Using Open Source Software to Bring a Class Together

In this workshop, participants will learn how to obtain, install, and implement the social software package Moodle. Moodle is a course management system (CMS) that allows educators to create an online community for their class. Many institutions are currently using a closed source software package called Blackboard for their CMS needs. However, institutions and individuals have taken note of Moodle, and it's adoption rate has more than quadrupled over the last two years. There are approximately 30,000 sites currently using Moodle, with over 12,000,000 users. The discussion shall include: * Installation of Moodle * Creating Classes * Registering Teachers and Students * Handing out Assignments and Grades * Adding Plugins * Comparison to Blackboard Familiarity with installing software on a Linux system and knowing your way around the command line, while not a must, is certainly beneficial to getting Moodle up and running.

Mike LeVan, Associate Professor of Math, Transylvania University Mike LeVan is an associate professor of mathematics at Transylvania University. While not teaching math or advocating open source solutions, he spends a lot of time with his family, including playing baseball, video games, and baseball video games with his son.