Moodle

__**Description**__ Moodle is a free, Open Source course management system (CMS) software package used by educators to create effective online learning communities. While Moodle is copyrighted, users are allowed to copy, use and modify Moodle provided they comply with the terms of the license agreement.

The word Moodle was originally an acronym for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment. It's also a verb that describes the process of lazily meandering through something, doing things as it occurs to you to do them, an enjoyable tinkering that often leads to insight and creativity. Moodle was developed, as such, as a way a student or teacher might approach studying or teaching an online course.

Moodle can be installed on any computer that can run PHP, and can support a SQL type database. It can be run on Windows, Mac, and linux operating systems.

__**Impact on Teaching and Learning**__ Using Moodle, educators are able to easily create web based courses consisting of lessons which include reading materials, quizzes, tests, surveys, and projects. Making these learning activities available on line has allowed the teachers to extend their curriculum beyond the classroom onto a venue that most students already enjoy. Teachers can make a variety of resources available to learners through Moodle, many of which might not have been made available in the traditional classroom. Opportunities for students to work collaboratively and interactively are also available. Moodle has clearly made a positive impact on teaching and learning by providing the tools necessary to enhance curriculum to meet the needs of an increasingly technological proficient student population.

The impact Moodle has had on teaching and learning is globally evident. Moodle has a large and diverse user community with over 200,000 registered users, speaking over 75 languages in 175 countries. Moodle is downloaded over 500 times a day. The largest single site has reported over 6,000 courses and over 45,000 students, and the [|Open University] of the UK is building a Moodle installation for their 200,000 users.

__**History**__ The development of Moodle was started by [|Martin Dougiamas] in the 90’s when he was a webmaster and WebCT administrator at Curtin University of Technology. Looking for an alternative to WebCT and wanting to make better use of the Internet, Dougiamas completed his Masters in Computer Science and Education, and later earned his PHd in Education. Strongly influenced by social constructionist theory, which treats learning as a social activity, he developed this easy to use software to empower teachers while promoting unrestricted education.

Targeted towards smaller, more intimate classes at the University level, Version 1.0 was released on August 20, 2002. Research case studies examined the collaboration and reflection that occurred in the small groups. New releases have added new features for better scalability and improved performance as Moodle continues to evolve. The latest version 1.8.2 was released in July of 2007. Moodle is now used in high schools, primary schools, non-profit organizations, private companies, and even home schooling parents. [|Moodle.com] was launched in 2004 to provide support, managed hosting, consulting and other services.

The development of Moodle continues as a free software project supported by a team of programmers and an international user community, drawing upon contributions posted to an online Moodle Community that encourages debate and invites criticism. The diverse network of commercial and non-commercial users is lead by the Moodle Company based in Australia.

__**Practical Applications**__ Moodle is currently used not only by elementary through higher education, but also by various organizations and businesses. For a list of sites from all over the world using Moodle, go to [|Moodle Sites].

http://demo.moodle.org/
 * __Demonstrations__**


 * References**

[| Moodle E-Learning Course Development]

by William Rice

[|Using Moodle (2nd edition)] by Jason Cole and Helen Foster

· [|Open University going Moodle] · **[|Article explaining Moodle for begining users. Published on techsoup.org]** · [|Blackboard vs. Moodle. A Comparison of Satisfaction with Online Teaching and Learning Tools] · [|Blackboard Online System to be Replaced -New System Moodle More Effective] · [|Bob McDonald "E-Learning at Cranbrook: Up Close and Personal" (2004) Cranbrook Schools] · Graf S., List, B. (2005) [|An Evaluation of Open Source E-Learning Platforms Stressing Adaptation Issues] - an evaluation of 9 open source E-Learning Platforms.
 * __Articles__**

__**External Links**__ Official Website: http://moodle.org/ Documentation for Moodle that may be contributed to: http://docs.moodle.org/en/Main_Page Moodle Service Network: http://moodle.com/ Moodle Conferences: http://moodlemoot.org/

=Author=

Penelope P. Pereboom, ETEC Master's Student, University of Hawaii at Manoa