[Moodle] moodle vs sharepoint?

Mon Apr 24 20:27:52 EST 2006

Suzanne,

IMHO...... (perhaps a more philosophical/ideological argument rather than the pros and cons of each in terms of their usability)

Is there a SharePoint users teachers email group in Victoria??????

If so, do they meet in bars or cafes for dinner with laptops and digital projectors to chat and share what they are doing with the software specifically in terms of its educational applications????

I think not :)

Sharepoint was created by MS as another way to make money out of businesses (they will surely eventually charge for it once they have sucked everyone into using it)

Moodle was created by an Aussie specifically as a learning/sharing tool (Content Management System) for schools and universities.

>From www.moodle.org ...
Moodle is a course management system (CMS) - a free, Open Source <http://www.opensource.org/docs/definition.php>  software package designed using sound pedagogical principles <http://docs.moodle.org/en/Philosophy> , to help educators create effective online learning communities.

>From http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/technologies/sharepoint/default.mspx
Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services technology in Windows Server 2003 is an integrated portfolio of collaboration and communication services designed to connect people, information, processes, and systems both within and beyond the organizational firewall. (Note: NO mention of online learning communities or pedagogical principles here!!)

The link on the above MS  page to 'case studies' gives you a fair idea of why Sharepoint was designed - all the studies are of BIG business, and all talk of how sharepoint helped increase their profits one way or another (by increased productivity etc)

Moodle - cross platform, will always be open source and free, thousands of contributors across the world will ensure it stays at the cutting edge of CMS software

Sharepoint - only works with Windows Server 2003, will it always be free with Server 2003 or will they eventually start charging for it? If so will DEET continue to fund it? Also you are stuck creating web pages in FrontPage, do you want that limitation?

Let the big businesses who have money to throw around on consultants and expensive software use Sharepoint. Let's show our kids that there IS an alternative to MS and its expensive bloatware. (it costs a student over $450 to install Win XP Home and Office Pro Academic on their home computers - no wonder many resort to downloading illegal copies via limewire.)

The NSW Government is already moving towards open source (see www.opensource.nsw.gov.au ), Victoria will eventually follow suit - so why not just set up moodle and be done with it?

And no ... I am not an anti MS person - I use their applications every day, but I am PRO FOSS, and I believe there will come a time (5 years? 10 years?) when FOSS will be the first choice for most people, government departments, schools and businesses. The use of FOSS will grow exponentially over the next few years.

And then there is another fly in the soup ... DEET's "Ultranet" .... will we be forced to use that when it finally has been tested and packaged for all schools?

Cheers - and enjoy the dawn service tomorrow morning (I will be there in my dreams)

Ros Meadows
meadows.roslyn.m at edumail.vic.gov.au

Home computers are being called upon to perform many new functions, including the consumption of homework formerly eaten by the dog. 
Doug Larson

________________________________

From: moodle-bounces at edulists.com.au on behalf of Rob Rankin
Sent: Mon 4/24/2006 4:34 PM
To: 'The Moodle Users' in Schools Mailing List'
Subject: RE: [Moodle] moodle vs sharepoint?

Hi Suzanne,

If you're running a business, and can decipher the following information, you may choose Sharepoint.

I believe only one of these components is free to Govt schools in Vic but not sure about that.

Moodle, designed for educators is more attractive to me, even if Sharepoint has some special features.

Cheers,

Rob

SharePoint Portal Server 2003

SharePoint Portal Server 2003 is the scalable portal server that connects people, teams, and knowledge across business processes. SharePoint Portal Server 2003 provides a secured enterprise business solution by:

*

Integrating information from various systems into one solution through single sign-on and enterprise application integration capabilities.

*

Providing flexible deployment and management tools.

*

Facilitating end-to-end collaboration by enabling aggregation, organization, and searching for people, teams, and information.

*

Enabling portal users to quickly find relevant information through customization and personalization of content and layout in the portal and audience targeting.

  <http://www.microsoft.com/office/sharepoint/prodinfo/relationship.mspx#top#top> Top of page <http://www.microsoft.com/office/sharepoint/prodinfo/relationship.mspx#top#top> 

Windows SharePoint Services

Windows SharePoint Services is the engine for creating Web sites that enable information sharing and document collaboration, thereby helping to increase individual and team productivity. It is a key piece of the information worker infrastructure delivered in Microsoft Windows Server(tm) 2003 and provides additional team services and sites to Microsoft Office System and other desktop applications, as well as serving as a platform for application development.

SharePoint sites take file storage to a new level, from saving files to sharing information. These sites provide communities for team collaboration, empowering users to collaborate on documents, tasks, contacts, events, and other information. They enable team and site managers to easily manage site content and activity. The environment is designed for easy and flexible deployment, administration, and application development.

 <http://www.microsoft.com/office/sharepoint/prodinfo/relationship.mspx#top#top> Top of page <http://www.microsoft.com/office/sharepoint/prodinfo/relationship.mspx#top#top> 

How are SharePoint Portal Server and Windows SharePoint Services Related?

Windows SharePoint Services delivers sites for team collaboration and productivity, facilitating large numbers of smart places. SharePoint Portal Server 2003 connects these places, people, knowledge, and business processes, facilitating smart organizations.

SharePoint Portal Server 2003 capitalizes on Windows SharePoint Services by using SharePoint sites to create portal pages for people, information, and organizations. While these sites are specific to SharePoint Portal Server 2003, they use technologies such as Web Parts and SharePoint document libraries that are delivered by the Windows SharePoint Services platform. This integration greatly reduces the time and cost associated with development, training, and support.

SharePoint Portal Server 2003 also extends the capabilities of Windows SharePoint Services by providing organization and management tools for SharePoint sites. Its site registry provides an enterprise-wide method of aggregating, organizing, and presenting SharePoint sites. In addition, SharePoint Portal Server 2003 enables users to publish information and documents stored in their Windows SharePoint Services sites to the entire organization.

SharePoint Portal Server 2003 adds entire classes of additional functionality to the enterprise, connecting people, teams, and knowledge across business processes. It integrates information from various systems into one solution with flexible deployment options and management tools. It facilitates end-to-end collaboration by enabling information workers to find and use people, information, and SharePoint sites across the enterprise. SharePoint Portal Server 2003 also delivers personally relevant information through audience targeting and through personalization and customization tools.

SharePoint Products and Technologies deliver highly scalable collaboration solutions with flexible deployment and management tools. SharePoint Products and Technologies immediately provide a high level of value while serving up an accessible, deployment-friendly, highly scalable platform for developing extended applications.

________________________________

From: moodle-bounces at edulists.com.au [mailto:moodle-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of ARNOTT Suzanne
Sent: Monday, 24 April 2006 2:56 PM
To: The Moodle Users' in Schools Mailing List
Subject: [Moodle] moodle vs sharepoint?

Hi all,

thank you so much for the support so far, 

My technician is trying to steer me towords using Sharepoint...

not having used either it sort of leaves me at his mercy a bit... I have read through some of the moodle forums on comapring the two programs, and their seems to be a definite slant towards moodle being the preferred option (even schools using sharepoint have integrated moodle into the system, as the collaborative tasks work much better with a moodle environment.)

Personally I love the networking that is going on here, and see that as a huge bonus to going moodle anyway...

I guess I'm just looking for some specifics I can use to argue the case.

cheers

Suz

Suzanne Arnott
Elisabeth Murdoch College
Photography and Multimedia Coordinator
Assistant Manager, Learning Technologies

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