I first started using Moodle as part of a teaching practicum at a high school in Melbourne Australia in 2007. I created forums where I asked students questions to engage them to think further about readings they’d done on aspects of photography such as F-stops, exposures etc. They also used it to discuss challenges and revelations they’d had while taking and developing photos.
Since then, I have used Moodle as a blended and online only instructor, as well as it being the primary LMS for my MA in Learning and Technology at Royal Roads University. As part of an activity in our current 523 course, I have explored the history and development of Moodle, the world’s most used LMS. Please feel free if you are interested to click on any of my shared links, to papers written by founder Martin Dougiamas, as well as his keynote from this year.
Which LMS have you used? How does it compare to Moodle, and what are advantages to different LMS? Food for thought…
My timeline link is below:
September 19, 2017 at 2:19 pm
Hey Stu,
Great post.
I have used Moodle as an RRU student, Sakai as a Brock University student, D2L as a teacher at Lambton College, and Blackboard for training in QM.
I have to say that I believe Moodle is the most user-friendly as a student, although I’m not sure how easy it is to use as an instructor.
September 21, 2017 at 11:12 am
I would agree re: Moodle Steve. It is fairly simple in its design and its functionality is pretty user friendly. I don’t have a lot of backline experience with it, but editing labels, adding content etc. is not tough once you’ve got the hang of it.
September 23, 2017 at 6:44 pm
Hi Stuart. Great timeline!
On your 2009 slide it says that Moodle has 33% of total world market share, but the reference on that slide seems to indicate that this is Canada only.
Any thoughts on what Moodle’s greatest challenges will be moving forward?
September 24, 2017 at 1:05 pm
Hi Jason,
Thanks for pointing that out. It is just within Canada, yeah. I’ve corrected it on my timeline.
I think Moodle has positioned itself well, but could benefit by adding more video functionality (much like Blackboard has), in order to allow for group video collaboration/discussion.
September 24, 2017 at 12:46 pm
Stu — thank you for the great presentation and the info. The back story to me is quite amazing and its quick development. I have used Moodle as a teacher, but not extensive. Its’ development from when I first used it as a teacher, to currently being a student — the changes are great and it is accessible. My school uses a different platform called Veracross. This is a wonderful LMS as well, but from your presentation, I am not sure if it covers all that Moodle does.
Cool — love it when I learn something. Thanks!