Comments on: Virtual learning Environment, Moodle, Using Moodle, WebCT http://www.halmaclean.co.uk/2006/03/03/old65/ Creative Learning Systems Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:39:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Anonymous http://www.halmaclean.co.uk/2006/03/03/old65/comment-page-1/#comment-380 Anonymous Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 http://1978328247#comment-380 Ah, perceptions - I reckon that at Ultralab we can bend many tools/VLEs to suit our approach better. I don't know why WebCT is perceived as top-down, but then I didn't read the manual before setting up a module entirely along the BA Learning, Technology, Research approach. I'm sure you will have every success with Moodle, and those who have been working with Plone also claim success. With Vista to evaluate, I won't have time for other platforms for a while - but would like to develop http://www.openmute.org/ when there's a chance. Ah, perceptions – I reckon that at Ultralab we can bend many tools/VLEs to suit our approach better. I don’t know why WebCT is perceived as top-down, but then I didn’t read the manual before setting up a module entirely along the BA Learning, Technology, Research approach. I’m sure you will have every success with Moodle, and those who have been working with Plone also claim success. With Vista to evaluate, I won’t have time for other platforms for a while – but would like to develop http://www.openmute.org/ when there’s a chance.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.halmaclean.co.uk/2006/03/03/old65/comment-page-1/#comment-389 Anonymous Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 http://1978328247#comment-389 WebCT and 'Top Down' is probably brought about from my experiences with the way WebCT is deployed and, on the whole, used within many departments. It seems to be a container for content which students need to download as an additive to their f2f courses... I see *very* little evidence of it being used to stimulate debate in any meaningful way - but then I am not privvy to all that is going on around the university WebCT courses... so yes, just a perception. It is, somewhat, confirmed by my discussions with the staff from different faculties who look at it day to day and try to subvert the way it forces things to be done. I read a very interesting review here: <a href="http://www.irrodl.org/content/v5.3/technote6.html" target=_blank">http://www.irrodl.org/content/v5.3/technote6.html</a> Check the date of that... ! I don't see Plone in the same way as Moodle. Plone is potentially a far more powerful CMS, but it requires three technologies to work, each are difficult to learn. I understand even the Plone developers don't recommend plone as anything other than for an Intranet, but that is a viscious rumour :-) Moodle is a lot 'lighter' to use and easier to get in to adapt (despite there being a raft of style sheets) than Plone, but both give you a lot more flexibility than WebCT, I would say. Again, a lot of this is probably because of the way WebCT is deployed within the university, but ultimately it is the nature of the deployment which will govern the way it gets used, and thus the continuing propogation of the perception that it is a very much 'top down' approach to learning. One thing is cery clear to me - there needs to be a radical shake up in the way online learning is used. Moodle (and Plone) offer a very effective alternative to the vastly more expensive WebCT. This will no doubt be one of the key ramparts of the action enquiry we will undertake... although no conclusions are yet arrived at and all options are open still. WebCT and ‘Top Down’ is probably brought about from my experiences with the way WebCT is deployed and, on the whole, used within many departments. It seems to be a container for content which students need to download as an additive to their f2f courses… I see *very* little evidence of it being used to stimulate debate in any meaningful way – but then I am not privvy to all that is going on around the university WebCT courses… so yes, just a perception. It is, somewhat, confirmed by my discussions with the staff from different faculties who look at it day to day and try to subvert the way it forces things to be done.

I read a very interesting review here:

http://www.irrodl.org/content/v5.3/technote6.html

Check the date of that… !

I don’t see Plone in the same way as Moodle. Plone is potentially a far more powerful CMS, but it requires three technologies to work, each are difficult to learn. I understand even the Plone developers don’t recommend plone as anything other than for an Intranet, but that is a viscious rumour :-) Moodle is a lot ‘lighter’ to use and easier to get in to adapt (despite there being a raft of style sheets) than Plone, but both give you a lot more flexibility than WebCT, I would say. Again, a lot of this is probably because of the way WebCT is deployed within the university, but ultimately it is the nature of the deployment which will govern the way it gets used, and thus the continuing propogation of the perception that it is a very much ‘top down’ approach to learning.

One thing is cery clear to me – there needs to be a radical shake up in the way online learning is used. Moodle (and Plone) offer a very effective alternative to the vastly more expensive WebCT. This will no doubt be one of the key ramparts of the action enquiry we will undertake… although no conclusions are yet arrived at and all options are open still.

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