Course+Management+Apps

=Web 2.0 Hot Spot =


 

Course and Content Management Applications
Course Management Applications are like having a contractor come into your school and build the walls and ceiling and your teachers, administration, and students add the furniture. In other words, the course management software is the frame work and your teachers and school community have the capability to add the content. Many course management applications are open source which makes it very inexpensive to purchase but you still need to pay someone to setup the server and software. "A content management system is software that keeps track of every piece of content on your Web site, much like your local public library keeps track of books and stores them. Content can be simple text, photos, music, video, documents, or just about anything you can think of. A major advantage of using a CMS is that it requires almost no technical skill or knowledge to manage. Since the CMS manages all your content, you don't have to." ([|Joomla.org])

Course Management Applications are web-based applications which means users access the information using a web browser. The information is available any where and any time with an Internet connection. CMS gives teachers tools to create a course web site and allow control over student access and enrollment. They provide ways to share materials, hold online discussions and chats, give tests and quizzes, surveys, review assignments, and evaluate student participation and performance.

Why should we use CMS? Traditional classrooms are still effective and necessary. Course Management Systems are not designed to replace face-to-face instruction, but to enhance it. Much of the current research in learning emphasizes collaboration. Online course assignments give every student a chance to participate. CMS also enage students outside the classroom with chats and online discussions. Such a system effectively communicates course objectives, deadlines, and assignments to student 24/7.



**Moodle **
Moodle is an easy and powerful course management system. Moodle was founded by Australian Martin Dougiamas. It is open source coding in PHP that allows others to collaborate together to update, fix, and alter the application. It is very similar to Blackboard. This is the course management system Littlestown Area School District will be using. Implementation started in September, 2008. In the 2008-09 school year Classrooms for the Future teachers will begin to pilot our program.

Moodle is a very flexible system with a variety of tools for teachers and students alike. Moodle can serve as a basic teacher webpage that eventually builds into more interactivity between the teacher and students and students to students. Many teachers will use it as a suppliment to day-to-day teaching, while other teachers who have computers in the classroom may choose to use it more in daily lessons. It can allow students to work together outside the classroom. Teachers can also post assignments, study guides or even tests for students to complete.

**What is Moodle? ** media type="youtube" key="mXBdNdPUwKA&hl=en&fs=1" height="344" width="425" **Moodle in the Classroom** media type="youtube" key="Z9XfwBzt1mY&hl=en&fs=1" height="344" width="425" [|See the video on YouTube]

[|mamboserver.com] or [|mamboschools.com]
Mambo is another free, open source, classroom management application. The application is also widely used by corporations and other organizations--not just schools. Hundreds of extensions, plugins and add-on products are available for Mambo. A good application to build a website.

Drupal
Drupal is an open source content management platform. Drupal focuses on minimal coding but allows for expansion through modules which allows the user to install what they want without a bunch of extras. Drupal does require you to know HTML. Those using Drupal need to be more tech savy than Moodle or Mambo. Drupal is a pretty good shell for static pages.

Joomla
[|Joomla.org] Joomla is yet another content management system, which enables you to build Web sites and powerful online applications. Many aspects, including its ease-of-use and extensibility, have made Joomla the a popular application. Joomla is an open source solution that is freely available to everyone. Joomla allows users to create web page content with very little web design experience. It's almost like using a word processor.