Here are some of my reflections on the department response to Donna's post about Ultranet and Moodle.<br><br><div style="margin-left: 40px;">"The market sounding exercise subjectively assessed existing software<br>
solutions"<br></div><br>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.<br>
<br><div style="margin-left: 40px;">"..enterprise approach to intranet development .."<br></div><br>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.<br>
<br><div style="margin-left: 40px;">
"Moodle was assessed and was not a close enough fit against the Department's requirements for the Ultranet project."<br></div><br>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. <br>
<br><div style="margin-left: 40px;">"The market has already had the opportunity to respond to an open Request<br>
for Tender."<br></div><br>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.<br>
<br>Good intentions, vision or dollars do not make a good network or Intranet.<br><br>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. <br><br>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.<br>
<br>Regards Roland<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">2008/11/29 Ros Meadows <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:ros.meadows@gmail.com">ros.meadows@gmail.com</a>></span><br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000066">
<font face="Calibri">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.<br>
Let's throw some good money after the bad!!<br>
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.<br>
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<br>
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. <br>
Let's promote libre knowledge and learning
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libre_knowledge" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libre_knowledge</a> <br>
<br>
Long live DEECeaseD! yeh right!<br>
<br>
PS thanks Donna for coming on board in my VITTA session on FOSS. I am
sure it improved the session no end!<br>
<br>
Cheers<br>
Ros Meadows<br>
Bentleigh SC<br>
<br>
</font>[Comment From Jo McLeay]<br>
"I love teaching but I hate my job" Many have said this.
<a href="http://www.smsn.vic.edu.au/ictguy/index.php/live/" target="_blank">http://www.smsn.vic.edu.au/ictguy/index.php/live/</a> <font face="Calibri"><br>
</font><div><div></div><div class="Wj3C7c"><br>
Donna Benjamin wrote:
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre>Hi folks,
<a href="http://Moodle.com.au" target="_blank">Moodle.com.au</a> 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
</pre>
</blockquote></div></div>
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Content preview: In other words - they would prefer to give educational<br>
dollars to big business (the enterprise solution), rather than help to<br>
promote and improve an Australian made, freely available, open source<br>
solution, and in the process perhaps be able to give some dollars back<br>
to schools. Let's throw some good money after the bad!! There is no<br>
doubt that moodle could be adapted (modules added etc) to suit their<br>
needs, if they would embrace the ideology of Open Source (software AND<br>
learning) everyone would be better off. Considering the ultranet was<br>
originally supposed to be rolled out to schools from term 2 2008 they<br>
will only be 2 years (and how many millions??) overdue I believe it is<br>
also because they want TOTAL CONTROL of schools, if moodle was chosen<br>
the source would be open and, omigod, teachers might be able to get<br>
into the workings of the program and perhaps hide certain things eg<br>
parent surveys, from BIG BROTHER. Let's promote libre knowledge and<br>
learning <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libre_knowledge" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libre_knowledge</a> [...]<br>
<br>
Content analysis details: (5.1 points, 5.0 required)<br>
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pts rule name description<br>
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2.8 LONGWORDS Long string of long words<br>
<br>
<br>
<br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Roland Gesthuizen - ICT Coordinator - Westall Secondary College<br><a href="http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au">http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au</a><br><br>"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<br>