Well, I will write some lines about my "adventures" through OpenSyllabus in a kind of Summary.
As I did the last days, I don't have to research too deep into technological aspect of OpenSyllabus for trying to get a path for integrate it into Moodle. Technology often can be incompatible (Sakai OpenSyllabus uses GWT -Java- and Moodle uses PHP). My research, as Marc told me, must be looking for what there are behind Opensyllabus, what is their 'working flux'. In simple words, 'HOW HAVE THEY DONE IT?'
Now I've stopped reading the books of all programming languages and related technologies I was reading. Now is the time for open my 'client agenda' and make some calls (messenger, mail, phone...) and have some conversations with the staff of Sakai community (Jacques Raynauld and cia). I have until 21th July to get all information I can.
I've recived a good amount of information in my mail/MSN conversations. Jacques sent me Powerpoints and PDFs explaining what is OpenSyllabus, its objectives and its technology. Nevertheless I want to extract some points which try to refer as little as possible to technological part:
The syllabi around all universities have a common structure. However, information in a Syllabi can be redundant. What solution can we use? Osyl uses XML files for achieve that, XML files that have a structure that Sakai can represent. I wonder if a database could be used in the same way XML is used...
So, XML exchange is used to represent data. Does it mean that in the local machine, a little copy of Sakai is stored to get asynchrony?
- I got an account for testing the OpenSyllabus they have implemented into Sakai. QUÉ GUAY! (Parezco un anuncio de juguetes...). Also I got the source code of Sakai (omg, 400MB file!!!!)
The architecture is something like this:
In Moodle, when you build a course, you have manually to add all resources that can be needed (wikis, blogs, exercises...). In OpenSyllabus, through the Syllabi defined from one subject (for example, ES2), meanwhile the course is advancing in date, wikis, exercises, lessons and all required data is automatically published (well, it's what I understand). I believe that Sakai does that in that XML file and with a good code.
Maybe there are more points that I've eluded, I will think of them if I have the chance.
Also I am now trying to get running OpenSyllabus in my machine through Eclipse. However I have some problems with GWT Libraries. I sent Claude Coulombe, one of the Sakai 'masters', a mail asking for some help (yes, I know what you think, but after talking, you must know that I have tried to do all I was in my hands and I can't make it working).
