Mobile data sim fee

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6. Apr. 2020

6:11 PM

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no category

Hello.

Instead of face-to-face classroom, online classes is starting in many colleges in Japan. One concideration is a fee of mobile data sim for students.

In japan, the three major carrers provide special plans for students.

DoCoMo: https://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/info/notice/page/200403_00.html

au : https://news.kddi.com/kddi/corporate/newsrelease/2020/04/03/4364.html

softbank : https://www.softbank.jp/corp/news/info/2020/20200403_01/

I heard that data trafics on the internet have been doubled or more these days. And also I heard that some video related services have limited their traffics to send streaming data.

WebClass support in this April

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6. Apr. 2020

6:02 PM

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Development

Hello.

Many universities seem to start classes around April 20. I think this delay is not for avoiding an effect of coronavirus. It looks hard to start face-to-face classroom so far, and universities are preparing to start classes with online or self-study style in that delay.

I'd like to announce our plan to support WebClass users.

Current shedule in this April

  1. We will complete in-progress operations in this spring season (maintenances and tunings).
  2. We will release an emergency update patch around April 17

Our understanding of current situation about starting classes in colleges

Many WebClass user universities are considering using WebClass more widely than before for enabling students to take classes at home. So, we've been receiving many inquiries from server specifications to confirm a capacity of usage with current servers.

I know that each college has thir schedules, but we consider the date when many colleges start classes is on April 20. So, we will deploy our announcements and an update patch with the deadline of the day.

Our situations

We decided that our staffs should avoid mass transit or congestion for commuting. So, we'are working at home or coming and leaving our office at off-peak hours if commuting is required. We believe that our staff's health is absolutely necessary to support the uses of WebClass.

Then, we will respond to requests and inquiries from users. And we will send information about technical operations and user operations that would be helpfull for all users.

About patch releases

To support online classes, I would like to adjust the WebClass function as much as possible by the start of the class on April 20th.

The following are current plans.

  • implement LTI integration features for each course or teacher
  • improve usability of chat tool and fix issues of report assignments features.

About LTI Collaboration

Many of the questions we've been receiving are related to videos : Can we broadcast my class on online video?

WebClass has a pseudo-streaming function called HLS, but the WebClass server currently installed at many universities does not consider full-scale distribution of class movies, and does not secure simultaneous access resistance and hard disk capacity.

We think that successful use of external video services and video conferencing systems will provide benefits in terms of server capacity and the time required for teachers to prepare videos. For example, the following preliminary survey was conducted to link to Zoom.us.

https://webclass.jp/blog/2020/03/18/lti-integration-with-zoom-us/

I think it is worth trying to integrate with other systems with LTI. And if teacher can install other tool integration with their free account, teacher can prepare their class flexibly.

Adjust chat and reporting features

Even if we use videos of classes or live broadcasting with video meeting syste, I think it is very hard for students to be occupied by watching three or four ninety-minutes long videos a day for studying. So, we need other course tool too.

WebClass includes some helpful tools: attendance, surveys, chats, report assignments, and more. We will improve chats and report assignment tools to make them easier to use.

Firefox 74

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18. Mar. 2020

2:14 PM

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Browser releases

Hello.

Firefox Desktop Browser 74 was released on the 10th March.

Firefox release schedules

Firefox release calendar
https://wiki.mozilla.org/Release_Management/Calendar

Firefox 74

Mozilla provides two release notes. One is for users and the other is for developers.

Firefox 74 release note
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/74.0/releasenotes/

From this version, firefox does not open web pages on TLS 1.0 or TLS 1.1.

Firefox 74 release note for developers
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Firefox/Releases/74

The release note for developers lists news and changes on APIs or developer tools that may be used by web contents developers or firefox plugin developes.

You can get overview of the new release changes and prepare to manage influence on WebClass functions or your learning materials.

Pickup for webclass

TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1 is disabled by default from this version.

https://hacks.mozilla.org/2020/02/its-the-boot-for-tls-1-0-and-tls-1-1/

I think there is nothing special to do for using WebClass with new firefox.

LTI integration with Zoom.us

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18. Mar. 2020

1:53 PM

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administration, features, Integration, remote meeting tools

Hello.

Many collages in Japan might be considering how they start new academic year in April due to the strugling against COVID-19. And they might be researching ways to switch classes to on TV in case class rooms are closed.

This article reports the way to use Zoom Meeting with WebClass. We're looking into this operations now, and we've not finished yet. We'll update this when our examine develops.

I've had a lot of meeting on TV with laptop PCs or smartphones for several years. I heard that some conference were held with around 50 of members on TV in March in Japan. Softwares or services for TV meeting are now very easy to use. I don't afraid of treating movie files after meetings. It's just joining, discussing and leaving.

I'm looking into an integration with Cisco Webex Meetings. That will be another article.

Zoom.us Meeting

License
https://zoom.nissho-ele.co.jp/lineup/zoom_meeting/

Zooms for Education
https://zoom.us/education

If you had an account of Basic plan, your meetings limited to 40 minitues and up to 100 persons. Until the end of April, Zooms.us free limitations for educational organizations.

In this article, I report the steps to connect my basic plan account to WebClass. When you try with your educational account, there will be some differences.

Using Zoom without LMS integration

If teachers and students has each Zoom account, teachers can host meeting. Each meeting has an url to invide. So, teacher tell students the url in their course on WebClass.

For example, textbook materials are easy to write down the url and share it with students in their course. And the Timeline is one of best place to announce the meeting to students especially when there are a lot of learning materials.

Instructions to integrate with Zoom

get LTI key on Zooms.us

Zoom supports the LTI interface. We use that.

First, sign in on Zoom.us web page and open the page of LTI pro module in the market place.

Zoom.us marketplace
https://marketplace.zoom.us

LTI pro - Zoom.us marketplace
https://marketplace.zoom.us/apps/f8JUB3eeQv2lXsjKq5B2FA

Second, activate LTI pro module on your account. To do that, turn "Pre-approve" switch on and click "Install" button.

Then, you can see "Manage" tab on the LTI pro page. go to "Configure" and create a new credential.

When you click "＋Create a new credential" button, you will see the four values automatically generated.

  • LTI URL
  • OAuth Redirect URL
  • LTI Key
  • LTI Secret

register LTI Key to WebClass

First, log in your WebClass as administrator account. If your WebClass installed with LTI, you will find "LTI tool config" page.

At the LTI tool config page, add Zoom registration with your keys.

  • Tool ：Zooms.us LTI pro(feel free to change)
  • Tool URL　：LTI URL
  • Consumer Key：LTI Key
  • Secret：LTI Secret

Create learning material to use Zoom on your course Zoom.us

Enter your course as author role, and open "Create materials" page.
"LTI tool" is there.

Select your Zoom LTI registration on your WebClass for LTI tool doropdown.

Save the material and open that as course manager, then Zoom meeting list view will be opened.

Add new meeting with "Schedule a New Meeting" button. You can get the link url to share this meeting there.

One of the best way to share the meeting url is posting that on the Timeline.

leaners will join meetings

Learners can list your meetings when they open the learning materials. When they click and open a meeting, zoom.us page will open and show them apps. download link and open apps.

To join meetings, learner have to sign in or sign up on Zoom. And they can not create meetings in your learning materials.

Zoom provides the video how zoom opens from an invitation of meeting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFhAEoCF7jg&list=PLKpRxBfeD1kEM_I1lId3N_Xl77fKDzSXe&index=23

Other limitations and questions

Author account must be registerd with email address that is same as zoom.us account. And that zoom.us account is same as LTI Key holder on Zoom.us. This limitation is perhaps for Basic plan account.

I expect that LTI Key from educational account allows authors under the organization to make their own meetings. But actually, I don't know about this now.

Ref

Getting Started with LTI Pro - Zoomappdocs
https://zoomappdocs.docs.stoplight.io/lti-pro-v2/welcome/getting-started

LTI Pro is now available in the Zoom Marketplace
https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201363333-Getting-Started-with-LTI

Zoom for education
https://zoom.us/education

LTI/LMS Systems - Zoom Help Center
https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/sections/200305523-LTI-LMS-Systems

Zoom - Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2SxmE4C-KAQuHaEfHVymgQ

Firefox 73

by

14. Feb. 2020

10:05 AM

Comments Off on Firefox 73

Browser releases

Hello.

Firefox Desktop Browser 73 was released on the 11th Feb.

Firefox release schedules

Firefox release calendar

https://wiki.mozilla.org/Release_Management/Calendar

Firefox 73

Mozilla provides two release notes. One is for users and the other is for developers.

Firefox 73 release note
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/73.0/releasenotes/

A page zoom preference was addes. W can set a default zoom rate for reading every web page with offered zoom rate. And it is improved to read web pages with background images in High Contrast Mode on Windows 10.

Firefox 73 release note for developers
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Firefox/Releases/73

The release note for developers lists news and changes on APIs or developer tools that may be used by web contents developers or firefox plugin developes.

You can get overview of the new release changes and prepare to manage influence on WebClass functions or your learning materials.

Pickup for webclass

I think there is nothing special to do for using WebClass with new firefox.