LO Metadata [pár ROSSZ LINK és ikon!!!]: LOM

LOM

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY LEARNING OBJECT METADATA - LOM ?

Metadata are elements describing a learning object; they provide information on the author, the content, the target and the conditions of use of the learning object. They are necessary to describe and classify each LO and to allow the users interested in that specific content to search for it. Actually metadata constitute an identity card for the learning object [ROSSZ LINK], as we can see from the example given below.

Thanks to metadata it is possible to

	research online LOs meeting one's own needs
	know the conditions of use of an LO, for example if such material is protected by copyright
	find out links to other LOs in order to build a learning path

Metadata are not necessarily static{ they can be updated using the experience of users.

WHAT ABOUT THE CHARACTERISTICS OF LO METADATA?

Metadata are

	data that are strongly structured according to a predefined scheme. Owning a structure means that the data are catalogued according to a predetermined scheme that bases itself on shared standards.
	they are organised in tables. Such tables are made up of columns, the headings of which constitute the scheme and their subheadings provide the scheme specifications. The different headings highlight the different descriptive categories that allow searching according to the fields chosen.
	they are written in XML (eXtensible Markup Language), a language that can be read by databases and that can provide descriptions of the resource. It is extensible, independent from the platform used. XML files are text files and one of the advantages of the textual format is that it allows the information given to be read without the aid of the programme that has created them. know more click here [ROSSZ LINK])

Metadata can be grouped under three categories according to the functions they perform:

	descriptive metadata	To search for, to identify, to select
	administrative metadata	To manage the digital objects of a collection providing their acquisition, storage and use according to the conditions of a possible copyright/copyleft licence, and to certify the integrity and authenticity of the resource
	structural metadata	To link the several components of the resources to make them fully and adequately used

Metadata can be

a) objective (e.g. title, date creation)
b) subjective (e.g. semantic density)

depending on whether the information is derived directly from the described object or obtained from an evaluation or point of view of the person compiling the description.

Several international organisations have devised metadata standards, such as Dublin Core Initiative and IEEE/LOM.

WHERE ARE LO METADATA LOCATED ?

Metadata can be linked to the resource/learning object in several ways: within the resource itself or outside it, in a " repository".

Therefore metadata can be located:

within the LO (using META tags of a HTML document )

outside the LO, as happens, for example, when library tags are collected separately from the books.

In this case metadata databases (repositories) can be located on one or more servers [ROSSZ LINK] and can contain hypertextual links to the location of the resource.

It is possible to compare a "repository" to a specialised database that allows the search and the discovery of more sets of metadata created by different authors on the same content and that "aim" at LOs different localisations.