Specchio: a distributed projection environment

College student: Raphael Luciano Valmorbida Tutor: Ana Elisa Tozetto Piekarski, MSc
rvalmorbida@unicentro.br aetp@unicentro.br
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State University of West-Center of Paraná
Rua Presidente Zacarias Góes, 875
Phone: (55) 42-621-1069 Fax: (55)42-623-8644
CEP:85010-990 – Guarapuava – PR – Brazil

Type 2 - Short Paper: This summary describes a work in progress.

In order to achieve higher standards of quality for
teaching it is important to create and maintain a high-
quality learning environment in which effective
learning is encouraged (Slay, 1997). Information
technology provides this environment and sometimes
rebuilds the paradigm (i.e., distance education is more
effective with this kind of technology and multimedia
resources than with the traditional way).
The network communication supplies a kind of delivery
for distance education (Willis, 2000). For this reason,
we are developing Specchio, a distributed projection
environment, built according to the client-server
architecture. Specchio aims at replacing equipments like
datashow in a lab environment, in order to use the
existent resources (computer networks).
The goals of Specchio are first capture the information
from a server process (running in a node of the local
network) and then broadcast it for the multiple client
process (pre-selected by the user of Specchio server).
In technical terms, Specchio will establish the
communication network with sockets, which are
basically logical interfaces that are available in any
computer in an IP network (i.e. Internet). Sockets
provide the interface for specific types of applications
or particular types of data to be transmitted and received
across the network (Wist, 1999). In this project, we
adopted a Microsoft socket implementation called
Winsock Control (for Visual Basic applications) (Wist,
1999).
Initially, the presentations supported by Specchio are
limited to Power Point documents. In this way, the
Winsock connection will transmit objects from
Microsoft Power Point® Object Model (Microsoft,
2000). In this model, an object can be, for example, a
presentation, a slide or a title of a slide.
Specchio is a simple application that uses the
environment and resources available, such as, a local
network in a computer lab for classes, talks and course
presentations in a cost-effective way. Server users will
work with well-know and highly used tools (Microsoft
Windows® and Microsoft Power Point®).
Because it runs in real time, Specchio does not allow
the interaction of the client process users with any
application running in the node being used by the client
process (this option will be manipulated for server´s
users when the student must exercise the matter
discussed).
Otherwise, Specchio will provide some resources to
server´s users, such as, reading the comments for each
slide, managing a list of client´s user and also managing
the performance of each presentation (via logs).
Aiming at improving the teaching-learning process, we
intend to add voice transmission (over IP) and resources
for the teacher-student interaction, by using Specchio
for distance education via Internet.
Although these resources already exist, Specchio is an
unexpensive solution that allows the use of known tools
(Microsoft Power Point®) and an existent environment
(computer networks) highly used (Microsoft
Windows®).

References
MICROSOFT. (2000). Object Model. Available at World Wide Web: http://msdn.microsoft.com/office/, jan 2001.
SLAY, J. (1997). The Use of the Internet in Creating an Effective Learning Environment. In Proceedings of AusWeb ’97 -
The Third Australian World Wide Web Conference, Southern Cross University Press, Lismore, Australia, July 1997.
WILLIS, B. (2000). Distance Education at a Glance. Available at World Wide Web:
http://www.uidaho.edu/evo/distglan.html, jan 2001.
WIST, B. (1999). The Winsock Control – a tool for communication. In Inside Visual Basic, April 1999. Available at World
Wide Web: http://www.zdjournals.com/ivb/9904/ivb9441.htm, mar 2000.

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The authors thanks Unicentro for financial support – Programa de Bolsa-Pesquisa Institucional.