Blackboard vs Moodle

After I explored the Blackboard test site and the Moodle test site, I decided to do some research for this blog post.

Both Blackboard and Moodle are course management systems (CMS).  Blackboard is a commercial course management system, and Moodle is an open-source course management system.  These systems provide the framework for putting courses online and allow students to remain connected twenty-four hours a day.  Blackboard claims that they welcome open-source competitors because that increases the interest in using course management systems.

Besides being a course management system, Blackboard’s site lists other uses including blending learning models, credit recovery, online professional development, and virtual programs.

Blackboard’s price tag would keep us from using it at my high school, but it would be my preference between Blackboard and Moodle.  Of course, having used it as a student makes it easier to comprehend how it works.  Getting the opportunity to see how it works from the instructor’s point of view was a great opportunity.

Moodle is a “Course Management System (CMS), also known as a Learning Management System (LMS) or a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It is a free web application with a GPL license that educators can use to create effective online learning sites.”  Prior to this class, I have explored Moodle and have had the tech person set it up on our server.   My first question when I start something new is “how does the student see it?”  There is an option in Moodle that lets you switch roles so that you can see how it is viewed by the student.

My department has hopes of possibly implementing Moodle next school year so that we can better prepare students for college. Last week I was at a dese workshop at UCM, and the instructor mentioned that they used OIS (Online Instructor’s Suite), which is considered a learning management system (LMS) developed by SEMO (Southeast Missouri State) and free.  Before we make the final decision to implement, we want to continue to explore our options because not only the research takes time, but also working with the IT people to set it up, and then how to implement it efficiently and to make it engaging for the students.

Wikispaces tutorial using CamStudio

I have embedded my CamStudio video about Wikispaces. I really don 't have a preference of CamStudio or Camstasia. The only problems that I had was getting them to YouTube. There was a gliche of some kind on my Camstasia that said that it would not work. I finally got a friend to help me figure out that it was something that was not installed properly in the beginning. After that it worked fine.
As Ken said, I did not have the problems with CamStudio that everyone else had. I recorded it as a swf to start out, which was great, but when I submitted it to Blackboard, there were two files that I needed to submit, and I only submitted one of them; and it would not let me resubmit. Then I spent several hours trying to get it uploaded to YouTube. After about eight tries, I figured out that the file formats were not accepted by YouTube. I finally just rerecorded it in CamStudio, but this time as an avi file, which was easy to upload to YouTube.
Again, I have no preference of CamStudio or Camstasia. There are many more features in Camstasia, but I would rather use Jing since it is free.

Avatars to Help Autistic Children

There was a news story I saw on TV earlier this week, and then I found more information on the internet about it. The Center for BrainHealth in Dallas uses avatars in a virtual world to help autistic children learn to cope socially.  They claim that four or five sessions are comparable to two or three years of real world training.  Coffee shop get togethers and job interviews are examples of social situations that are presented.  It helps the students recognize emotions and facial expressions, and it could be their gateway to social interaction.

Technology Integration

This Abraham Lincoln Voki is a demonstration for a secondary history course.  I have suggested Voki and/or Blabberize as tools for this classroom to begin implementing technology into high school history classes.  In the proposal shared in Evernote, I provide a link directly to the Blabberize character that I created as an example of that application.  In this blog, besides seeing the Voki sample, there are other examples of technology used in the classroom, including podcasting, Photostory, and Animoto.  There are many links of other applications that may of interest to teachers of any subject.

Web 2.0 and Education

After watching the Jing presentations on all of the exciting (and free) Web 2.0 tools, I’m glad that we get an opportunity this week to reflect on what we’ve learned and think of possibilities of how we can implement these in our own classrooms and how we can share these resources with others.  I remember last spring when I took Foundations of Educational Technology, I was so excited about the opportunities and tried some of them in my classroom.  Again, this spring I’m fortunate enough to get to try these in my classroom as I learn about them.

I have already shared with others that Animoto is a great tool for photo slideshows, and I plan to share it with my Multimedia class this spring.  Voki and Blabberize are easy programs that I also plan to share with my Multimedia class.  I think Jing is a great tool that I wish that I had found a long time ago!  I will definitely be using it.  I may even use some of these fun programs as a teaser to my Computer Applications class to get them interested in taking Web Design and Multimedia.

Besides Multimedia, I’ve learned about several other tools that I plan on implementing into my other classes—Personal Finance and General Business.  CoboCards, the electronic flash cards, will be a great resource for any class.  I plan to use Bitstrip in Personal Finance and General Business.  I will give each student a small topic and have them create a strip to explain or demonstrate the topic.  Awesome Highlighter is another resource that I want to try; I want to see if I’d rather use it than copying and pasting into Word like I do now.  Also, I’ve just begun to use Evernote, but I like what I see so far and believe that it would be a great way to store information online so that it is available wherever I am.

Other Web 2.0 resources that some of my classmates have mentioned that I’d like to explore more are Prezi  and Online Converter.  I have done a little research on each of them.   I am going to set up Prezi and try it. It is not slide by slide like a PowerPoint presentation, but more like a whiteboard.  I have been in need of the online converter to convert images, audio, etc. from one format to another, so I will definitely be bookmarking it.

It is so exciting to have so many new resources!

Voki Avatar

The Web 2.0 application that I chose was Voki.  Using this application, you can create a personalized Voki avatar with voice that can be added to your website, profile, or blog.  My tutorial using Jing demonstrates how to create the avatar.  I have published my Voki, as well as the tutorial. 

This was a fun application to use, and I believe my high school students will really enjoy this.  There are also games that can be played with Vokis, and they could be used for teaching language and vocabulary.  My first use of my Voki is to be an introduction to my Multimedia course next year.  I can see these being popular with all ages.

While searching for a Web 2.0 application, I considered doing my tutorial on Big Huge Labs, Scratch, and Wallwisher.  Big Huge Labs allows you to create posters, trading cards, mosaics, and magazine covers.  Since my Multimedia students like to experiment with new software and applications, I have had Scratch installed in my computer lab for them to explore if  they finish projects early.  It introduces them to programming because they can create interactive stories, games, music, and art.  Wallwisher is an online notice board maker.  After searching, I chose Voki for my tutorial because it would be an application that I could implement in my classroom.   

As I was posting this tutorial, I see that my video is very large.  I have a widescreen that I used when I captured my screen with Jing.

 

Cloud Computing

According to Wikipedia, Cloud is a metaphor for the Internet.  Cloud Computing providers deliver common business applications online that are accessed from another Web service or software like a Web browser, while the software and data are stored on servers.  Open Source software has provided the foundation for many Cloud Computing implementations. My opinion would be that Web 2.0 is part of Cloud Computing.

Cloud Computing lets you access software applications, hardware, data and computer processing power over the web.  You don't have to purchase and run software on your computer anymore, but there are Ups and Downs of Cloud Computing.

Some of the "Ups" of Cloud Computing are the ability to use applications from multiple locations, many are free, and they are helpful when collaborating at a distance. Virtual field trips, interactive websites, and online educational games support learning experiences.  The "Cloud" can provide a diverse learning experience outside of school hours. 

"Downs" of Cloud Computing include security issues, sometimes the need to filter content, and that even though some of the applications are free, some software still needs to be purchased. 

When I think about my experiences in high school many years ago, it is almost mind boggling to think about what is available today.  I believe that the ups definitely outweigh the downs. With the capability of technology doubling every day, the possibilities are endless.  What an exciting time!