Moodle
April 30, 2008 by matthewbyrnes
I have been asked to look into Moodle. According to Moodle, it is:
A Free, Open Source Course Management System for Online Learning. A virtual Learning Environment.
It is modular and scalable so that it can be customized for a small school or group to a large university w/ 200,000 students. They have 34 pages of add-ons and plug-ins . These include things like: a multiple choice quiz, forums, discussion lists and…
- Activities
- Resource types
- Question types
- Data field types (for the database activity)
- Graphical themes
- Authentication methods
- Enrollment methods
- Content Filters
There are many people who love it. Here is an article from a school that implements it. The author writes about how successful the implementation has been. Students, parents and teachers all contibute and use the Website that they use Moodle to create.
Sam Dean, in an article at ostatic.com says:
… many people tied to delivering information and teaching in old formats don’t realize the opportunities they have in using new media to do so. That includes many bloggers, writers and others I know who could reach large audiences via online courses, webcasts, podcasts and more. If that sounds like you, getting to know Moodle could be a good first step for you.
It appears that Moodle can be just about whatever we want. I think it could be a welcome addition to Game Lab activities.
Many people seem to feel like it is a good, open source, free alternative Web CT. Particularly, since Blackboard was swallowed by them. Wikipedia has a good overview and links to resources.
I like the constructivist pedagogical approach. They emphasize collaboration, between students and teachers, in the learning experience. It has the ability to be a formal and structured VLE or a place where a student or teacher can improvise and tinker.
I just signed up for an account. I’ll report back on my progress
