I quite agree Ros.. there are better things we can all do with the money such as keep it in Australia and spend it on better hardware, more staff training and professional development, site level customization by drawing upon some of the Moodle cottage industries that have sprung up, programmers to contribute towards Moodle so that everybody benefits.
<br><br>By analogy, sharing and improving on a good recipe doesn't stop me from eating at good restaurants, does wonders for cooking new flavours and lets me check that I got exactly what I ordered by letting me peek under the lid off the saucepan for mystery additives.
<br><br>Two edulists are worth joining are - <a href="http://www.edulists.com.au/mailman/listinfo/opensource">http://www.edulists.com.au/mailman/listinfo/opensource</a> and <a href="http://www.edulists.com.au/mailman/listinfo/moodle">
http://www.edulists.com.au/mailman/listinfo/moodle</a><br><br>Regards Roland<br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 08/02/07, <b class="gmail_sendername">Meadows, Roslyn M</b> <<a href="mailto:Meadows.Roslyn.M@edumail.vic.gov.au">
Meadows.Roslyn.M@edumail.vic.gov.au</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
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<p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Many schools use Moodle, and there is a moodle mailing list
on <a href="http://www.edulists.com.au" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">www.edulists.com.au</a> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">We have also had some fun/informative/informal meetings with
internet access where individual teachers have shown/spoken about what they are
doing with moodle.<br></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Why purchase expensive software when there is an open-source
alternative that also just happens to be the best!!</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Cheers</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Ros Meadows</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><b><font color="gray" face="Agency FB" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: gray; font-weight: bold;">Roslyn
Meadows | Information Technology | Bentleigh
Secondary College
| <a href="mailto:meadows.roslyn.m@edumail.vic.gov.au" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">meadows.roslyn.m@edumail.vic.gov.au</a> | ph 03 9579 1044 | mobile 0412 614 062</span></font></b>
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<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">-----Original Message-----<br>
From: <a href="mailto:offtopic-bounces@edulists.com.au" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">offtopic-bounces@edulists.com.au</a>
[mailto:<a href="mailto:offtopic-bounces@edulists.com.au" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">offtopic-bounces@edulists.com.au</a>] On Behalf Of victor rajewski<br>
Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2007 9:00 AM<br>
To: Information Technology Teachers' Offtopic Mailing List<br>
Subject: Re: [Offtopic] e-learning systems</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">> According to its pledge, Blackboard says it will not "assert
U.S. Patent</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">> No. 6,988,138 and many other pending patent applications against
the</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">> development, use, or distribution of open-source software or
home-grown</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">> course management systems anywhere in the world, to the extent
that such</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">> systems are not bundled with proprietary software."</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">There are various actions in motion to invalidate that patent; sounds</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">like they're hoping that if they drop the threat to open source</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">systems, these actions will drop. Not likely.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">> Of these, Sakai
(sponsored by hundreds of unis worldwide, including ANU)</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">> does seem a worthy, free alternative, though Moodle is also very
popular.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">> Any opinions regarding any of these systems?</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">sakai</span></font>
seems like a good idea, but it's more focused at larger (read</p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">university) systems I think. It also seems to have a committee</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">approach to its design and development (a camel is a horse that was</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">designed by a committee), and I have read that it isn't great in</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">practice. Having said that, I haven't used it myself.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I quite like moodle myself, and it has become quite popular adding to</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">it's strength as more people add more features. I've used it, as well</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">as WebCT (now owned by blackboard), and moodle won hands down (this</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">was a couple of years ago, however). I have read of studies with</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">similar conclusions based on student perceptions.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">We're about to roll out an elearning system for our school, and the</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">main contenders seem to be MyInternet/MyClassroom (which I have no</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">idea about, but am about to evaluate), and moodle.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">ciao</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">vik</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">_______________________________________________</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">offtopic mailing list</span></font></p>
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</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