Group items tagged

The Blackboard Vista used by BC is a closed LMS. The Instructure Canvas is an open system.

Even though this LMS is an open one, it seems on the surface to be quite useable. What I liked about it is that it is connected to Google.

Instructure can be open or closed. When you create a course, it gives you both licensing (copyright) and access options. Also, if a campus were to pay for a subscription and adopt it as their LMS, they could manage the access at an administrative level.

I'm currently searching for an LMS solution for our project, and this is one I am exploring. You can check it out for free on this page.

Mary Ann and I are running close to each other...I just saw the mods in Balckboard listed in Canvas. There were a few missing and I was wondering how many mods it will hold Jennifer? Also, I did see a discussion area but I don't know if you uploaded it to canvas or if it belongs to canvas.

I think I hid some of the stuff in the site I set up, since I don't know how the program folks will feel about it being public. If you set up your own account, you can get a better idea of all the features.

An interesting blog post about a change in how we manage online courses and research at an institution.

I like the way he reasoned that you have to change the assessment of these classes and this in turn changes the classes and the time frame as well.

I must admit that I don't really have a good definition of what LMS means to the author. He refers to learning environments and gives the "follow the teacher" example, so I'll assume he means personalized elearning, but I would have preferred that he provided a definition. Anyway, I agree to have to change the assessment, as well as the expectations for the teacher. It would be a challenge for the teacher to keep up with many students, but probably also provide him or her some additional insights to his/her work.

This weeks lesson on CMS or LMS includes the Wiki...which I just love. I am certain as I use this tool, there will be probs. Right now, I really like it. Coupled with Elluminate as a synchronous meeting area, it can by pass the older LMS systems. For example, a instructor at Shoreline is working on updating Elluminate to fit their needs for teaching completely from this system. Unfortunately, I may never see the end result.

Joy, Your posts are quite sobering, regarding your own experiences working towards completing your university education. I strongly agree with the following quote in your post: "In sum, it is time for educators to make college and higher learning relevant to their students. It is not about us, it is about them. We are the facilitators of their learning. We must prepare them for the world they will find themselves in when they leave the protected walls of our colleges and universities" I found the recent events in Cairo to be fascinating, where large numbers of people suddenly rose up against an authoritarian and out-of-touch government. This largely peaceful uprising was fueled by the same Web2.0 technologies that are underpinning this class. It's possible that many traditional schools will soon find themselves in a similar situation to the Egyptian government, where students pass them by in favor of lower cost and more relevant educational experiences - many of them available online. Bill Gates recently came under fire for making the statement that valid online college degrees may soon be available for $2000. He may have said this to exaggerate a point, but the evidence of a growing number of online low cost educational resources can't be ignored. One of them is the Khan Academy - run by an MIT graduate who has created a large free archive of mathematics courses that are used by students all over the world - many who claim they are better than their university courses. Colleges and universities ignore this development at their own peril. It's not clear yet how we'll make this transition to relevancy for students, but the next decade will be very interesting...

Thanks you for your comments Mary Ann...the bottom line reads, we may be killing off our aged population by sentencing them to give up and give in to old out-moded concepts!

Joy: I've been following your blog postings for some time now and have been meaning to let you know I always learn and find your postings valuable. Keep the information coming our way.

Thanks for sharing this!

I liked that the platform is integrated in social networks that many students would be using. Also, Ruby on Rails - the underlying technology indicated in the article - is very powerful, but it is an open source product and would want to be sure about technology support works. That being said, this highlighted to me how complex and difficult chosing a LMS is.

They release the code open source, but this is a hosted, supported product with fees for service. I'm definitely going to spend more time checking it out.

This is the activity for Module 5. I really like this open learning system. If you go to my blog you will find that they ( Canvas) will work with you whether you buy their system or not. Please watch video #2 on my blog. (Note: I wrote the last two paragraphs on my blog here. Then I cut and pasted it to my blog because it took up too much space on Diigo.)

Free is never really free, but it's a good way to learn about how these systems work. I'm currently investigating it for a project, and should find out actually licensing costs soon. I've got some quotes on other systems and it just blows my mind how much we pay for this stuff.

Thanks for posting those two videos on your blog -- informative. I am in the process of looking at LMS to use at my workplace...thought Moodle looked good. I will now do a thorough review of Canvas. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

I have researched this LMS and think it is worth a second look!

I'm glad you had a chance to take a look. I've really enjoyed playing around with it.

I thought I'd try something a little bit different for Module 5, and do a CMS review of a current online course that I've been working on, called Visual Storytelling. It's a review of a Blackboard/Vista-based online class, but I'm also blending a couple of presentation technologies together to create this - SlideRocket and Camtasia. If you take a look at it, you'll want to make sure your audio is turned on - otherwise, it won't make much sense... It runs just under 10 minutes. This was a useful exercise for me, because I became aware of numerous changes I'd like to make for the next iteration of this class. These presentation tools are now very powerful and easier to use than in the past. SlideRocket has only been around for about 2 years, and it keeps getting better! You can also access this presentation by way of my Web2.0 Chronicle blog.

Thanks Bruce for showing how you use Blackboard for one of your courses. I do agree that some of the mature LMS need to make it easier to use Web 2.0 tools. Jennifer's comments about being able to use these tools is so appropriate. All of these wonderful tools are available, the problem is learning when and how to use them in our online teaching.

Thanks everyone for your feedback and comments! Mary Ann, I did see your photos from the Galapagos, and it seems like they will make great material for an online class presentation especially with your underlying message - the importance of biodiversity to our long term survival. I'm really glad you're teaching this material... I wish we were more aware of these dire issues 50 years ago! The Visual Storytelling class will be offered again in Fall 2011. Susan... One useful application of online lectures/presentations is that they can free up classroom time for more exploratory dialog and hands-on activities, as appropriate. Students also like them, because they can stop and review material at their own pace. Jennifer - I'll be happy to give an overview some presentation media I use during your office hour on Thursday. This would be a good experience for me, since I've never taught a session using Elluminate. If you could give me some quick tips beforehand, that would be welcome. I can't do it this week, but Feb 24th or following Thursdays look open.