Comments on: Are academic e-learning sites losing out to mainstream tech? http://www.deinde.org/2008/06/20/are-academic-e-learning-sites-losing-out-to-mainstream-tech/ Resources for Biblical Scholars Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:21:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: Tim Bulkeley http://www.deinde.org/2008/06/20/are-academic-e-learning-sites-losing-out-to-mainstream-tech/#comment-7206 Tim Bulkeley Tue, 05 Aug 2008 04:57:23 +0000 http://www.deinde.org/2008/06/20/are-academic-e-learning-sites-losing-out-to-mainstream-tech/#comment-7206 I am very late answering this, I intended a full post, but got waylaid by a new semester starting. Our Moodle installation also has an upload limit, so (although it was recently generously increased 10 fold - it is set by the institution) I still paste in videos from Blip.tv (better quality than YouTube and copes with either traditional or widescreen) and host recordings on my own site. Running a class on facebook could be fun, but half our students have hardly heard of FB, Moodle is enough of a stretch for them, and on the whole it seems OK for others, it is bit by bit adding more interactive features. Though sadly my popup blocker blocked the IM client for half a semester, why can't it integrate MSN and/or Yahoo etc... There have to be a limit somewhere to the number of wheel designs we can stand, and Pigin doesn't "do" Moodle. So in short for me integration is the key: Moodle and Blip.tv - :) great: they play together nicely. Moodle's own "built in" IM - :( a pain, it does not integrate with the clients I (or my students) already use, what's the use of that? I am very late answering this, I intended a full post, but got waylaid by a new semester starting.

Our Moodle installation also has an upload limit, so (although it was recently generously increased 10 fold - it is set by the institution) I still paste in videos from Blip.tv (better quality than YouTube and copes with either traditional or widescreen) and host recordings on my own site.

Running a class on facebook could be fun, but half our students have hardly heard of FB, Moodle is enough of a stretch for them, and on the whole it seems OK for others, it is bit by bit adding more interactive features. Though sadly my popup blocker blocked the IM client for half a semester, why can’t it integrate MSN and/or Yahoo etc… There have to be a limit somewhere to the number of wheel designs we can stand, and Pigin doesn’t “do” Moodle.

So in short for me integration is the key:
Moodle and Blip.tv - :) great: they play together nicely.
Moodle’s own “built in” IM - :( a pain, it does not integrate with the clients I (or my students) already use, what’s the use of that?

]]> By: RKG http://www.deinde.org/2008/06/20/are-academic-e-learning-sites-losing-out-to-mainstream-tech/#comment-7140 RKG Sat, 05 Jul 2008 15:52:26 +0000 http://www.deinde.org/2008/06/20/are-academic-e-learning-sites-losing-out-to-mainstream-tech/#comment-7140 I couldn't agree more with your and Weller's assessement. I chair a grad.ministry department that uses Blackboard and last fall we commissioned one of our prof's to do an online class solely using the web 2.0 resources that are easily accessible for free on the web, So with a combo of youtube, blogs, facebook, wiki's etc. he taught the entire class with very few hitches. The things he missed most were insider features like gradebook, quizzing etc. If Course Management Systems don't migrate to become WEB 2.0ish Learning Platforms indeed they will become "tumbleweeds." I couldn’t agree more with your and Weller’s assessement. I chair a grad.ministry department that uses Blackboard and last fall we commissioned one of our prof’s to do an online class solely using the web 2.0 resources that are easily accessible for free on the web, So with a combo of youtube, blogs, facebook, wiki’s etc. he taught the entire class with very few hitches. The things he missed most were insider features like gradebook, quizzing etc.

If Course Management Systems don’t migrate to become WEB 2.0ish Learning Platforms indeed they will become “tumbleweeds.”

]]> By: Danny Zacharias http://www.deinde.org/2008/06/20/are-academic-e-learning-sites-losing-out-to-mainstream-tech/#comment-7088 Danny Zacharias Sat, 21 Jun 2008 12:51:13 +0000 http://www.deinde.org/2008/06/20/are-academic-e-learning-sites-losing-out-to-mainstream-tech/#comment-7088 blackboard doesn't have blogs or wikis?! I use Moodle which has that stuff. I agree that teachers need to initiate much of the stuff, but it is not hard to start a general discussion forum in Moodle for students to discuss things if they wish. The thing I find most constricting right now is size. I want to upload larger video files than moodle allows— though admittedly I don't know if the restriction is moodle or my university. blackboard doesn’t have blogs or wikis?!

I use Moodle which has that stuff. I agree that teachers need to initiate much of the stuff, but it is not hard to start a general discussion forum in Moodle for students to discuss things if they wish.

The thing I find most constricting right now is size. I want to upload larger video files than moodle allows— though admittedly I don’t know if the restriction is moodle or my university.

]]> By: mgvh http://www.deinde.org/2008/06/20/are-academic-e-learning-sites-losing-out-to-mainstream-tech/#comment-7086 mgvh Sat, 21 Jun 2008 03:25:54 +0000 http://www.deinde.org/2008/06/20/are-academic-e-learning-sites-losing-out-to-mainstream-tech/#comment-7086 Our seminary uses an iteration of Blackboard. Those who are doing online course work use it because they have been using it for a while, all the students are enrolled for them, they know how it works... I find it terribly constricting. I've gone to blogs and wikis for most of the online aspects of the course work. Students have set up their own study groups using Yahoo or Google groups. The only thing Blackboard provides that I haven't found a good free blog/wiki can do is threaded discussions. But I agree with you: in Blackboard, I the prof am the initiator and thread-starter. My students show much greater autonomy on the blog/wiki, and I have a better chance to see what questions/issues they have. Our seminary uses an iteration of Blackboard. Those who are doing online course work use it because they have been using it for a while, all the students are enrolled for them, they know how it works…
I find it terribly constricting. I’ve gone to blogs and wikis for most of the online aspects of the course work. Students have set up their own study groups using Yahoo or Google groups. The only thing Blackboard provides that I haven’t found a good free blog/wiki can do is threaded discussions.
But I agree with you: in Blackboard, I the prof am the initiator and thread-starter. My students show much greater autonomy on the blog/wiki, and I have a better chance to see what questions/issues they have.

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