Elgg
From Bazaar Wiki
Type of application / System Requirements
Elgg is an open source server client social networking tool. It includes the following features:
- Blogging
- Social networking
- File repositories for individuals and communities
- Podcast support
- Full access controls
- Tagging
- User profiles
- Full RSS
- RSS aggregator
- Creation of communities
- Collaborative community blogs
- Creation of 'friends' networks
- Import of content
- Publishing to blog
- Multilingual interface
- Branding/customisation
For a server install Elgg currently requires the Apache web server with mod_rewrite installed and the ability to send emails, plus PHP 4.3+ and MySQL 4.1+ (Postgres can also be used). It has currently been tested on Apache installations running Red Hat Linux and Microsoft Windows XP. For more details see Elgg documentation.
At the client end Elgg runs in all modern browsers.
Purpose
Elgg is an open source social platform based around choice, flexibility and openness: a system that firmly places individuals at the centre of their activities.
Users have the freedom to incorporate all their favorite tools within one environment and showcase their content with as many or as few people as they choose, all within a social networking site that you control.
What it does
Although Elgg was originally envisaged as a e-Portfolio tool, it has developed as a powerful and flexible social networking platform.
Elgg provides each user with their own space and the ability to create and edit their own profile, to add blog posts and file repository.
Users can create networks of friend and create communities.
Depending on the installation options, users have complete and fine grained access controls, allowing posts and files ot be open to the web, shared with groups of friends or to remain private. It is also possible to set access controls at systems level, allowing for instance the creation of a closed system or network.
There are also a growing number of plug-ins for advanced functionality, for instance for producing presentations.
Elgg is designed as an open platform allowing the utilisation of open APIs for users to use whatever desktop tools they feel most comfortable with. The system also supports interconnectivity with a wide range of other applications and services - including Flickr, Slideshare and Youtube, open source Virtual Learning Environments such as Moodle and proprietary systems such as Blackboard.
Elgg 1.0, planned for release in autumn 2007 will see the further evolution of Elgg as a social framework application, allowing extensive user customisation and interoperability with a wide range of different services and applications.
How can it be used for creation of OERs
Elgg was not specifically designed for the creation of Open Educational Resources. However, all users are able to upload files and to link to those files through their blog. The file area features access controls.
It is interesting top note that all users have teh same permissions with regard to content creation and sharing, regardless of role.
How can it be used for consumption of OERs
The social networking features allow tracking of activities by friends, groups and communities.
Elgg includes a RSS aggregator for tracking feeds. If permissions allow resources can be imported into users own resource area.
Future development will allow federated searching for resources across different Elgg installs (dependent on permissions settings).
How can it be used for reuse of OERs
All users have the ability to post resources in their resource area and to share those resources.
License support
Elgg is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL).
There is no specific support for Creative Commons.
Standards / Compatibility
RSS
RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication and is a format for simply syndicating content from one site to another.
Elgg makes extensive use of RSS and at the moment has the following functionality:
- Each user has an RSS feed for all of their activity
- Each tag has an RSS feed
- There is an RSS feed for user files
- There is an RSS feed for user blog posts
- Each community has RSS feeds for files, blog posts, tags and the whole community
- RSS feeds are produced when you search on a topic, to allow you to keep track of all activity which occurs in Elgg that gets tagged with a particular keyword ('eportfolios' for example)
- RSS feeds from external blogs or services can be automatically imported into an Elgg blog
FOAF
FOAF stands for Friend Of A Friend, and is a format for representing both profile and relationship data between people.
At present you can import and export FOAF profile data, and FOAF data is provided for connections to people and communities.
Elgg uses XML-RPC in order to allow users to post using a standard blogging client using the MetaWeblog API. Standard URLs for some popular blogging clients are included, but in general, the URL to ping with a client is [site url]_rpc/RPC2.php.
Elgg supports a variety of different multimedia, either through embedded links to external services or to the user resource area.
Elgg is interoperable with a wide range of other applications and services inlcuing Blackboard and Moodle.
HOW TO USE IT
Bazaar has produced extensive documentation of how to use Elgg at a show me day, held in conjunction with Klagenfurt University.
This includes a presentation by Graham Attwell from the Bazaar project onSocial Software and Learning'
Graham Attwell talked about the changing way young people are using technology for learning. He looked at the use of Web 2.0 and social software applications for social networking, communication and sharing. You can view his presentation here
Ben Werdmuller explained the history of ELGG and described the main features. He also talked about planned future developments. You can view his presentation here.
The Show me Day also featured a Hands on Session:
- Logging in
- Populating your profile – using similar interests for the demonstration
- Introductory blog post
- Making some connections – the friends mechanism
- Creating access controls
- Ad-hoc communities
- Pulling in external content – flickr, delicious etc
- Advanced
Links / examples / Who is using it
Elgg is increasingly popular in education andas a wider tool for social networking in business and in the community. A list of user can be found on the Elgg web site.
Sandbox
Individuals can set up their own free account at Eduspaces.
Elgg can be downloaded from Sourceforge.
Comments / Discussion
Wired says "Broadly, Elgg represents a shift from aging, top-down classroom technologies like Blackboard to what e-learning practitioners call personal learning environments -- mashup spaces comprising del.icio.us feeds, blog posts, podcast widgets -- whatever resources students need to document, consume or communicate their learning across disciplines."
Elgg not a Virtual Learning Environment. Instead it offers support for informal learning through social networking, and for group and peer group learning. Increasingly Elgg is being associated with the changing ways in which we are using technology for learning with Web 2.0.
Of course, it could be argued that there is no need for educational institutions to support such functionality, given the increasing popularity of social networking applications such as Facebook and Myspace. However there is a growing concern over issues of privacy and the ownership of data with such services. Furthermore, whilst these services may provide access to third party applications for uploading and entering data, they are based on closed models, providing little opportunity to reuse data.
Elgg is extremely open in its philosophy and design.
