The other day I was asked if I would like to run a Java module for some Physics & Astronomy students. I am so far from plain Java and that sort of thing now there was almost a cognitive dissonance.
But it did cause me to ponder on about what I would do for such a requirement, given a blank sheet. For people whose discipline is not primarily technical, what would a syllabus look like around Linked Data as a focus, but also causing them to learn lots about how to just do stuff on computers? How to use a Linked Data store service as schemaless storage: bit of intro to triples as simply a primitive representation format; scripting for data transformation into triples - Ruby, Python, PHP, awk or whatever; scripting for http access for http put, delete to store; simple store query for service access (over http get); scripting for data post-processing, plus interaction with any data analytic tools; scripting for presentation in html or through visualisation tools. It would be interesting for scientists and, even more, social scientists, archeologists, etc (alongside their statistical package stuff or whatever). I think it would be really exciting for them, and they would get a lot of skills on the way - and of course they would learn to access all this Open Data stuff, which is becoming so important. I’m not sure they would go for it ;-) Just some thoughts. And does anyone knows of such modules, or even is teaching them? Best Hugh -- Hugh Glaser 20 Portchester Rise Eastleigh SO50 4QS Mobile: +44 75 9533 4155, Home: +44 23 8061 5652
