Moodle

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UK MoodleMoot 2011

Posted by Joel Kerr on 14 Apr

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MoodleMoot UK is back on 19th and 20th April at Senate House London and it promises to be “even bigger and better” than ever. The Moots are always a great opportunity for Moodlers to get together, share information and discuss any developments that have occurred over the past year.

The title for this years Moot is ‘Strength through Diversity’ and the aim will be to “push beyond the mainstream” and explore the many ways in which Moodle is used today and the benefits it presents. Moodle no longer is confined to being the more cost effective solution; it competes across the board on flexibility, integration and personalisation.

MoodleMoot Keynote’s will come from:

Grainne Conole, Professor of eLearning at the Open University
Frank McLoughlin, CBE, Principle at City and Islington College
Martin Dougiamas, Founder of Moodle
Tim Anstiss, AppliedWellbeing

There are a number of other speakers throughout the 2-day event, among whom are two members of the Synergy Learning team. Our Co-Founder and Techical Director, Alex Büchner will cover “Course, Chat and Match – Creating a Moodle Course as a Game” (sounds like fun). We are also very pleased to have recently welcomed Mary Cooch into our team of Moodle Trainers, Mary has opted for the intriguing title, “It’s not as scary as I thought.”

For the full programme and list of speakers visit the Moodle Moot UK website.

Raising funds for Moodle.org

Synergy Learning has teamed up with the Welsh Moodle Users Group to help raise additional funds for Moodle.org by selling ‘Diolch’ pin badges. The badges will be launched at this year’s MoodleMoot – Karen Coyle (a member of the Wales Moodle Steering Group) explains the concept,

“The aim of the ‘diolch badges’ is to raise funds for Moodle.org and
to say a big thank you (‘diolch’ meaning thanks in welsh) to Moodle from Wales Moodle community

“I also hope that this initiative becomes a world first, encouraging other counties to produce their own Moodle.org ‘thank you’ badges and who knows…maybe start something!”

Badges will be available next Tuesday and Wednesday throughout the event; if you want like to purchase a badge before then please contact Karen Coyle karen@deeside.ac.uk (North Wales) or Richard Wenner richard.wenner@btinternet.com (South Wales). The pin badges are £2 each and ALL profit goes directly to Moodle.org

If you are attending the Moot and would like to meet up with a member of our team please let us know by emailing info@synergy-learning.com. Hope to see you there!

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Moodle 2.0 Test Drives

Posted by Joel Kerr on 08 Apr

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As the interest in Moodle 2.0 gathers momentum we have had a lot of requests from people wanting to trial the new software. In response we have created a Moodle 2.0 Test Drive site where those interested can have their own course on the site to acquaint themselves with the new features.

If you would like us to assign you your own course email me at joel.kerr@synergy-learning.com. To visit the site click on the image below

We have a number of packages to help you on your Route to Moodle 2.0, including test sites and duplicate sites. To find out more visit http://www.synergy-learning.com/moodle2/ or call us on 028 9028 8830.

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ELA Conference 2011 // Technology on a Shoestring

Posted by Joel Kerr on 25 Mar

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It was my pleasure to be in Edinburgh this week for the ‘Technology on a Shoestring’ conference – a pretty apt title given the increasingly tightening strings on which companies have to balance their budgets.

Of course any chance to visit Edinburgh gets a thumbs up from me and combined with the opportunity to meet with elearning types, those in the know and those who want to know, is a double whammy.

Keynote came from Euan Semple who’s got an impressive CV that includes time at the BBC, Nokia, the World Bank and NATO. Mr. Semple covered the benefits of Social Media and the challenges faced by the Senior Management in letting the employees loose on the various channels.

There was talk of the quality of networks compared to quantity, the need to make communications human as opposed to corporate and how to engage people by asking the right questions. Conversations, conversations, conversations; that’s what’s important!

The emphasis was not on how far we had come but the possibilities that are yet to present themselves; the new businesses and products that will develop, the new businesses models that will evolve and most excitingly the freedom that working online can offer.

Other speakers included Mark Clark from JISC, Kenny Shaw of Screen Media, Pauline Randall from Florizel Media and…me. That’s right. As an exhibitor I had the opportunity to pitch the benefits of the ever popular Moodle and Mahara.

That aside, points covered were how technology can facilitate change, the need for innovation given the budget cuts, the need for positivity in the face of adversity and the importance of not hitting the bottle (actually the last point wasn’t covered, I made that up to check if you where still with me).

It is increasingly clear that through careful research and planning, structure and strategy, online services can offer the necessary savings required by companies in today’s market. And the sooner you get started the sooner you get your head around the possibilities and the sooner you start reaping the rewards!

I’d like to thank the eLearning Alliance for the invitation and the possibility to showcase Synergy Learning. I’ll leave you with one extremely naff but amusing quote from Stuart Hilles of the eLearning Alliance, “How can I soar like an eagle when I’m surrounded by pigeons?”

Take from that what you will.

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Moodle 4 iPhones Project

Posted by Joel Kerr on 07 Mar

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The Moodle 4 iPhones project appears to be doing the rounds on Twitter again; I’ve seen quite a few people tweeting enthusiastically. The video below offers a good intro to how it works…

Or if you’re feeling a bit novel scan the QR code below to watch the video on your iPhone

qrcode

Click here to visit the Moodle4iPhones website

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Moodle 2.0 Integrations – Alfresco

Posted by Joel Kerr on 17 Feb

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As Moodle 2.0 becomes more established we are finding more and more clients eager to upgrade from their current version.

Not only is the software being recognised for it’s new and improved features, it also makes integrating with third party tools a whole lot easier, opening up a whole new world of possibilities for those moving to Moodle 2.0.

Over the next few blog posts I am going to look at some of these external tools to see what benefits they can bring to your operations….starting with Alfresco.

Alfresco

If you haven’t heard of Alfresco before you might find it a rather useful tool. It is a Content Management System (CMS), which basically means it can be used for managing the production of electronic content (text files, videos, graphics etc.) via a set of rules, processes and workflows.

Like Moodle and Mahara, Alfresco is Open Source and as a CMS it specializes in:

It caused a lot of interest when it was announced that Moodle 2.0 was to come complete with an Alfresco repository. File management within Moodle has long been a debate generator and integration with an external CMS solves the issue of content ownership, tracking changes, linking to external content finding content etc.

We have been working with Alfresco for some time now and our clients are finding it’s capabilities a perfect compliment to Moodle, allowing users to store and retrieve resources from within both piece of software.

The integration is quick and straightforward and the outcome can prove very beneficial. If you are interested in finding out more about our Moodle or Alfresco services email me at joel.kerr@synergy-learning.com.

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Coming Soon: Moodle 2.1

Posted by Joel Kerr on 10 Feb

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Moodle 2.0 is slowly engraining itself into the fabric of the elearning community and has proved popular with our clients who have chosen to upgrade.

Still there are a number of schools and companies who have chosen to hold off for the release of Moodle 2.1. Those people will be pleased to hear the release date has been announced – expect it June 2011.

As with every new version Moodle 2.1 is a, “refactoring and modernising” of the current version. According to Moodle.org, “in Moodle 2.1 the core development teams will focus almost exclusively on improving the core activity modules and blocks in Moodle, tackling one or two of the following tasks at a time.”

Refactoring existing modules

Refactor of the Forum module
Refactor of the question bank and quiz, Tim Hunt, The Open University, UK.
Rewriting of the grading interfaces, including rubrics
Adding ability to restore 1.9 backups to 2.x

Adding new modules

A new module that combines the best of questionnaire and feedback and survey into an upgrade for the survey module.
We’ll also be reviewing and adding some of the most popular third-party modules (eg Book)

To read through the Moodle 2.0 release notes visit Moodle.org. For more information on our various Moodle 2.0 upgrade options visit Your Route to Moodle 2.0.

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Dynamic Learning with Moodle

Posted by Joel Kerr on 31 Jan

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I enjoyed this Prezi so much I decided to add it to the blog…

Dynamic Learning on Prezi

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January // BETT 2011

Posted by Joel Kerr on 21 Jan

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It’s been a busy start to the year!

As has become the norm, our year kicked off by exhibiting at the BETT show. An important event in any edtechs calendar that attracts people from all over the world. It’s a great way to see first hand the new products available and the improvements to those that have been around for a while.

MOODLE

There was a non-stop flow of Moodle visitors throughout the week; existing users who stopped by to share their admiration of the software, organisations that wanted to migrate from other platforms and of course those who were taking their first tentative steps into the world of elearning.

Our job is made a whole lot easier by the fact that Moodle generates such good publicity through word-of-mouth. There were very few people stopping by who hadn’t heard good things about Moodle and the enthusiasm for the software continues to grow. The number of companies and schools who had done their research and were planning a full migration in the near future was overwhelming.

New clients range from primary schools, secondary schools, Local Authorities, FE colleges and universities to councils and large scale organisations. We were also pleased to answer questions from a number of the other exhibitors who were interested in partnerships and integrating Moodle into their own operations.

MOODLE 2.0

At last years BETT we were enthusiastically telling our Moodle visitors the virtues of Moodle 2.0 so it was a pleasure to be able to offer some real solutions at this year’s show. We have upgraded a number of our own client’s sites with successful results and the improved navigation and increased functionality has not gone unnoticed.

BETT offers the opportunity to gauge a real response to the upgrade; both teachers and trainers recognise the benefits of the new conditional activities feature, cohorts, the repository API, the Portfolio API and the list goes on.

We have a queue of people waiting to upgrade with our Route to Moodle 2.0 packages and the demand is only going to increase.

MAHARA

As Moodle becomes as increasingly integral part of the learning environment so the need for an ePortolio also increases. We had a record number of inquiries about our Mahara Services this year. Again the software is proving popular with both educational and commercial establishments who are looking to facilitate records of ‘life learning’ within their establishments.

I’ve spent this week getting in touch with the new contacts we made at the show and the whole office has felt the full benefit of BETT 2011.

I would like to thank all those who visited us at the BETT show for making our trip a rewarding one. If you are in need of our Moodle or Mahara Services get in quick! Our 2011 calendar is filling up fast.

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Moodle at BETT 2011

Posted by Joel Kerr on 06 Jan

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BETT 2011
Stand N2
12-15 January 2011
Olympia, London

Synergy Learning is looking forward to next week when we get to exhibit our wares at the world’s largest education technology event. BETT brings together the leading names in innovative education technology, new elearning organisations and the global teaching and learning community from early years to universities.

This will be the 27th year of BETT which has grown to feature almost 700 exhibitors, attracting close to 30,000 visitors. According to the organisers, “BETT is an indispensable part of the annual knowledge-gathering process, coming at a time when establishments are planning and budgeting for the new school year.”

Why should you attend?

BETT is a showcase of all that is new and innovative within the industry and is an opportunity for education professionals to pick up a wealth of knowledge as well as evaluate and purchase a comprehensive range of ICT products and services.

There will be the opportunity to “touch, test and compare” resources for learners at all levels. There will be free hands-on training, technical help, over 100 seminars, product launches, networking opportunities and the chance to discuss education technology with industry experts and established suppliers

Who should attend?

BETT 2011 covers the entire education spectrum and is aimed at everyone from early learners to higher education and all that’s in between.

BETT 2011 will benefit:

Teachers
Department Heads
Subject Heads
Education Officers
Governors
Librarians
Bursars
Facilities Managers
Teachers Trainers
Inspectors
School Boards
Network Managers IT/ICT Co-ordinators
Head Teachers/Principals
School Management Teams
Parents
LEA’s
Special Needs Teachers
Technicians
Classroom Assistants
Home Educators
Student Teachers
Nursery Staff
Lecturers

Registration for BETT 2011 is now open, for more information visit the BETT show website. See you at stand N2

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Twenty Ten

Posted by Joel Kerr on 30 Dec

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It’s said so often (and I’m not afraid of a good cliché so I am going to say it as well) where did the year go? It seems like yesterday since I was walking through the doors of Synergy Learning for the first time and since I was sitting down to my first blog post.

In fact it was a year ago!

So as we get ready to see in the New Year I am going to give you ten of my highlights from 2010 – things that stood out in my mind at the time of writing (bearing in mind I am still in the grips of my Christmas recovery!).

In no particular order…

The BETT Show

A great start to any e-learning calendar I was lucky enough to get over to BETT for a day trip. Roy, Alex, Jonny, Ian and Andrea were the core team manning the Moodle stand at London’s Olympia from 13th – 16th January and as always the response was mighty

iMoot

2010 played host to the first iMoot where the who’s who of the Moodle glitterati presented to Moodlers around the world. Among the presenters were Synergy Learning’s Technical Director Alex Büchner and Moodle Trainer Ian Wild.

The World Cup

Vuvuzela’s weren’t the only thing that caught the attention of the Synergy Learning office. Our heated Fantasy Football League was a close one and I was delighted to come out on top and very disappointed for Jonny McAlister who spent so much time at the bottom of the table he contemplated making it his permanent address.

Moodle 2.0

Is it this month? Next month? No, tomorrow you say? Yes that’s right – with more ‘will they, won’t theys’ than a soap extra-marital affair Moodle finally released the much anticipated Moodle 2.0. The biggest Moodle release to date with more new and improved features than could be mentioned in this short post (don’t forget to visit our ‘Route to Moodle 2.0’ page to see how we can seamlessly facilitate your upgrade).

Our Fifth Birthday

Although not the fifth year of Synergy Learning, 2010 was the fifth birthday of the company under the ownership of Roy Kerley and Alex Buchner. We celebrated in style…that’s all I’m saying!

Race for Life

We were very proud of our girls who raised a non-to shabby £700 for Cancer Research by taking part in the Race for Life up at Stormont (Belfast) in May. Inspired by photos they had seen from previous years of girls stumbling over the finish line looking red, sweaty and like they were on their last legs, our girls finished the 5k with dignity and grace – and then swore never to put themselves through a similar agony again!

Award-winning Theme Design

While I am being proud I may as well mention Caroline Kennedy who won Moodle 2.0 Theme contest, hosted by New School Learning, with her ‘Splash’ Theme. Caroline won herself an iPad and Splash can now be found as part of Moodle 2.0’s core code.

iPad

It is worth mentioning that 2010 was the year the newest addition to the Apple family was released and a number of iPad‘s have found their way into the Synergy Learning offices. Received with a mixed response the tablet is sure to impact the future of elearning one way or the other.

New Hosting Platform

This was also the year our Senior Networks Engineer, Peter Hinds, built our new Hosting Platform from scratch. Optimised for Moodle and Mahara, “it is a fully resilient platform comprised of hardware manufactured by industry leading vendors.” Click here to read all about it in Pete’s blog post. Not bad Pete!

Scotland

Our Belfast office is just a stone’s throw from Scotland so everyone was delighted for our Managing Director, Roy Kerley, who was appointed to the Board of the eLearning Alliance – a member-based organisation that supports Scotland’s elearning community. We have enjoyed a lot of new business from that direction and met some great people.

And one lowlight…

We were sorry to say goodbye to Fearghal Murphy who left us for sunnier climes (Florida to be more specific). I would like to wish Fearghal all the best for the future, and given that he’s prone to sunburn I would like to wish him good luck for the present as well!

So there you have it – ten memorable moments from the last 365 days… obviously it is difficult to fit a year into one blog post but not a bad list!

Here’s to the next 365…in the meantime I would like to thank you all for reading and wish you all a very happy and prosperous New Year!

Joel

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