Sharing Paradata Across Widget Stores
Project Aims
We will use the Learning Registry infrastructure to share paradata about Widgets across multiple Widget Stores, improving the information available to users for selecting widgets and improving discovery by pooling usage information across stores
What is a Widget?
A Widget, also known as an “App” or a “Gadget” is typically a small, self contained software application. Depending on the type of widget, they can be embedded in websites (including VLEs and portals), installed on mobile devices, and run on a user’s desktop. Widgets often blur the distinction between “software” and “content”, and while they are often freely licensed and can be created by and for educators, have not to date been a principal topic for OER projects.
What is a Widget Store?
A Widget Store, also known as an “App Store” or “Market” is a repository of widgets that allows users to discover, and embed or install widgets. Widget Stores place a particular emphasis on user reviews, ratings, recommendations and popularity metrics as a means of supporting discovery. Several widget stores with an education focus are being created by different projects and consortia, and this project aims to link them up.
What is the Learning Registry?
The Learning Registry is a “new approach to capturing, sharing, and analyzing learning resource data to broaden the usefulness of digital content to benefit educators and learners”. Put simply, it’s an open source software system that enables metadata and paradata to be shared between systems.
What is Paradata?
In the context of OER and the Learning Registry, paradata refers to usage data and other secondary metadata concerned with how a resource is used. For example, it typically includes statements such as “I like this” or “I used this” as well as aggregate statistics such as download and access figures.
Project Documents