iTV Enhanced System for Generating Multi-Device
Personalized Online Learning Environments
Alcina Prata1, Nuno Guimarães2, Piet Kommers3
1
Higher School of Management Sciences, Information Systems Department,
2914-503 Setúbal, Portugal
aprata@esce.ips.pt
http://www.esce.ips.pt/docentes/cv_docent/aprata.htm
2
University of Lisbon, Faculty of Sciences ,Informatics Department,
1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal
nmg@di.fc.ul.pt
http://www.di.fc.ul.pt/~nmg/nmghome.html
3
University of Twente, Faculty of Behavioral Sciences, Psychonomy and Human Performance Technology Department,
7500 AE Enschede, Netherlands,
P.A.M.Kommers@edte.utwente.nl
http://users.edte.utwente.nl/kommers/graduate.html
Abstract. This document briefly describes an iTV Enhanced System capable of generating Online Learning Environments (OLE), namely, educational websites to be
viewed through several types of devices. Explained are the motivations for the development of the above mentioned System, what is new about this System and what
we expect to achieve with it. Also presented in this work, in general terms, the system architecture, functionalities and evaluation method. Some conclusions are presented and also future lines of research are point out.
1 Introduction
Television, love by ones and hate by others, it is, for some, the secret best friend, for
most, the main information source and for all a magic window with the power to
transport us to anywhere in the world whenever we decided. It is “central to the entertainment, information, leisure, and social life of millions of homes all over the
world” [1].
As technology never stops to improve, also Television benefited quite a lot with
the emergence and/or transformations occurred in several areas, namely, devices,
communication platforms and ways/methods of transmission. In fact, the appearance
of a new paradigm, the Interactive Television (iTV), allows the viewer to interact
with an application that is simultaneously delivered (via a digital network) in addition with the traditional TV signal [2]. Thus, we may say that the iTV technology
achieved, by the integration of two privileged environments like TV and Internet, the
creation of a new and very rich environment where several types of services are pos-
sible with different types and levels of interactivity. The traditional education system
also had the necessity to adapt to this new environments (TV and Internet) [3] which
had became powerful learning tools: In the 60’s the TV was used in a project called
Teleschool which consisted simply in broadcasting classes over the traditional TV
network [4]. In the 90’s the Internet allowed Long Distance Learning (LDL) to
evolve and turn into e-learning [5]. More recently, iTV is also being used in order to
provide classroom’s at a distance, that is, to allow a certain level of interactivity
amongst students and teachers. So, in a typical learning environment where the
learners are, usually, in a conscious state of reflexive cognition, that is to say, in a
conscious state of ‘need to learn more or need to learn something new’, these three
environments work efficiently. However, people are not always in a state of constant
reflexive cognition and yet there are moments in our lives when that happens, even
when we are outside of a typical learning environment, such as, the classroom. For
instance, simple quotidian things like exploring our mobile phone menus, listening
to the radio or seeing a TV program, may, at some point in time, create reflexive
cognition states. Everybody has, sometime, felt the need to learn more about a certain something that, for instance, he or she was watching on TV or listening to on
the radio. Unfortunately, until now, the only solution was to undertake some private
research in order to satisfy that need. In fact, none of the above mentioned devices/environments is prepared to answer to this particular unconscious need of the
user to know more about something and, based on that, prepare him a personalized
lesson. Thus, and as part of the first author phd studies, we decided to implement an
iTV Enhanced System capable of generating personalized multi-device Online
Learning Environments (OLE) appropriate to respond to the learning opportunities
specifically created by TV. Thus, in general terms, the main goal of this work is to
provide, via an informative environment like Internet, an answer to the learning opportunities created by an entertainment environment like TV. The OLEs will be prepared in order to be viewed via several types of devices, namely, iTV, computers,
Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and mobile telephones. From a conceptual point
of view, with this work we expect to understand the advantages, which will be the
added value, of connecting these two environments. From a practical point of view,
we expect to propose a new and personalized type of service, which is, for Jana Bennet Director of BBC Television [6] and for several other researchers the biggest challenges ahead and the next direction to follow [7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]. Since the system is
now in an early stage of development it will be generally and briefly described to in
this work, namely its architecture, cognitive patterns, type of programs, functionalities, development and evaluation method. Some future lines of research are also
referred.
2 System
In order to briefly refer to the system’s way of functioning, in general terms we may
say that, while watching a TV program, the viewer will be able to tag, via a simple
click, the specific issues/contents in which he or she is interested in learning more
about. In order to easily refer to this functionality we decided to call it the “tagging
content interface” which can be seen in figure 1. At the end of the TV program, or
whenever the viewer decides to interrupt it, a website with a personalized web lesson
on all those tagged issues will be generated by the system, in a server, and be made
available to the viewer, via the Internet. The viewer will receive an e-mail (default
option), a sms, or both, with the web link to the online personalized lesson. When
asked by the viewer, the system will also be able to prepare the lesson in order to be
viewed via several types of devices, namely, computers, iTV, PDAs and mobile telephones as can be seen in figure 1.
Important to mention that in spite all the system functionalities, the design of the
“tagging content interface” will be the scope of our work since it is the first author
phd thesis main goal.
Fig. 1. System Architecture
Cognitive Patterns. The first phase of this work consisted on a detailed study of the
cognitive patterns associated with the devices to be used: Computers, PDAs, TV/iTV
and mobile telephones. This study was fundamental to help us understand the particularities of the aforementioned devices and environments (Internet and TV), the
pedagogical potentials and learning situations associated with each one of them, and
to help us find the appropriate interface and adequate transition between them.
Type of Programs. There are lots of different categories/subcategories of programs,
for instance: movies (drama, terror…), documentaries (historical, biological…), reality TV, Informative (daily journal, technical). As the state of mind, feeling, reflexive
cognition state and way of learning, amongst other factors, varies according to what
we are watching, we had to focus in just one category/subcategory. The chosen category/subcategory was Information technical Programs.
Functionalities. The proposed system will work integrated with the traditional iTV
and will functioning as described next:
User authentication and service choice. After activating the system, the first menu
that appears on the TV screen will allow the user to login to the system and choose
the service that he intends to use. If the user is using the system for the first time he
will be asked to fill an electronic form which will allow the system to define his profile. The form comprises personal data like gender, age, e-mail address, mobile
phone number, the way in which the user wants to be informed about the web lesson
location (e-mail, sms or both), amongst other data. After the conclusion and submission of the form the system will generate the user correspondent login and password.
Also on that first menu the user will be able to choose the kind of service that he
wants to use and which may be: 1) iTV; 2) Online Learning and 3) iTV & Online
Learning:
- Service 1: iTV - simply allows the user to access the traditional interactive TV service.
- Service 2: Online Learning - will allow the user to activate the specific service already described early and which is the main goal of this work. This service will allow the user to easily tag the issues in which he is interested in learning more about
and, a website with a personalized lesson on all those tagged issues will be generated
by the system and be made available via the Internet to several types of devices.
- Service 3: iTV & Online Learning (already outside the ambit of this specific work)will allow the user to use the previous described two services at the same time, that
is, in some moments tag the program in order to see a web lesson latter, and, in other
moments, follow the link immediately and interrupt the program.
Finalization of Services 2) and 3). At the end of the program transmission, or when
the user decides to interrupt it, he will be conducted to the screen where he will see
the list of tagged issues. On that screen he will have the possibility to: access the
complete list of issues that may be tagged and modify his own list of previous tagged
issues by increasing or removing certain tags. Also on that screen the user will have
the possibility to change the way in which he will be informed about the location of
the web lesson. The possibilities are: via e-mail (default option), sms or both. Yet on
the same screen the user will have the possibility to decide which device he wants to
use in order to view the web lesson: a computer, the TV, a PDA or a mobile tele-
phone. In all cases the lesson will be created and made available via the web. If the
user chooses to view his lesson on the TV he will be asked if he wants to see it immediately or latter. In any case and independently of the device that he decided to
use, he will be informed about the exact location (address) of the website correspondent to his web lesson. If, for some reason, the user turns off the TV without remember to access the “Services Finalization Screen” the system will prepare, by default, a
web lesson to be viewed through the computer, with all the issues that he tagged before turning off the TV. The system will inform the user about the location of the
lesson using the method defined in the user profile.
Development. For the development and implementation of the final system, with the
above mentioned characteristics, very specific and expensive human and physical
resources are needed, considering that real TV stations will have to be involved.
Thus, and since we intent to focus our work in the “tagging content interface” design, we opted in developing a prototype. The prototype, capable to completely simulate the functionalities of the real system, namely service 2, (already described earlier), will work on a Computer which screen will simulate the TV screen and which
keyboard keys will simulate the control keys from the TV remote control. The computer will be connected to a server, which will have as main functions: store the data
base with the web modules delivered with the TV program in order to serve as material to create the personalized web lessons, store the personalized web lessons generated by the system, store the interaction interface module and store the user data
(profile). The development of the prototype, in terms of interface design and implementation, may be divided in two fundamental parts that will be independently
evaluated. Part 1, and the most important one since it is the main focus of this work,
is the initial interface, the “tagging content interface”, that is, the interface that will
allow the user to tag particular issues/contents on a program and, in practical terms
to do the bridge between both environments: Internet and TV. These environments
will have to be connected with an interface, as user-friendly, easy to understand and
intuitive as possible, and, at the same time, taking into account the specificities of
each one of them. That is to say that, the interface will have to be the less intrusive
possible in order to don’t interfere and/or conflict with the TV viewer entertainment
experience. Also important to refer that the transition between the devices/environments will have to be very smooth but, at the same time, taking advantage on what is best about each one of them. This interface is now being implemented. Part 2 refers to the development of the remaining interface screens and web
lessons.
To the development of the prototype some software programs and programming languages are, simultaneously, being used, namely:
- to the video editing: the program Adobe Premiere Pro;
- to the interfaces development: the program Macromedia Director MX and the programming language Lingo;
- to the web lessons development HTML, DHTML e XML;
- to test the web lessons that are going to be viewed through the TV (the so-called
TV sites): the Microsoft program Web TV Viewer;
- to the dynamic integration of the several components: the programming language
PHP.
To make the system work we need more than a specific TV program. In fact, the TV
program will have to be supplied to the TV operator with additional web modules
developed under certain specific criteria and standards. These modules will be installed on the server data base in order to serve as material to the construction of the
personalized web lessons.
Evaluation Method. The evaluation will be of two types: Formative Evaluation
which will occur during the whole process of development and will be based in the
expert’s opinion, and the Final Evaluation which will occur after the conclusion of
the prototype and will count with the participation of experts and user. The final
evaluation will consist in a final test or experiment and in the application of a questionnaire. The final test will probably help us understand if the system is in fact effective, useful, intuitive and easy to use and the questionnaire will probably allow us
to know, the experts and user opinions on the system.
3 Conclusions and Future Work
This work is part of a major project, namely, the first author phd studies. Thus, and
considering that one of our major concerns was to obtain feedback from other professionals, the system functionalities were already discussed with some professional/experts in the areas of interactive television, educational sciences and human
computer interfaces. Until now the enthusiasm was obvious amongst the majority of
them. In relation to more specific data and as the prototype is already in an early
stage of development it was impossible to present more concrete results. As future
works and after concluding our system, we will try to adapt the system interface to
other possible categories of programs. Another future work could be the study and
development of an appropriate interface for service 3) iTV & Online Learning.
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