Daniel Staemmler » Social Networks

List of Open Source eLearning Tools

Daniel Staemmler — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 23:01:55 +0000

Open Source tools are great and there are a lot of them out there that help you to develop eLearning modules / online courses. There are also listings and comparison tools available that go way beyond of the list I came up with in this post but more about that a little later. First of all start with some definitions of what I am talking here about.

There are Content Management Systems (CMS), Learning Management Systems (LMS) and there are Learning Conten Management Systems (LCMS). In general CMS are being used to handle huge amount of data / content on rather bigger websites. The main focus of this software application lies in his capability to handle different versions of documents, multi user workflow and last but not least to publish data / content. In contrast a LMS combines the six following features: (1) registration, (2) scheduling, (3) delivery, (4) tracking, (5) communication, and (6) testing. An LCMS is more of a hybrid of the before mentioned two systems. It combines the learner administration features of an LMS with the content creation capabilities of a CMS. For further and detailed information please go to http://www.e-learningsite.com/lmslcms/whatlms.htm.

The following list is not restricted to L(C)MS and the order is random:

Drupal, a CMS that includes blogging and discussion forums. I know that Drupal is used at different universities. Read more about experiences here. Drupal also undergoes evaluation at the University Duisburg Essen in Germany (site only available in German).
ATutor is an LCMS that states it complying with the W3C WCAG 1.0 accessibility specifications at the AA+ level and adopts IMS / SCORM content packaging specifications.
Moodle, which probably is the most well known LMS that is available as an open source application. I have used moodle during my job at the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg to deliver online courses and at my current job here at Shanti’s L.I.F.E. Institute. The setup is not that difficult on a Apache server. I must say though that this LMS seems to be better of use in the academic area since a lot of times progress is being measured by grades.
Bazaar is a CMS with the intention to deliver course ware, function as a portal or any other myriad type of web based projects. More information also available at SourceForge.net.
Elgg is a social networking platform that brings learners together and enables people to create and share their content. To check out the functionalities of the Elgg software join Elgg.net.
ILIAS is an LMS developed since the end of 1997 at the University of Cologn, Germany.
dotLRN supports eLearning and digital communities. It has been originally developed at MIT.
Bodington is an open source Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) / LMS that is being developed at the Oxford University in England.
At UCLA ClassWeb is designed to let instructors create and control class websites.
COSE (Creation of Study Environments) is a VLE developed and designed at Staffordshire University.
CAUCUS is a web-based eLearning classroom and discussion platform.
Whiteboard Courseware System is targeted towards colleges and universities.
MimerDesk is a web-based collaborative learning and groupwork environment designed for personal management, computer-supported collaborative learning, carrying out projects, and setting up communities.
Sakai is a collaboration and learning environment.
Manhattan Virtual Classroom is an open source course management system that runs on Linux and other Unix-like systems. It is developed, designed, and used at the Western New England College.
Caroline is another eLearning application that is developed from teachers to teachers. What I like about this application is that it takes a pedagogical model of eLearning into consideration to support the learning process.
Colloquia is a Learning Management and Groupware System.
LAMS is a toll to design, deliver and manage online collaborative learning activities. Interested in more information?
Fle3 is a Learning Environment developed and designed at the University of Art and Design Helsinki.
NICENET’s Internet Classroom Assistant (ICA) is a free web-based learning environment for classrooms, distance learning programs, and collaborative academic projects.
… Please feel free to continue this list by leaving a comment at the bottom of this page.

There are a lot of websites out there that also cover this subject. Please have a look at kinoe’s list of free tools or the listing of the e-Learning Centre in the UK. Another great website to compare different L(C)MS is available at the EduTools Homepage just follow the link to Course Management System on this site. Jane Hart, a learning and performance technologist, publishes on her website a directory of free E-Learning Tools. Another list of open source course management systems is available through EdTechPost Resources.

After all these listings there is still a decision to be made if you’re in the market for an L(C)MS. Maybe you find some help by using the tools at the EduTools Homepage or you also can check out this step-by-step guide from the e-learningsite.

BayCHI Monthly Program: February 13

Daniel Staemmler — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 07:54:27 +0000

It’s time again for the BayCHI monthly program meeting. The meeting in February features Ed H. Chi from PARC and Scott Golder from HP Labs. Ed Chi will be talking about conflict and coordination in the online encyclopedia Wikipedia. In the second part of the Program Scott Golder will be presenting results from a study of the behavior 4+ million users of the social network Facebook which is primarily used by college students.

Before the program I am volunteering to coordinate the pre-program dinner which is held at the Pro Bono Cafe Restaurant in Palo Alto. This is a great opportunity to meet the speakers before the talk and get a chance to get them, and other participants to know.

Your own Social Network

Daniel Staemmler — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 03:31:15 +0000

Marc Canter is the CEO of PeopleAggregator a website where you can create and run your own social network. You either can decide to run a social network on their webserver or you download the source code and run it on your own. Marc Canter strongly believes that the future does not lie in big gigantic social networks like MySpace. No, more so that there will be millions of networks that connect 25 to 150 people with each other, e.g. families and communities. A big plus about creating your own social network is that you determine what kind of content is displayed and what the rules are.

What I like about PeopleAggregator is that you own the data that you feed into it. Whenever you feel like you have to move on you can take it with you. Even though I have no MySpace account I think it will be difficult to take all my friends and content with me once I decided I want to move on.

Zweitgeist – Web 2.0 is alive

Daniel Staemmler — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 18:51:07 +0000

Did you ever wonder who is looking at the same website you do right now? There might be a solution for you out there which is called Zweitgeist (German for second spirit). You install a piece of software on your PC (Apple Macintosh is not yet supported), choose an avatar that represents you in your second, virtual life and voailÃ it shows up on every website you are looking at right now. This gives you the opportunity to meet other fellow surfers on the same website and communicate with them.

The concept is sort of like the one of Second Life. The difference is the existing World Wide Web is used as the virtual world instead of some “second” world developed by a company. What I like about this Web 2.0 Application is that it allows you to get in touch with people that have similar interests as you do.

I have to admit I have not fully explored Zweitgeist since I am working on a Mac and unfortunately it is not supported for now. If you had any experience with Zweitgeist already or try it out let me know how it worked for you? It could be a cool feature for people who run a blog and can directly and live interact with their site visitors.

Edumio, the Digg Website for the Academic Field

Daniel Staemmler — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 05:20:15 +0000

Who does not know the Website Digg.com where you users can vote for stuff they found on the web and that they want to promote. I have to admit that I have never used Digg so far. However, I just ran across a website named Edumio which basically works like Digg.com only that it targets the academic and educational field. Edumio offers the opportunity to share resources and meet other who have a similar interest. Well, the later one I found already at the CiteULike website.

Using Google with the term “edumio” today resulted in 120 pages that mention/link the website. Nothing compared to the 35 million and more websites that have been returned when I googled for CiteULike. However, we’ll see what will happen to Edumio and there service to digg academic and educational resources/article. – Happy Digging!

2006 in Review: Social Networking, Web 2.0, and many more

Daniel Staemmler — Mon, 25 Dec 2006 12:54:00 +0000

Once again is social networking in the Headlines. News.com from CNET just posted a special coverage taking on to review the year 2006. And guess what, social networking, Web 2.0,Â and more once again (see prior post on Time Magazine) are on the spot. The reviews range from headlines “social networking catches fire” over “Google shows Web 2.0 folks the money” till “Going mobile, in a big way“. I guess it is this time of the yearÂ to look back and reflect on what happened. All section of this seriesÂ have an overview on the left site of the page and link toÂ articles throughout the year that mark a step in the development in the featuredÂ field.Â

For those who are looking for a quick read-through on what happened in 2006 in the field of social networking,Â Web 2.0 and othersÂ should definitely stop by and browse through these reviews.

Web 2.0 on the Cover of Time Magazine

Daniel Staemmler — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 14:58:40 +0000

At the end of the year 2006 Web 2.0 clearly made a difference since it puts the user in the center of the web experience. Time Magazine nominates YOU, the user, as the person of the year. TheÂ title of the cover storyÂ ”Time’s Person of the Year: You” leaves no doubt about that.

In addition you find an article about 15 people in the December 25th issue that are the web generation’s movers and shakers. Furthermore Time Magazine John Cloud writes about the YouTube Gurus and how they changed the way we, the nominated person of the year 2006, see ourselves. There are also plenty of photos and videos in regard to the YouTube phenomenon.

Z_punkt publishes report "Web 2.0. What's it all about?"

Daniel Staemmler — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 19:15:05 +0000

The in Germany based company Z_punkt publishes a report about Web 2.0 describing the technology behind it and taking a look at the perspective of users using these innovations. In addition one section of the English version (only abstract available in English) focuses on “Marketing 2.0 and Social Commerce”.

However, the report doesn’t really reveal anything new and is more a compendium that summarizes recent development and innovations in this area. The full version (in German) of this report is 120 pages long and is being sold for EUR 170.

Someone may ask, why is he writing about this report publishes in Germany. Well, I am a German who lives and works here in the Bay Area. So one of my interests is to follow recent development not only here in the U.S. but also in Germany. More about myself will be available soon in the ‘About’ section of this website.

Update (12/25/06): The German full verison of the Web 2.0 Report is on sale. Until the 31st of January 2007Â the price will be EUR 140 and is available under http://web2.0report.de/aktion.

MyBlogLog to keep track

Daniel Staemmler — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 19:14:03 +0000

Mybloglog.com is a nice tool to keep track of who is interested in the same sites and topics you’re interested in. If you happen to have your own blog you can post a snipped of code into your blog and readers will see who else is browsing and reading your blog. I like it because it is connecting people with same or similar interests. Isn’t that what Web 2.0 is all about?

Update (09/01/07): MyBLogLog has been acquired by Yahoo for around $10 Million. (received via paidContent.org)