[Moodle] ultranet: moodle doesn't fit department's requirements

Mon Dec 1 10:28:04 EST 2008

Thanks Roland, for such a well thought out and articulated statement. 

Laurie

Just recently, on Sun, Nov 30, 2008 at 03:39:23PM +1100  in fact, Roland Gesthuizen mentioned:
> Here are some of my reflections on the department response to Donna's post
> about Ultranet and Moodle.
> 
> "The market sounding exercise subjectively assessed existing software
> solutions"
> 
> Can the results of this market sounding exercise be publicly accessed? Did
> it fairly consider the road map for these products? Moodle 2.0 due in April
> 2009 has some rip-roaring good features such as a dynamic XML database
> integration feature. Hard to describe but you already notice this feature
> with other web2.0 systems. Not only can Flickr photographs and Google Docs
> be readily imported into a class, it can be integrated with compatible
> timetable systems such as FirstClass as Kevork has done.
> 
> "..enterprise approach to intranet development .."
> 
> I wonder who considered that an enterprise approach is the only way to get
> things done in education? Most schools got a web page up and running their
> own way without a heavy handed, one shoe fits all approach. We did the same
> for school file servers, specialist technicians and local e-mail solutions
> several years before the department thought to step in and lend assistance.
> Local solutions quickly meet local needs and provide scope for local
> innovation. There is room for both approaches.
> 
> "Moodle was assessed and was not a close enough fit against the Department's
> requirements for the Ultranet project."
> 
> Who assessed Moodle and what were their educational qualifications? What do
> they mean by a close enough fit. Did anybody question the scope of the
> requirements for Ultranet? Perhaps the requirements are too broad and ill
> considered. Unless I am wrong and please correct me folks, none of the
> schools currently running Moodle at an 'school-wide or enterprise level'
> were approached.
> 
> "The market has already had the opportunity to respond to an open Request
> for Tender."
> 
> The world of Intranets and eLearning changes quickly in two years. It is
> foolish to limit consideration to responses for the original tender
> submission. The failure to not select a successful tenderer the first time
> around should not spoil the reconsideration of an entire proposal or the
> merits of different Ultranet interpretations or considerations. It smacks of
> arrogance when doors are slammed closed in our face.
> 
> Good intentions, vision or dollars do not make a good network or Intranet.
> 
> A centralist approach to the running and use of a school intranet could only
> work by crushing innovation and creativity as it stamps its imposed template
> on our practice of teaching and learning. Rather than taking well considered
> baby steps or sharing our current best practice, we could end up watching
> the department build an Ultranet laboratory for a new Frankenstein to stalk
> the bloated educational landscape of state-control. Perhaps it will not be
> alone, joining other well intentioned creations such as Recruitment Online
> and the CASES finance system.
> 
> I quite agree with Ros. Lets work together to build an open education model
> that is more about freedom (libre) than state-mandated control.  One that
> reduces blind government interference in our classrooms and maximises
> opportunities individual initiative.
> 
> Regards Roland
> 
> 2008/11/29 Ros Meadows <ros.meadows at gmail.com>
> 
> >  In other words - they would prefer to give educational dollars to big
> > business (the enterprise solution), rather than help to promote and improve
> > an Australian made, freely available, open source solution, and in the
> > process perhaps be able to give some dollars back to schools.
> > Let's throw some good money after the bad!!
> > There is no doubt that moodle could be adapted (modules added etc) to suit
> > their needs, if they would embrace the ideology of Open Source (software AND
> > learning) everyone would be better off.
> > Considering the ultranet was originally supposed to be rolled out to
> > schools from term 2 2008 they will only be 2 years (and how many millions??)
> > overdue
> > I believe it is also because they want TOTAL CONTROL of schools, if moodle
> > was chosen the source would be open and, omigod, teachers might be able to
> > get into the workings of the program and perhaps hide certain things eg
> > parent surveys, from BIG BROTHER.
> > Let's promote libre knowledge and learning
> > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libre_knowledge
> >
> > Long live DEECeaseD! yeh right!
> >
> > PS thanks Donna for coming on board in my VITTA session on FOSS. I am sure
> > it improved the session no end!
> >
> > Cheers
> > Ros Meadows
> > Bentleigh SC
> >
> > [Comment From Jo McLeay]
> > "I love teaching but I hate my job" Many have said this.
> > http://www.smsn.vic.edu.au/ictguy/index.php/live/
> >
> > Donna Benjamin wrote:
> >
> > Hi folks,
> > Moodle.com.au didn't submit to the original tender process, because they
> > couldn't meet all the requirements, and it wasn't clear whether the
> > department would accept a consortium response.
> >
> > Here's the response I got from the ultranet team...
> >
> > cheers
> > Donna
> >
> > Ms Benjamin
> >
> > Thank you for your e-mail concerning the release of the selective tender
> > for the Ultranet and your suggestions about the Moodle software
> > solution.
> >
> > The Department is committed to delivering the Ultranet project to all
> > Victorian government schools by Quarter 3, 2010.
> >
> > The Department decided to release a Request for Tender to five software
> > vendors through a selective tender process following an independent
> > market sounding of the local and global market.
> >
> > The market sounding exercise subjectively assessed existing software
> > solutions that could potentially meet the Department's requirements for
> > the Ultranet project and the key Government priorities of teaching and
> > learning management and a parent portal.  Five software vendors were
> > identified as being able to achieve an acceptable solution
> > implementation outcome.
> >
> > The Ultranet will be implemented as an enterprise solution and the
> > successful vendor will adopt an enterprise approach to intranet
> > development.
> >
> > Moodle was assessed and was not a close enough fit against the
> > Department's requirements for the Ultranet project.  Therefore Moodle
> > was not suitable for this selective tender.
> >
> > The market has already had the opportunity to respond to an open Request
> > for Tender.  The Department released an Ultranet Request for Tender in
> > August 2007 and completed the tender evaluation process without being
> > able to select a successful tenderer.
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> > <name removed>
> > Project Manager
> > Ultranet Project
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >  _______________________________________________
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> > Content preview:  In other words - they would prefer to give educational
> >  dollars to big business (the enterprise solution), rather than help to
> >  promote and improve an Australian made, freely available, open source
> >  solution, and in the process perhaps be able to give some dollars back
> >  to schools. Let's throw some good money after the bad!! There is no
> >  doubt that moodle could be adapted (modules added etc) to suit their
> >  needs, if they would embrace the ideology of Open Source (software AND
> >  learning) everyone would be better off. Considering the ultranet was
> >  originally supposed to be rolled out to schools from term 2 2008 they
> >  will only be 2 years (and how many millions??) overdue I believe it is
> >  also because they want TOTAL CONTROL of schools, if moodle was chosen
> >  the source would be open and, omigod, teachers might be able to get
> >  into the workings of the program and perhaps hide certain things eg
> >  parent surveys, from BIG BROTHER. Let's promote libre knowledge and
> >  learning http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libre_knowledge [...]
> >
> > Content analysis details:   (5.1 points, 5.0 required)
> >
> >  pts rule name              description
> > ---- ----------------------
> > --------------------------------------------------
> >  0.0 HTML_MESSAGE           BODY: HTML included in message
> >  1.1 HTML_10_20             BODY: Message is 10% to 20% HTML
> >  1.2 MIME_HTML_ONLY         BODY: Message only has text/html MIME parts
> >  0.0 HTML_TITLE_EMPTY       BODY: HTML title contains no text
> >  2.8 LONGWORDS              Long string of long words
> >
> >
> >
> >
> 
> 
> -- 
> Roland Gesthuizen - ICT Coordinator - Westall Secondary College
> http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au
> 
> "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change
> the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has." --Margaret Mead

-- 
Laurie Savage
====================================================================
Markbook/Moodle Coordinator::Pascoe Vale Girls College::03 9306 2544
====================================================================
This life is yours.  Some of it was given to you; the rest, you made yourself.