Moodle.org describes Moodle: "Moodle is a course management system (CMS) - a free, Open Source software package designed using sound pedagogical principles, to help educators create effective online learning communities. You can download and use it on any computer you have handy (including webhosts), yet it can scale from a single-teacher site to a University with 200,000 students."

MoodleDocs: A one-stop resource at Moodle.org; in true Web 2.0 form, everyone can contribute to this documentation site. Documentation for teachers, administrators, developers, and for contributors to the site. Available in many languages!

Quicklinks for this page:

• Articles about Moodle
• Resources and links for Moodle users
• Tutorials, Guides, Moodle how-tos -- not just for beginners!

Articles about Moodle

Moodle: Using Learning Communities to Create an Open Source Course Management System: In his blog post introducing this paper, Stephen Downes says: "There are many lessons to be learned from the development of Moodle, not the least of which is how the creators used learning communities to help them build a product to support learning communities." The paper was written in 2003, co-authored by the founder of Moodle, so it's a now-historical look at the beginnings of and ideas behind the Moodle open source strategy. (At the time, the paper indicated a sense of Moodle's future: "The system is already proving quite successful...") 04/05/08

Steve Hargardon about Moodle: (Steve is my new Web2-in-education guru; I read his blog regularly now.) My link is to my search results when I put "Moodle" into the search engine at Steve's blog page. 03/07/08

"No matter when we've held a conference session in the last three years on the Open Source e-learning program Moodle (even if it's the least session of the last day, when most people have already cut out to catch flights or make it home that day) we are always "standing room only." It's pretty amazing. Moodle has done more for raising awareness of OSS than any other program that I know."

"In my experience, teachers in school who are using Moodle largely report a change in their teaching styles because of the collaborative and constructivist elements that are "baked into" Moodle as a part of its Open Source heritage."

"But Michelle Moore [Philadelphia teacher]... made me aware of a third, and AMAZING, benefit of Moodle. When she started using Moodle as a middle-school math teacher, she started because of the organizational tools. But Moodle's collaborative tools, being available, quickly drew her into its pedagogical base, and she found that when she provided more opportunities for her students to collaborate, their engagement and achievement were significantly increased. In other words, Moodle can come in the front door of the school as an organizational tool, but then provide a safe, walled-garden introduction to the tools of the Read/Write Web."

The Good Teacher: A page in MoodleDocs; describes the initial journey of a Moodle-newbie teacher becoming a Moodle convert. 03/04/08

Moodle vs. Blackboard: Dr. Allen Futrell, U. of Louisville, compares his experiences with Moodle and Blackboard. Although he thinks it unlikely that his university will switch systems, he says he's going to stick with Moodle himself. "Six years ago Dr. Allen Futrell, chair of the University of Louisville's communication department, began to use Moodle, a free online course management system, rather than Blackboard. According to Futrell, the best thing about Moodle is that it is open source, which means that he can modify it to fit his needs. Also, he says Moodle is easier to navigate, it uses less screen real estate, linking to outside sources is easier, it includes more course tools and one can ascertain more detail on assignments and quizzes." 03/04/08

Moodle Buzz: A collection of links to "Moodle news and publications from around the world." 05/11/07

Open Source Project: An LCMS Alternative -- Moodle: My link is to EdTechPost's description of a funded research project wherein "6 institutions have done pioneering working to investigate the viability of Moodle as an alternative, and have made the resulting reports available for all to see. The project was funded by ... BCcampus." What grabbed my attention was that one of the several offerings by the research group is documentation about how to migrate WebCT 4.1 courses to Moodle. 04/09/06

Blackboard vs. Moodle: The report is easy to read, with % comparison statistics on various items, as well as graphic comparisons. 04/10/05

Virtual Learning Environment Comparison: Compares three open source systems: Moodle, Claroline and ATutor. "This document will briefly outline the range of facilities that these products offer, comparing the various advantages of choosing any one system over another. I will then attempt to recommend the product most suitable for Progress through Training’s current and future needs." 04/26/04

Resources and links for Moodle users

Learning Together Apart: A Moodle site/server that "...has been established for professional educators and their learners. Courses are developed, delivered and maintained by individual instructors and supported by the collaborative participation of the members of this community." There are a few free-enrollment professional development courses, so have a look around. If you start with the first item on the menu when you get to the site, "Miscellaneous", you'll find Exploring Moodle Modules, a "Sample Course [that] will show examples of everything that you can do in Moodle". 06/12/08

WiZiQ: Online Teaching, E-Learning and Live E-tutoring for Education: "A FREE alternative to expensive conferencing tools selling as online teaching/learning software." WiZiQ is virtual classroom that's also a multimedia platform, "equipped with live audio-video communication, chat, content sharing, and session recording capabilities." Includes a whiteboard, video and audio chat, document sharing including PDF, and Microsoft PowerPoint, Word and Excel. Similar to commercial options like Adobe Connect, Webex, Elluminate, Marratech, etc. "WiZiQ brings students and teachers together regardless of the boundaries. With absolutely no cost to join or use its state-of-the-art virtual classroom, WiZiQ is becoming a vital tool in an online teacher’s or a student’s toolkit." Check out their WiZiQ Live Class Module for Moodle. 04/07/08

Moodlerooms: Want to try out Moodle but you need a server/host location? Check out this company. They offer hosting for individuals as well as organizations. They also offer moodle customizations, user training, and more. "Moodlerooms’ values are all about community, collaboration and communication in the interest of lifelong learning. We seek to build, facilitate and be part of a community of like-minded educators endeavoring to extend and enrich the learning experiences of their students. We also seek to foster a community of educators who understand that teaching is a collaborative thing. We believe teachers and students learn more when they share knowledge with each other, challenge each other, and inspire each other." 02/06/08

Moodle information links: I'm linking you to my own search results at the Campus Technology site, where there are a great number of articles and information pages about Moodle. 03/04/08

Moodle Playpen: "This site demonstrates the use of Moodle when augmented by community code." Helen Kershaw of Knowplace says, "The best Moodle theme expert in the world. We're not kidding -- this fellow is just the best! On his site you can take a look at the leading, bleeding edge of the latest Moodle versions and manipulate things too! " 09/11/07

Moodle Test Question Importer by Respondus: Their "QTI Importer plug-in allows the importing of test questions that have been exported from Respondus 3.5 in an XML format known as the IMS QTI. Respondus Inc. recently updated this plug-in and will provide maintenance and support of this code in the future" The page I've linked to has FAQs that explain what the Respondus QTI Importer can do -- and what it can’t. 10/30/07

knowmoodle.ca: A new community devoted to all things moodle. Links to moodle resources as well as moodle courses and facilitation skills. 11/07/06

Sloodle: The 3D Learning Management System that combines Second Life and Moodle. When you get your Avatar in SL, link to the TeleHub in Hyperboreo, the virtual door to Sloodleville. When you get there, follow the red arrow to information about Sloodle. Also see my page devoted to Second Life + Education. 10/28/06

Tutorials, Guides, Moodle how-tos -- not just for beginners!

Planning a course ~ 3 step approach: from Cornell University. "A 2 page handout (pdf) that quickly addresses the 3 main steps in planning an online course using MOODLE. This is a very broad brush document that indicates an approach to planning." 03/04/08

Uploading Multiple files to your course file system: A short video tutorial at Innovation Center. "Make the process of uploading your files quicker and easier by zipping the files into an archive and unzipping them once they are on the site. In this Tech Tip Jason Julius goes over how to speed up your editing time by using zipped archives." 03/04/08

Building Better Moodle Rooms: Online Strategies and Best Practices: A PDF summary of a webcast given by Dr. Katherine Grayson of Campus Technology, Dec 2007.

Moodle eLearning Course Development: The SchoolForge site has a link to the 73 page book here [5 mb]. Read about the book here. "A complete guide to successful learning using Moodle, focused on course development and delivery and using the best educational practices. Moodle is relatively easy to install and use, but the real challenge is to develop a learning process that leverages its power and maps effectively onto the content established learning situation. This book guides you through meeting that challenge." 08/18/06