by GPS positioning flaws. When a learner has discovered a plant
of his interest, he could use the enquiry system provided. The system also provides relevant
information of plant records, one could update the database via wireless network. Teachers
could adopt editing technology of video film marking and use remarks of the relevant
information to label the relevant plant features and the noticeable point. In this research, we
have constructed a teaching platform that implements an integrated mobile learning system
of outdoor sensing technology and an on-line video film-marking editing technology
(Clough, Jones & McAndrew, 2008).
1. Web2.0 Framework of the Plant-Teaching Platform
1.1 System Introduction
KONG, S.C., et al. (Eds.), ICCE2009; ©2009 Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education.
This system consists of two major platforms: Web platform and Mobile platform. The
key functions of Web platform focus on material editing, online learning and the
communication with the mobile platform. The resources on the Web platform have been
based on the concept of sharing and it is expected the edited resources could be sharable.
Mobile platform bases mainly on mobile learning; it could download the Web material for
learning purpose or extracurricular activities. All will be mainly used for the teaching
strategy for the users. It is also feasible for the learner himself to use it for mobile learning.
Mobile platform contains also the function of information recording; it is adopted as a tool
to assist in teaching-material editing. So, it could be said that the resources of these two
major platforms could be mutually used; they are systems that support each other.
1.2 System Framework
The framework of this system is shown as in Figure 1 System Framework). When a learner
is conducting outdoor self-learning or is doing a course learning, the learner’s location he
could be positioned by using GPS and the chart of the neighboring plant location could be
searched out by using situational database; after selecting, the picture and information
regarding the mentioned plant will be displayed, such as the relevant information about the
leaf features, leaf family, leaf radical (base), etc. When a learner discovers a plant of his
interest, as he approaches to within certain distance, the system will automatically enquire
whether to display the system-learning course to allow the user to proceed with learning
course. When GPS function is not available or the GPS measurement results are not good,
one could use QR-Code to display the learning course. In addition, there are probably no
relevant learning courses in this system, one could proceed to enquire by using plant-feature
retrieving method or implement mobile carrier to take a picture of the leaf and perform
video image processing to enquire similar plant information (Tseng, Su-Tsen, Liu,
Bing-Hung, Chiu, Tsen-Jie, 2007); and, make a high to low sorting action according to
quantitative figures to provide the user with a reference basis of learning (Cheng, Jhou &
Liou, 2007); When performing an observation, one could make an observing record with
respect to the plant information by taking picture of the plant appearance, recording the
latitude and longitude coordinates of the plant or doing the video-taping. After completing
the recording job, one could update the data by uploading through the network. Once the
uploading has been completed, one could then proceed with the material editing against the
uploaded data. (Chang, Shih & Li, 2008); or proceed with the learning by using the
materials edited by the teacher through the network for an indoor course. The user could
make use of the Online Marking System to make a remark on the point of interest by doing
a labeling with characters or cross-marks (Zhai, Fox, Pierce, Wu & Bulut, 2005), or to edit
the uploaded teaching materials (Huang, Yang & Tsai, 2008).
KONG, S.C., et al. (Eds.), ICCE2009; ©2009 Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education.
Figure 1 System Framework (http://imlearning.csie.stut.edu.tw/index/Default.aspx)
After a learner has finished his outdoor plant-learning activity, he could use the network to
upload the observed plant picture, latitude and longitude and to edit the feature and
information of the plant, it is shown in the system the snapshot in figure 2. In the system the
snapshot of figure 2, (a) is the plant latitude and longitude location uploaded by the learner,
after clicking to select, the learning information such as leaf family, growth habit, scientific
name and the likes will be displayed to provide the other learners to use them as the learning
materials, it is shown in system the snapshot (b) of figure 2. Other learners could observe the
learning experiences and learning processes of someone else.
1.3 Plant Enquiry System
It is necessary to observe from various aspects in order to differentiate the plants, e.g., the
growth environment, leaf shape, leaf family, altitude, etc. Regarding the plant learning,
among the plants, the leaf shape is especially distinctive; the category variations also
demonstrate a variety of diversities. So, the leaf has been always made as a feature of
plant-retrieving index. From the leaf features, it could be further categorized out the
following featuring shapes like leaf shape, leaf apex, leaf radical (base), etc. And, these
features could again be divided in details such as: leaf shape could be divided as linear
shape, needle shape, etc; and leaf apex could be divided as acute shape, gradual sharp, etc.
Using Leaf Shape Retrieving System Framework (Cheng, Jhou& Liou, 2007) proposed by
Z.Wang and D.Feng in 2002 as the learning basis framework, a teacher could properly
complement the teaching materials with respect to the points of information deficiency in
order to provide complete learning contents.
The plant-enquiry system could be divided as two major enquiry methods; the first one is
enquiry of feature value; the system will let the user to select the feature found after
observing the plants, it contains the information like leaf shape, plant height, growth
environment, etc. After that, one moves to database to do a cross-comparison by processing
KONG, S.C., et al. (Eds.), ICCE2009; ©2009 Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education.
in fuzzy set approach with feature weighting. When the system completes the judgment, it
will give the user possible plant information. The second method is video image processing
enquiry; a user will provide the system with the plant leaf photo that he wishes to enquire.
The system will conduct image processing against the given leaf and retrieve the leaf feature
value. Then, one could perform the fuzzy set with feature weighting and conduct a
cross-comparison and search in the database; if a user wishes to get better enquiry result, he
could input the plant information for further cross-comparison.
1.4 Teaching Material Editing
When a teacher is editing the teaching material, one could at the same time adopt the
Marking System including painting skill, video film marking skill and streaming video
technology to make use of image editing technology for painting skill; this enables the user
to revise and edit the video image according to what he has in mind. It could also be used to
mark the plant featuring points, or to remind the learner about the points one needs to notice
by text editing. In the Marking System, SMIL（Synchronized Multimedia Integration
Language）has been used as the document format for storing the virtual editing results.
SMIL has been designed and developed by the synchronous multimedia working group
（SYMMWG）of W3C; it becomes W3C standard in 1998. SMIL is one type of XML
application; it could integrate text of different formats like characters, photos/image, audio
and video and arrange the play sequence. This makes it a complete multimedia presentation
solution (W3C Working Draft, 2007).
Before packing it as a teaching material file, one could add in GPS information or let the
system to produce QR-Code picture and information, then, integrate the above into the
teaching material. By doing this way, it could be combined to produce a teaching material
file for M-Learning.
In Figure 2 The Snapshot of Teaching Material Editing System below, it shows the snapshot
of material-editing system the snapshot. We take the picture of a Oxalis corniculata as an
example; the teacher will edit his material according to the performance of the students in
his class or his teaching situations. Taking the following picture as the example, the leaf
feature of the Oxalis corniculata has been specifically marked for illustration according to
the plant features. A special introduction could deepen the student impression. Integrating
the plant knowledge with daily life could enliven the teaching method.
Figure 2 The Snapshot of Teaching Material Editing System
KONG, S.C., et al. (Eds.), ICCE2009; ©2009 Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education.
2. Plant-Teaching Platform
The Web platform and Mobile platform of this learning system will be introduced in the
following:
2.1 Web Learning Platform System
On the Web platform, the teacher is able to edit his teaching materials. The mentioned
materials may contain the digital materials such as pictures, texts, video films and the likes
that have been edited by the teacher. In addition, the location information could be added in
as well. The plant location where a teacher wishes his students to make a field observation
could be added in the digital teaching material, we could use the map information to display
the locations corresponding to the mentioned materials. Then, the students will be allowed
to browse these digital materials on the Web platform and make field observation. In the
end, the Web platform contains also the function of packing the materials into a file, it is
done by adding the GPS location information onto the teaching materials edited by the
teacher and the combination is then packed as a teaching material file. After enabling the
mobile learning system, the teaching material will be displayed; a teacher could use this
system to lead the students to conduct an outdoor plant observation activity and proceed
with a mobile learning of outdoor situational teaching. This will make the teaching strategy
of a teacher to be more diverse.
2.2 Mobile Learning Platform System
Regarding the learning and teaching on this Mobile learning system, it contains the function
of enabling the materials edited by the teacher and the map information. This is a device
system that could be carried by a student to conduct outdoor M-learning. It is aimed at
letting the students to be able to contact the realistic objects by themselves and further to
watch the teaching materials of a teacher at the same time. The teacher could as well
perform the outdoor M-learning in a more convenient way to enhance the vividness of
teaching. This system includes also the function of aiding digital material editing. By using
this system, it is able to assist the teacher to do a outdoor collection of the teaching data, e.g.,
the photos taken, the images video-taped and some text narrated as well as the GPS location
information being collected and recorded. These could be uploaded to out Web platform for
further editing, it could facilitate the teachers to collect some data for editing the teaching
materials.
3. Conclusions
In this research, a plant-editing platform of mobile learning has been developed to provide
the instructors to construct the teaching-material platform according to his teaching
environment. The relevant plant information could be recorded via this system; it includes
pictures, video images, GPS information and document records. When some material edited
by a teacher by using this system is available for downloading, the learner could then use a
mobile device like PDA to connect to the neighboring plants near the location sensed by
GPS, or through QR-Code assistance, the system will present the relevant learning materials
of the mentioned plant. With the help of this system, the teaching-editor could share with
other editors the photos, video/audio and information that he has taken or collected for
editing their materials. And, the learners could observe all kinds of materials edited by
different teaching-editors. Therefore, the learner could get multitude of plant-related
teaching resources, this could also do a great help to the learners. A learner could proceed
KONG, S.C., et al. (Eds.), ICCE2009; ©2009 Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education.
with his enquiry learning corresponding to the plants of his interest or the plant he wishes to
understand.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the National Science Council of the Republic of China for
financially supporting this research under Contract No. NSC 97-2511-S-218 -003 -MY3.
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