Talk:VirtualLearningEnvironments
From Schoolforge-UK
I used PostNuke to set up the website for Mary Webb School. All school community members are registered and access is restricted by group. I used the excellent open source Gallery software to create an online picture gallery that restricts access to images of pupils to community members only, although some departments have used this facility to display pictures for general use.
For e-course delivery we use Moodle. Access to Moodle is authenticated from the postnuke site so pupils' work is password protected. Moodle really is the bees knees when it comes to course management software - IMHO it can't be beaten. A number of departments use it to deliver their KS3 courses.
Dale Jones
dfjones@technologist.com
(I just registered on Schoolforge too)
Hello, I am working on doing exactly the same as Dale this summer. Using the pnmoodle module from http://www.nuy.info.
Some of the issues I am trying to see how to deal with (and would love comments/advice on):
- LVC uses SIMS (still half old non-sql version), I would like to be able to import all the pupils and teachers into the nuke user database, but can't see an intuitive way to do that other than importing directly into the DB.
- I would like to be able to import (from somewhere???) all the curriculum modules as the basis for the courses so that teachers don't have to write it themselves initially. (They can edit later if they wish).
- I would like to be able to import teacher and course code from SIMS timetables over to the moodle course DB, which again seems tricky.
- I wish I knew more about metadata and course resources, so that these could be automatically applied to resources attached to courses.
And I'm having a few issues with PostNuke (I'm a new user though so it's certainly my problem!).
cheers madmkh 08:22, 3 Aug 2004 (BST) Mandy Honeyman
I've been working with VLE's over the past seven years and I've seen all sorts of solutions (some very ugly!). Moodle is blossoming into a very usable product for the majority of schools, in the early days it was a little clunky (heck - the VLE I designed and built was, PHP4 was just getting up and running!) For certain education centres I'd say building your own custom solution is the best, sometimes the only, solution. In many cases it's a matter of looking at the way in which you want your VLE to be used inside and outside of school/college - and how you want it to integrate. I've got a couple of books avilable through lulu.com if anyone is interested. I've worked in IT Support for education, as well as in teaching roles - now back out working in IT serving businesses and education.
