OUseful Info

USB Study Stick

Should the OU be offering students OUseful study and course related software on a USB memory stick? This is a question I have asked myself - and others - several times over the last few years, but it was brought to mind this time by of the announcement of Google Pack:

Google Pack is a free collection of essential software from Google and other companies. The software in the Google Pack helps you browse the web faster, remove spyware and viruses, organize your photos, and more.
Google Pack also takes the hassle out of downloading, installing, and updating software. You can download and install the entire Google Pack in just a few clicks. And the included Google Updater helps you discover new programs and keep your current software up to date.

The pack includes:

- Google Earth - 3D Earth browser
- Google Desktop - Desktop companion
- Picasa - Photo organizer
- Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer - Search toolbar
- Google Pack Screensaver - Photo screensaver
- Mozilla Firefox with Google Toolbar - Web browser (Mozilla Foundation)
- Ad-Aware SE Personal - Antispyware utility (Lavasoft)
- Norton Antivirus 2005 Special Edition - Antivirus utility (Symantec)
- Adobe Reader 7 - PDF reader (Adobe Systems)

The OU already provides a similar service - and has done for many years - as a download or via a CD-ROM mailed to every student at the start of every course in the form of our OLA (On Line Applications) CD.

The OLA software includes Software for OU courses (Adobe Reader, FirstClass Client, Kaspersky Anti-Hacker, Kaspersky Anti-Virus, Lyceum, StarOffice) as well as additional 3rd party software utilities and drivers (DirectX, Info-ZIP WiZ, Java (JRE), Java Access Bridge, Java Media Framework (JMF), Macromedia Flash, Macromedia Shockwave, Mozilla Firefox).

One problem that has been encountered by OU students repeatedly in a computing context is where they can do their computing related activities.

Many OU students work, many do not have sole access to a home PC and so on. For working students, who may make use of their work's computing facilities (over lunch, of course...), there is often a restriction on the software they can install on a centrally administered work machine. For students making use of public computers, for example in learning centres or public libraries, there are similar constraints on software availability/installation, as well as the threat of virus infection.

However, with the increasing availability of cheap USB memory sticks, and the rise of portable applications, I can't help but wonder why we aren't encouraging students to adopt portable working solutions and providing them with (customised) portable application variants?

There is also a marketing/branding or even sales (at cost, of course, or for small profit) opportunity in the form of customised, preloaded USB memory sticks.

So, what would be useful on a USB Study Stick?

• the Portable Apps Suite would perhaps be overkill, although Portable Open Office would be generally useful, although if users had an option (in the case of a downloaded offering) of any of the separate Open Office applications


• Portable Firefox would also be a wise choice, particularly if it was customised with pre-installed extensions that might be useful for students and OUseful default settings (like being able to accept browser extension downloads from www.open.ac.uk). It would also be sensible to include preinstalled Mycroft OU search options (with OU search engine as a default?), quick searches and smart keywords, and perhaps an OU student homepage default, as well as an OU toolbar (or OU Library toolbar. In the longer term, it would be interesting to see extensions such as Annozilla included and preconfigured to access an OU hosted Annotea server


• A portable Calendar perhaps (or standalone), especially if it could consume course calendar RSS feeds containing assessment dates (e.g. TMA due dates, due date for ECA, or ECA exam date), study week start dates annotated with the topics for that week's study, course book/set book reading for particular week, etc.?


• a portable RSS reader, preconfigured with relevant OU feeds and easily configured course news feeds, OU Library info and even RSS delivered course content;
• 
  
• a portable podcast application, with preinstalled links to OU podcasts (I'm not sure if there are any available at the moment?).

Why this focus on portability ('portable learning'), rather than a web based VLE or PLE, or online office suite that offers the required functionality? Because that protoypical extreme environment OU student - the submariner - can't guarantee web access for weeks on end and will need to work locally. (The same is true of students with dial-up access and teenage children who hog the phone...;-)

I wonder, too, whether there is scope for a portable personal learning enviroment (PPLE)?

PS I got a Creative Muvo which doubles up MP3 playing capabilities with a Flash drive; so I can have my portable context on the device, and use it to play any MP3 (or WMA) files I happen to have on it...nice! :-)

Posted by ajh59 at January 13, 2006 04:54 PM