Monday, March 3, 2008
1:30 PM-5:00 PM
Abstract:
This workshop will show participants how to implement open source student and curriculum management software for both the Linux and Windows platforms. Participants will get both an overview of available alternatives as well as practical instruction on installation, implementation, and scalability.
Objectives:
The objective of this workshop is to introduce open source student and curriculum management alternatives to participants. Participants will get both an overview of available alternatives as well as practical instruction on installation, implementation, and scalability. Software covered will include Moodle, ClaSS, Clairoline, Hotchalk, and FreeSMS. 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 40,000-student University. ClaSS is the ClaSS Student System. A complete student tracking, reporting and information management system. ClaSS extends the reach of traditional systems by using the latest in web-application methodologies to include the whole school community. Claroline is a free application based on PHP/MySQL allowing teachers or education organizations to create and administrate courses through the web. Developed from teachers to teachers, Claroline is built over sound pedagogical principles allowing a large variety of pedagogical setup including widening of traditional classroom and online collaborative learning. Claroline is translated in 34 languages and used by hundreds of institutions around the world. The software is released under Open Source licence (GPL). FreeSMS is a PHP based application to manage an educational facility of teachers and students alike. It is a teacher and student management system providing marketing, registration, course management, attendance and a student evaluation system.
Outline:
This training session is designed for teachers, graduate students, and professors who would like to learn more about CMS and SMS features and how to implement these systems effectively.
The primary goal of the training is to introduce participants to the administrative features of these systems. The training will begin with a brief introduction to each system. This introduction will be followed by a guided tour of each system's administrative menus. Special attention will be paid to user and enrollment management. Less time will be spent on installation and set-up issues although extensive materials regarding installation will be provided.
I. An Introduction to Open Source Student and Curriculum Management Alternatives.
II. Installing CMS's on Linux and Windows Platforms
III. Installing SMS's on the Linux Platform
IV. No Install CMS's
V. CMS on a Stick
VI. Scalability and Other Issues
VII. Q&A
Prerequisites:
None
Intended Experience Level:
Beginner
Instructor Qualifications:
Dr. Robert Hancock has a Ph.D. in Educational Computing from the University of North Texas and a M.Ed in Educational Leadership from the University of Texas at San Antonio. He is currently the editor for NCPEA Connexions for Educational Technology Leadership, and is a reviewer for several international and national journals in the fields of educational leadership and educational technology. Dr. Hancock was a CTO in Texas for five years. He currently is an Assistant Professor of Education Leadership and Technology at Southeastern Louisiana University. He serves in leadership roles in several state, national, and international organizations for Educational Leadership and Technology. Dr. Hancock conducts sponsored research in the field of distance education and has multiple research projects ongoing in the areas of cognition, educational leadership, and educational technology.