Online learning platforms

[Dawn Adams]

I have been placed on a committee at my school to research and determine the best platform to use when conducting online learning (for either an entirely online class or just an online supplement to a class). We are starting with looking at Blackboard, WebCT, Outlook, and Moodle (we presently use Moodle - but not very well). Do any of you use these platforms or have any information on which one does what best? Any information is greatly appreciated and as I conduct some research, I will post my findings.

[Sherry Annee]

I haven't used any of these as a teacher; however, I did use Moodle as part of a workshop in a limited capacity. I'll admit that I didn't really enjoy the experience but not because I'm anti-online learning...it just seemed too contrived.

The best experience I had with online learning was using a wiki at a GSLC (Genetic Science Learning Center) think-tank last summer. Nineteen people were divided into smaller subgroups and most people had a laptop. Within each subgroup, people would brainstorm/create activities on a standard white board, poster paper, notebook paper, laptop, etc - everything was then posted to the wiki for other subgroups to see and offer feedback (it was also a powerful tool within the subgroup).

[Mathew Philipose]

Hello Dawn,
OLAT (online learning and training platform) seems to have got an award this year for being the best free service as a platform. Check it out on google. At Lausanne Collegiate School the lap top program is run with its own platform serviced by a local company, which equips it with servers and security.
Cheers

[Dawn Adams]

I have been searching some websites and Blackboard seems very impressive - but I think it is also very expensive. Anyone have any experiences with it?

[Demetri Orlando]

Hi Dawn,
I used Blackboard as a student and then as an instructor at Johns Hopkins (and also administered a Blackboard server several years ago.) I like its consistency and navigational ease of use. More recently, I've been using Moodle because of the price difference, but also because Moodle has a much wider range of interactive modules. Moodle's user interface is not as clean as Blackboard's, but in our k-12 setting, Moodle offers more options for presenting different styles of web-sites suited to our various grade levels.
-Demetri

[Dawn Adams]

Demitri -
We already have Moodle capability at our school, but it seems cumbersome and slow while Blackboard seems very user friendly. I can imagine that some teachers would be reluctant to use Moodle but would really enjoy Blackboard. Also, the students would probably be more engaged with Blackboard. Comments?

What do you mean about Moddle offering more options?

Also, what about the price difference - do you know how much Blackboard runs? Is it worth the price?

Thanks for the info - Dawn

[Demetri Orlando]

Moodle's "modules" are optional components that you can install onto a Moodle server. They include things like wikis, games, surveys, etc. I'm attaching a screen shot here to illustrate the variety of options.

Last time I priced Blackboard it was about 5k annually, but that was about 5 years ago and it depends on the size of your school. I do like Blackboard's consistency and usability, but when competing with an open-source alternative that allows a lot of flexibility and variety, we chose Moodle.

[A. Dexter Chapin]

My school, Seattle Academy, is a laptop school and we changed from Outlook to moodle many years ago; in part, because one of our teachers was heavily involved in its development. It is certainly not issue free, but it has huge flexibility in designing course work. Anything we have wanted to do, we have been able to do (including linking it to turn-it-in to automatically check papers) In fact, our contingency plans for extended closure (flu or snow) involve having real-time class sessions where kids can interact with other students and teacher, individually and as groups. During the year, my students turn in only two pieces of homework in hard copy. I cannot compare moodle with anything other than outlook. I would not happily go back.

[Dawn Adams]

Thanks for the advice. We are presently looking at MoodleRooms to assist us with our Moodle site. I feel very comfortable with their approach and setup. Anyone have any experience working with them?
- Dawn

[Karen Douse]

Take a look at Haiku. www.haikuls.com/ It is new - not free, but not nearly as expensive as Blackboard. We will be using it at the new Online School for Girls and think it has tremendous potential.

[Dawn Adams]

We were looking at Haiku as well. Are you using it at your school presently, or just for the Online School for Girls? What led you to the decision to use it for your new venture over something like Moodle?

[Karen Douse]

We used Blackboard at Harpeth Hall for two years and dropped it because of the high cost and very poor support. Blackboard was VERY frustrating. We will move our students to Moodle next year. We actually began the move to Moodle with our teachers in January (we made the decision in October after a second school-year start with issue after issue with Blackboard), several months before I first saw Haiku. I now wish in many ways that we had waited. I think Haiku is intuitive and easy to use and I love that everything can be embedded. We have talked to the developers, and they seem to be very responsive to user needs and suggestions. I'll be able to tell you more after a year of using both!

[Dawn Adams]

We also decided not to persue Blackboard due to the cost, but I have not heard of frustration from poor support. Considering how expensive it is, you would think they would provide good support. So your plan is to use Moodle for the classes at Harpeth Hall and Haiku for the classes for the Online School for Girls? What class are you teaching for the Online School for Girls? I look forward to hearing about your experiences after using both learning platforms. Please keep me updated.