Virtual Science Hub: An Open Source Platform to Enrich Science Teaching

This paper presents the Virtual Science Hub platform. It is an open source platform that combines a social network, an elearning authoring tool, a videoconference service and a learning object repository for science teaching enrichment. These four main functionalities fit very well together. The platform was released in April 2012 and since then it has not stopped growing. Finally we present the results of the surveys conducted and the statistics gathered to validate this approach. Keywords—E-learning, platform, authoring tool, science teaching.

[1]  Daniel Atkins,et al.  Revolutionizing Science and Engineering Through Cyberinfrastructure: Report of the National Science Foundation Blue-Ribbon Advisory Panel on Cyberinfrastructure , 2003 .

[2]  Li Yuan,et al.  Open Educational Resources - opportunities and challenges for higher education , 2008 .

[3]  Aldo Gordillo,et al.  An online e-Learning authoring tool to create interactive multi-device learning objects using e-Infrastructure resources , 2013, 2013 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE).

[4]  Panagiotis Zervas,et al.  Open Access to Science Education Resources and Learning Designs in Europe , 2012, 2012 IEEE Fourth International Conference on Technology for Education.

[5]  Wanjira L. Kinuthia,et al.  Open Educational Resources: Innovation, Research and Practice , 2013 .

[6]  Aldo Gordillo,et al.  A model for integrating learning object repository resources into web videoconference services , 2013, 2013 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE).

[7]  Joaquín Salvachúa,et al.  Social Stream, a social network framework , 2012, The First International Conference on Future Generation Communication Technologies.

[8]  Herbert Van de Sompel,et al.  Resource Harvesting within the OAI-PMH Framework , 2004, D Lib Mag..

[9]  Aldo Gordillo,et al.  ENHANCING K-12 SCIENCE EDUCATION THROUGH A MULTI-DEVICE WEB TOOL TO FACILITATE CONTENT INTEGRATION AND E-INFRASTRUCTURE ACCESS , 2013 .

[10]  Brandon Muramatsu,et al.  Draft Standard for Learning Object Metadata , 2002 .

[11]  Anne E. Trefethen,et al.  Cyberinfrastructure for e-Science , 2005, Science.

[12]  Juan Quemada,et al.  Facilitating the creation of K-12 interactive learning objects using a multi device web tool , 2012, 2012 Frontiers in Education Conference Proceedings.

[13]  Nicholas W. Jankowski,et al.  Exploring e-Science: An Introduction , 2007, J. Comput. Mediat. Commun..

[14]  Communication from the European commission to the council, the European parliament, the economic and social committee and committee of the regions , 2002 .

[15]  Enrique Barra,et al.  A model for generating proactive context-aware recommendations in e-Learning systems , 2012, 2012 Frontiers in Education Conference Proceedings.

[16]  Panagiotis Zervas,et al.  Learning Object Repositories for Science Education: The Case of the OpenScienceResources Repository , 2011, 2011 IEEE 11th International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies.

[17]  Sofoklis Sotiriou.  COSMOS: An Advanced Scientific Repository for Science Teaching and Learning , 2008, 2008 Eighth IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies.

[18]  Daniel Gallego Vico,et al.  Virtual Excursions: a new way to explore science in class , 2013 .

[19]  Anne E. Trefethen,et al.  e-Science and its implications , 2003, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences.