Re: [seul-edu] home schooler, open source, and EDUML-compliant software

[Adam Cody <acody@lucent.com>]

  How well would the EDUML project work in laying out the framework of
content formating and application standards for home school settings and
open source?

 Home school really being nothing more than the "course" can be
installed locally and distrubuted by cd-roms. Reading the little bit I
did from their website I'm concerned with their emphasis on "network"
connections and databases. I know this fundmentally isn't an issue with
Linux and a loopback device but it grow to have a dependency on "other"
servers for content or applications. Also, do they plan on making the
"package" module? Non-traditional settings wouldn't need a number of
features a traditional school would have; ex. resource management.

  How close are they to actually being done? One comment on the web site
was:

Q When will products that conform to the IMS
  specifications be available for me or my institution to
  purchase?
A Look for products during '99.

and also :

Q I understand that IMS has produced a public domain
  prototype management system. Can I use this to offer an
  on-line course to my students?

A The prototype was developed only as a proof-of-concept
  demonstration of the value of the specifications and is not
  optimized for speed, reliability, or full functionality.
  Commercial management systems based on IMS should be
  available from vendors later in 1999.

And also, will this be a concern for us?

Q What will be my development costs to make my products
  "IMS-enabled"? 

A The IMS specifications and tools developed by IMS are free
  to the public. Any individual or organization wishing to develop
  IMS content or environments can do so with their existing
  technologies, although there will be development time costs for
  making existing resources IMS enabled. The release of the IMS
  specifications will be done so that the bar of entry is low enough
  to avoid unnecessary development costs for developers but high
  enough that the price of entry will be worth admission. 
  One additional cost to consider is the cost for certifying and
  registering products as IMS-enabled. Anyone can claim
  compliance with the IMS specifications but in order to achieve
  official certification, a developer must submit their products to
  a testing process administered by independent testing
  laboratories identified by IMS. 


Adam Cody