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Techpaper Ideas and technical notes from Commonwealth of Learning April 3, 2018 The Aptus device set – hardware/software configuration (2018) Here are the hardware/software configuration of Aptus device set (as of April 3, 2018): Hardware Firefly RK3399 development board (Open source hardware) http://shop.t-firefly.com/goods.php?id=45 ADATA 64Gb Class 10 UHS 1 microSD card http://www.adata.com/en/feature/203 Jesdoing 12V/2A 10,000 mAh Power bank https://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.12.1b0d7d6coiLJek&id=35684205144&cm_id=140105335569ed55e27b&abbucket=3&skuId=3421220629672 (in Chinese) Note: USB type C power banks like this one should also work (Power adapter cords may needed). Software Operating system: Ubuntu 16.04.4 LTS Backend: PHP 7.0, Python, Node.js, MySQL, etc. Web applications: WordPress, ownCloud, Moodle, KA lite, etc. Aptus design timeline Written by ricky No comments Posted in Technical Notes June 27, 2014 The Aptus device set (2014) – specifications and improvements Here are the latest Aptus device set (2014) specifications: Mini PC Rikomagic MK802 IV Flashed with Picuntu 4.5 . Rockchip 3188 quad core CPU. 2G DDR3 memory / 8G flash storage. Alternatives: Tronsmart MK908II RK3188T Rikomagic MK802IV RK3188T Wireless Router TP-LINK TL-MR12U Flashed with openWRT 12.09 Built-in 5200mAh lithium battery WiFi: 802.11 b/g/n, transmission rate up to 150Mbps Alternatives: TP-LINK TL-MR10U TP-LINK TL-MR13U Micro-SD card ADATA microSDHC/SDXC UHS-I Class 10 32G/64G Currently, we are working on the following improvements: Design and implement a video sharing web application based on FFmpeg and WordPress. Deploy ftp and Samba server on Aptus for easy file sharing. And more… Written by ricky 3 Comments Posted in Technical Notes September 27, 2013 Secretary General of the Commonwealth Releases Aptus- a device set for deploying a classroom without walls During his visit to the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia, Commonwealth Secretary General His Excellency Kamalesh Sharma launched Aptus – a device set designed by COL that allows educators and learners to connect to digital learning platforms and content without the need for grid electricity or internet access. Aptus is mobile, lightweight, and packs into a small box, but carries massive potential. The small setup can host up to 32GB of educational content and facilitate interactive, virtual learning anywhere – whether in a remote rural village or on a vast university campus. The result is a classroom without walls that can be set up within minutes and accessed by any learner with a laptop, tablet or mobile device. Aptus has quickly attracted the attention of educators, institutions and governments who are committed to expanding the reach of modern education, but lack the resources and connectivity to do so effectively. This simple and compact solution is low cost – all components can be sourced for under $80 – and built on open source operating systems and platforms, making it adaptable and customizable to any learning context. Aptus as released now, includes 1000 videos from the Khan Academy and two courses on Moodle from the VUSSC initiative. For additional device details see the Aptus Classroom Without Walls flyer . For more information contact aptus@col.org . Written by vbalaji No comments Posted in Technical Notes May 2, 2013 You know App Store – what about OER store? Advantages of using app store as OER delivery mechanism: App store is a self-publishing platform. OER content creators can publish, update their OERs to the proposed OER/Education app store. Each published OER will have a unique product page. On this page: User can comment, rate the OER material, provide feedbacks to content provider. Content provider can add video instructions, screen shots, faqs and etc. User ratings and comments can serve as crowd-sourced quality control mechanism. App store will provide search and categorization which help users to quickly locate published OER materials. App store with offline support. We can redesign app store with offline support so app store contents can be distributed on MicroSD cards. The advantages of this approach are: Deliver OER materials to tablets and smartphones without internet. Distribute MicroSD cards are cheaper (32Gb MicroSD Class 10 card for USD 12 link ) comparing to expensive bandwidth at some developing countries. MicroSD cards are easy to duplicate and update. Author: Ricky Cheng Written by mgruda No comments Posted in Technical Notes May 2, 2013 Classroom without walls 2 generation prototype improvements Here are some classroom without walls 2 generation prototype improvements: Replace Nexus 7 tablet with Android mini pc MK808 ( link ) Without LCD screen, MK808 can last much longer than Nexus 7 on the same battery capacity. MK808 is lighter and more portable. MK808 supports external MicroSD card up to 32Gb. HAME A100 Wifi hotspot ( link ) HAME A100 can also serve as a 5200 mAh mobile power bank thus reduce CWW to two components from three. HAME A100 supports up to 20 wireless devices. (ASUS WL-330gE can only support up to 5 wireless devices) CWW can be powered on by switching HAME A100 to R position. The Linux system and all the server contents are stored on the MicroSD card. So CWW can serve contents such as K-12 textbooks, moodle courses or offline Wikipedia by simply inserting in different MicroSD cards. Author: Ricky Cheng Written by mgruda No comments Posted in Technical Notes December 3, 2012 Classroom Without Walls Tablet computers are becoming more widely available. The education community has been considering m-learning as a supportive paradigm in informal learning and Tablets have the potential to make a significant contribution in this area. However, Tablets are designed as appliances that help user access a variety of applications and services hosted on the Internet. Designing apps” for iPad/iOS or for Android has been a favored route in the education community . Photo Credit: EU Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (CC BY-SA 2.0) This, however, cannot be the only approach when it comes to learning-for development paradigm. A large number of learners and teachers in the developing world operate in unconnected” environments- unconnected to the power grid and to the Internet. There needs to be a different approach to extend them support. This is where COL’s idea of a classroom without walls” ( Asha Kanwar ) can make a contribution. We can imagine a situation where a learner in a typically unconnected environment can access a lesson in an LMS, and complete an assignment, with her/his credentials intact and available to the teacher. Learners can also participate in a socializing process through visiting and commenting on a blog related to the learning materials and courses. This might sound more relevant in Higher Education. Starting from there, it can be extended and adapted to Open Schooling and Non-formal learning in rural and agricultural extension. At the heart of this is the availability of dual-core tablets and smartphones at affordable prices. One can use a dual core Tablet to create a server that runs Ubuntu , an Open Source operating system widely used in PC’s/laptops, on which an LMS (say, Moodle ) and a social networking or content management system (say, WordPress ) can be installed. A battery-powered WiFi hotspot can help create a network to which Tablets with learners can be connected. In the following, a preliminary, and successful trial is described. Asha Kanwar is of the view that it should be possible to develop a pack under $ 100 that can enable a teacher to run a classroom without those ubiquitous walls. Classroom without Walls device configuration Device Configuration Video Wireless Hot Spot Setup Configure ASUS WL-330gE Wireless AP Setup DHCP (Follow the instruction manual) to support at least 200 clients. Server Setup Follow the instruction here to install Ubuntu 12.04 on Google Nexus 7....