IEEE Internet Computing

IEEE Internet Computing - November/December 2009 (Vol. 13, No. 6)

PrePrint: Towards the Next Generation, Service-Oriented, Personal E-Learning environments

The social component of the Web 2.0 related services is providing a new open and personal approach to how we expect things to be done for solving the needs of the current electronic based Information Society. As a particular case, learning needs are requiring open and personal e-learning systems adapted to life-long learning in a rapidly changing environment. It is therefore not surprising that a new wave of ideas centred in pervasive, personal e-learning systems is being defined. This paper analyses the current trends in the evolution of e-learning architectures identifying their merits and limitations. The paper defines and implements a combined new architecture which captures the needs of both formal (instructor-led) and informal (student-led) learning environments.

PrePrint: Peer-to-Peer 3D Streaming

Virtual worlds have become very popular in recent years, with trends towards larger worlds and more user-generated content. The growth of 3D content in virtual worlds will make real-time content streaming (or 3D streaming) increasingly attractive for developers. To meet the demands of a large user base while lowering costs, peer-to-peer (P2P) content delivery holds the promise to create a paradigm shift in how future virtual worlds will be deployed and used. We define both the problem and solution spaces for P2P 3D streaming, by outlining its requirements, challenges, and categorizing existing proposals. Open questions are also identified to facilitate the design of future systems.