LLT Vol9Num2: ARE YOU READY TO "MOODLE"?
I like this review of Moodle. Brandl touches upon a number of the reasons that I like the system. Not only is it open source, it is somewhat easy to install and manage on the admin side and it is easy to learn and use on the instrutor/student side.
I have used it for 3 classes now (one fully in Moodle and 2 using the Moodle Wiki). I have only had one problem with it over the last year and that was really an issue with my hosting service. They updated to a new version of PHP that made my installation of Moodle barf (technical term :) All I had to do was spend about an hour in the Moodle discussion forums and I had everything fixed and ready to go. Gotta love that community.
Indiana Univesity is current using Sakai 2.0 as the basis for its OncourseCL CMS. This system has improved greatly in the last year and I'm sure it will continue to improve in the future. That is not the point, however.
The point is that this system is FAR inferior to Moodle with a vastly bloated administration and development team. It is confusing to use as both an instructor and student. It puts far too much control in the hands of administrators and much too little control in the hands of instructors and students. The model is short-sighted and doomed to failure.
I was once told that anything could be added/fixed in OncourseCL. All I had to do was contact a developer in Michigan who would determine whether it was worthy or not. If it was determined to be worthy, it would be put in a que and addressed in due time. At that pace, I'll be collecting Social Security before my issues are addressed.
Oops, a posting on Moodle became a rant against OncourseCL...go figure :)
Wednesday, February 1, 2006
The iPod Took My Seat - Los Angeles Times
The iPod Took My Seat - Los Angeles Times
These articles drive me crazy. They say that students don't come to class, because they are getting what they need online. Do they even hear themselves? If the students are getting what they need online, who cares if they come to class.
GOOD professors should either ask what they can do to add value to face-to-face interactions OR whether they can just move their entire class online. Why waste valuable classroom space if it's not necessary?
These are the most dangerous professors. Those who either have the technological savvy to put materials online or have tech support to do so. They fool themselves and others into believing that cutting edge technology is synonymous with cutting edge teaching. They then represent themselves as "in the know" and crusade again these very same technologies when they "don't work."
It's their methods that don't work. The technology works fine. None of those students in the article complained about the technology. However, more than a few complained about their instructors.
I would love it if once, just once, a news article like this one would try to get a balanced perspective.
These articles drive me crazy. They say that students don't come to class, because they are getting what they need online. Do they even hear themselves? If the students are getting what they need online, who cares if they come to class.
GOOD professors should either ask what they can do to add value to face-to-face interactions OR whether they can just move their entire class online. Why waste valuable classroom space if it's not necessary?
These are the most dangerous professors. Those who either have the technological savvy to put materials online or have tech support to do so. They fool themselves and others into believing that cutting edge technology is synonymous with cutting edge teaching. They then represent themselves as "in the know" and crusade again these very same technologies when they "don't work."
It's their methods that don't work. The technology works fine. None of those students in the article complained about the technology. However, more than a few complained about their instructors.
I would love it if once, just once, a news article like this one would try to get a balanced perspective.
Friday, January 13, 2006
Yawcam update
Well, I guess you get what you pay for. Yawcam seems to have quite a few errors. I can't pin down what is causing these errors, because they are so seemingly random.
Sometimes, it seems like the uploads (FTP) just stop. That is usually when there is an error message saying that the destination folder doesn't exist. Those are actually the most rare and, really, are best errors. The picture on the site remains the same and I can tell by the time stamp that the uploads ceased at a particular time.
The most common error is the strangest. I get no error message on my computer, but the programs seems to freeze, or is at least unresponsive. There is some kind of upload happening though. The image on the site remains the same, but the time stamp continues to update. That is the worst. I'm trying to use this to let people know when I'm in my office, but with this error that get's confusing. I'm not worried about the picture freezing when I'm not there. I'm worried about the picture freezing when I'm there and then I leave. It makes it seem like I'm at my desk and ignoring people who try to contact me.
It looks like I'm off to shop for alternatives. I'll let you all know if/when I find anything.
Sometimes, it seems like the uploads (FTP) just stop. That is usually when there is an error message saying that the destination folder doesn't exist. Those are actually the most rare and, really, are best errors. The picture on the site remains the same and I can tell by the time stamp that the uploads ceased at a particular time.
The most common error is the strangest. I get no error message on my computer, but the programs seems to freeze, or is at least unresponsive. There is some kind of upload happening though. The image on the site remains the same, but the time stamp continues to update. That is the worst. I'm trying to use this to let people know when I'm in my office, but with this error that get's confusing. I'm not worried about the picture freezing when I'm not there. I'm worried about the picture freezing when I'm there and then I leave. It makes it seem like I'm at my desk and ignoring people who try to contact me.
It looks like I'm off to shop for alternatives. I'll let you all know if/when I find anything.
Monday, January 9, 2006
Yawcam
Yawcam stands for Yet Another Webcam and it is a nice freeware for Webcam functions.
It's a nice, simple application that I have set up to upload an image (FTP) to my server every 20 seconds. While it's not streaming video, it puts a pretty small load on my server and, therefore, my wallet :)
I was able to find a script that refreshes the pictures every 20 seconds. Initially, I was refreshing the entire page using a Metatag. That was not a good solution because the page would reset (to the top of the page) each time it reloaded. On a page that scrolls, that is really annoying. On my phone, it made it impossible to view the image.
I'm considering using this as a sort of "in office" indicator for my students. Obviously, I can use MSN Messenger (or other brand) to do this, but this is nice because I can use it any place that I can use a picture. Or, at least, any place where I can point to the URL of a picture.
I'm looking for other ways of using my Webcam in-between video conferences (which don't happen too often). Anyone have any ideas? :)
It's a nice, simple application that I have set up to upload an image (FTP) to my server every 20 seconds. While it's not streaming video, it puts a pretty small load on my server and, therefore, my wallet :)
I was able to find a script that refreshes the pictures every 20 seconds. Initially, I was refreshing the entire page using a Metatag. That was not a good solution because the page would reset (to the top of the page) each time it reloaded. On a page that scrolls, that is really annoying. On my phone, it made it impossible to view the image.I'm considering using this as a sort of "in office" indicator for my students. Obviously, I can use MSN Messenger (or other brand) to do this, but this is nice because I can use it any place that I can use a picture. Or, at least, any place where I can point to the URL of a picture.
I'm looking for other ways of using my Webcam in-between video conferences (which don't happen too often). Anyone have any ideas? :)
Monday, December 12, 2005
Talkr down again
I don't know what to think about Talkr (the engine that creates audio versions of my blog entries). They are down again. I know that they are up and comers, but they've been down more than they have been up.
I'll stick with them for a week or so. If they are not up in that time I'll have to remove their code from the template. It's too bad. It's a good idea and the price was right (free).
I'll stick with them for a week or so. If they are not up in that time I'll have to remove their code from the template. It's too bad. It's a good idea and the price was right (free).
Saturday, December 3, 2005
EFF: Bloggers' FAQ: Student Blogging
Wow! This publication from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) rocks. It is written for a teenage audience, but it equally informative for us old folks. Legal issues surrounding our new publishing abilities in the world of blogging (and beyond).
Check it out. There are also numerous links to other FAQs and resources.
Check it out. There are also numerous links to other FAQs and resources.
Friday, December 2, 2005
Koreans try out English lessons for fetuses
In the "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING" category, a Korean business is doing a good business in providing pre-natal English lessons.
Though I am a believer in providing stimulus to the fetus, claiming that you can teach a fetus a language is absurd. Pak is obviously a quack. I can even believe that you can get a child used to the rhythm and intonation of a language. Maybe this will make the child more susceptible to learning the language later in life. However, trying to explicitly "teach" functional language to a fetus is just ridiculous.
I would love to see ANY research that suggests this might be beneficial. If so, I will withdraw my criticism and apologize to Mr. Pak for calling him a quack. I'm not going to hold my breath :)
Though I am a believer in providing stimulus to the fetus, claiming that you can teach a fetus a language is absurd. Pak is obviously a quack. I can even believe that you can get a child used to the rhythm and intonation of a language. Maybe this will make the child more susceptible to learning the language later in life. However, trying to explicitly "teach" functional language to a fetus is just ridiculous.
I would love to see ANY research that suggests this might be beneficial. If so, I will withdraw my criticism and apologize to Mr. Pak for calling him a quack. I'm not going to hold my breath :)
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