Moodle Flop

John and I attended a session with other IT personnel on Moodle.  No one at the meeting was impressed with Moodle for several reasons.  First and foremost, even though Moodle is free, there was a significant charge for trainings, add-ons, technical support, etc.  Another problem we found was that Moodle did offer some of the features we were looking for, but without the security features we need and that other providers offer at no charge.  We felt that Moodle could serve a need at the high school level but would not be utilized in the elementary and middle school level just because of its setup, look, and feel.

After the people from Moodle left, we discussed other options and decided to check out School Fusion as well.  We have already talked with the folks from Gaggle and will continue to investigate these options for our county.

Moodle

Our school system is in the process of switching to a new Course Management System called Moodle. Using this platform, teachers and students would have the ability to use online discussion forums, post messages, upload and download files, give and receive feedback on assignments, and chat in real time.

Our schools currently rely on programs called Blackboard and TeacherWeb for educators to put materials online for students and parents to access. Moodle will be a more cost-effective way to deliver online material and will provide more options for teachers and students to utilize.

John and Heather, along with other IT personnel, will be trained on how to use Moodle. This will occur near the end of September. Once trained, John and Heather will show their other group members how to use this Course Management System. Our goal is to learn all we can about Moodle so we can help train teachers throughout the county.

Check out some links about Moodle:
http://moodle.org/
http://demo.moodle.net/
http://www.moodlerooms.com/resources/tutorials/

Over the next few months, we will also be reviewing our school system's online security software and filtering capabilities.

Introduction

Mebane Masters Kevin Hamilton, John Marshall, Kelly Myers and Heather Ratledge will be exploring the possibilities of creating a “walled garden” for their internship. A "walled garden" refers to control over applications and content and restricting access to non-approved applications or content. We will be responsible for researching other K12 districts throughout the state in order to learn how this is being addressed. We will also gain expertise in SOPHOS filtering, look at updating the acceptable use policy for students and employees, and exploring student e-mail account possibilities.