From: moodler Date: Tue, 27 May 2003 15:18:20 +0000 (+0000) Subject: Various updates, rewrites etc X-Git-Url: http://git.mjollnir.org/gw?a=commitdiff_plain;h=b09069a4c70e45a800c7f618c64f8b4328611181;p=moodle.git Various updates, rewrites etc Overall I'm trying to remove the Martin focus and make it more neutral. More to go. --- diff --git a/lang/en/docs/background.html b/lang/en/docs/background.html index 0040379823..9e15f9ccb9 100644 --- a/lang/en/docs/background.html +++ b/lang/en/docs/background.html @@ -1,45 +1,73 @@ - - - Moodle Docs: Background - - - - + + + Moodle Docs: Background + + + + -

Background

+

Background

-

Moodle is an active and evolving work in progress.

-

I've been working on it, in some way or other, for several years. It started - in the 90's when I was webmaster at Curtin University - of Technology and a system administrator of their WebCT installation. I - encountered many frustrations with the WebCT beast and developed an itch that - needed scratching - there had to be a better way (no, not Blackboard :-)

-

I also know a lot of people in schools and smaller institutions (and some big - ones!) who want to make better use of the Internet but don't know where to start - in the maze of technologies and pedagogies that are out there. I've always hoped - there would be a Free alternative that such people could use to help them move - their teaching skills into the online environment.

-

My strong beliefs in the unrealised possibilities of Internet-based education - led me to complete a Masters and then a PhD in Education, combining my former - career in Computer Science with newly constructed knowledge about the nature - of learning and collaboration.

-

Since then Moodle has progressed through several very different prototypes - until the release of version 1.0 upon a largely unsuspecting world on - August 20, 2002 and a steady series of improved releases since then. -

I've been using it in several courses and find it an - extremely usable and reliable tool for building high-quality online courses - - others are reporting the same. Given the context in which it's been designed, - it works particularly well for smaller institutions, or for smaller, more intimate - classes.

-

When compared to the big commercial tools such as WebCT or Blackboard I think - it still falls short in some areas (such as scalability and standards support), - but it comes out ahead in many others (see Features). -

-

 

+

Moodle is an active and evolving work in progress. Development was started + by Martin + Dougiamas who continues to lead the project:

+
+

I've been working on it, in some way or other, for several years. It + started in the 90's when I was webmaster at Curtin + University of Technology and a system administrator of their WebCT installation. + I encountered many frustrations with the WebCT beast and developed an itch + that needed scratching - there had to be a better way (no, not Blackboard + :-)

+

I also know a lot of people in schools and smaller institutions (and + some big ones!) who want to make better use of the Internet but don't know + where to start in the maze of technologies and pedagogies that are out there. + I've always hoped there would be a Free alternative that such people could + use to help them move their teaching skills into the online environment.

+

My strong beliefs in the unrealised possibilities of Internet-based education + led me to complete a Masters and then a PhD in Education, combining my former + career in Computer Science with newly constructed knowledge about the nature + of learning and collaboration. In particular, I am particularly influenced + by the epistemology of social constructionism - which not only treats learning + as a social activity, but focusses attention on the learning that occurs while + actively constructing artifacts (such as texts) for others to see or use. +

+

It is crucial to me that this software be easy to use - in fact it should + be as intuitive as possible.

+

I'm committed to continuing my work on Moodle and on keeping it Open + and Free. I have a deeply-held belief in the importance of unrestricted education + and empowered teaching, and Moodle is the main way I can contribute to the + realisation of these ideals.

+
+

A number of early prototypes were produced and discarded before he released + version 1.0 upon a largely unsuspecting world on August 20, 2002. This version + was targeted towards smaller, more intimate classes at University level, and + was the subject of research case studies that closely analysed the nature of + collaboration and reflection that occurred among these small groups of adult + participants. +

Since then there has been steady series of new releases adding new features, + better scalability and improved performance. +

As Moodle has spread and the community has grown, more input is being drawn + from a wider variety of people in different teaching situations. For example, + Moodle is now used not only in Universities, but in high schools, primary schools, + non-profit organisations, private companies, by independent teachers and even + homeschooling parents. A growing number of people from around the world are + contributing to Moodle in different ways - for more details see the Credits + page. +

An important feature of the Moodle project is the moodle.org + web site, which provides a central point for information, discussion and collaboration + among Moodle users, who include system administrators, teachers, researchers, + instructional designers and of course, developers. Like Moodle, this site is + always evolving to suit the needs of the community, and like Moodle it will + always be Free. +

Later in 2003, moodle.com will be launched + as a company providing additional commercial support for those need it, as a + well as a variety of exciting new services. +

For more about our future plans for Moodle, see the Future + roadmap.

-

Moodle Documentation

-

Version: $Id$

+

Moodle Documentation

+

Version: $Id$

- - + + diff --git a/lang/en/docs/developer.html b/lang/en/docs/developer.html index edc9e78039..d7e0738088 100644 --- a/lang/en/docs/developer.html +++ b/lang/en/docs/developer.html @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ Moodle Docs: Developers Manual - + @@ -117,9 +117,9 @@ for that module. See below.

The easiest way to start a new learning activity module is to use the template - in mod/newmodule_template.zip. + in mod/newmodule_template.zip. Unzip it and follow the README inside.

-

You might also like to post first in the Activities +

You might also like to post first in the Activities modules forum on Using Moodle.

 

@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ themes for this will be a completely different format, but the advantage will be a much higher possible degree of customisation (including moving elements around the page).

-

More discussion about this in the Themes +

More discussion about this in the Themes forum on Using Moodle. If you create a nice theme that you think others might want to use, please post your zip file on the themes forum!

@@ -209,7 +209,7 @@ under "Check this language". This makes it easy to not to only create new languages but to refine existing ones. If you are starting a new language, please contact me, Martin Dougiamas.

-

You might also like to post in the Languages +

You might also like to post in the Languages forum on Using Moodle.

If you are maintaining a language an ongoing basis, I can give you CVS write access to the Moodle source code so that you can directly maintain @@ -250,7 +250,7 @@

If you feel like writing a tutorial, an article, an academic paper or anything else about Moodle, please do!

-

Put it on the web and make sure you include links to http://moodle.org/

+

Put it on the web and make sure you include links to http://moodle.com/

 

Participating in the bug tracker

@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@

Thanks for using Moodle!

Cheers,
- Martin Dougiamas

+ Martin Dougiamas

diff --git a/lang/en/docs/features.html b/lang/en/docs/features.html index e2553e2311..1e2f5e1996 100644 --- a/lang/en/docs/features.html +++ b/lang/en/docs/features.html @@ -1,161 +1,175 @@ - - - Moodle Docs: Background - - - - + + + Moodle Docs: Background + + + + -

Features

-

Moodle is an active and evolving product. This page lists some of the many - features it contains:

+

Features

+

Moodle is an active and evolving product. This page lists just some of the + many features it contains:

Overall design

- +

Site management

- +

User management

-

Course management

- +Assignment Module + +

Choice Module

+ +

Forum Module

+ +Journal Module + +

Quiz Module

+ +

Resource Module

+ +Survey Module + -

 

+

 

-

Moodle Documentation

-

Version: $Id: features.html,v 1.2 2001/12/09 - 10:34:19 martin Exp $

+

Moodle Documentation

+

Version: $Id: features.html,v 1.2 2001/12/09 + 10:34:19 martin Exp $

- - + + diff --git a/lang/en/docs/future.html b/lang/en/docs/future.html index 83780ba047..6bf64daea7 100644 --- a/lang/en/docs/future.html +++ b/lang/en/docs/future.html @@ -1,65 +1,58 @@ - - Moodle Docs: Future - - + + Moodle Docs: Future + + - + - + -

Future

+

Future

-

Some notes from the main author: Martin Dougiamas.

+

As Moodle gains in maturity, its directions are increasingly influenced by + the community of developers and users. A dynamic database of proposed features + and their status can be found at moodle.org/bugs. + Your contributions in the form of ideas, code, + feedback and promotion are all very welcome - see the Developers + manual for more details.

+

Overall development has currently slowed down a bit while Martin finishes his + PhD thesis.

-

I'm committed to continuing my work on Moodle and on keeping it Open and Free. - I have a deeply-held belief in the importance of unrestricted education and - empowered teaching, and Moodle is the main way I can contribute to the realisation - of these ideals. +

Here is a rough map of the future (subject to change): +

+
Version 1.0.9 - May 29th, 2003
-

As Moodle gains in maturity, its directions are increasingly influenced by the community - of developers and users. A dynamic database of proposed features and their status - can be found at moodle.org/bugs. - Your contributions in the form of ideas, code, - feedback and promotion are all very welcome. +

This release will contain all the many new features and bug fixes accumulated + since 1.0.8.1.
-

Currently my own involvement has slowed while I finish writing my PhD thesis. +

Version 1.1 - August 2003 ?
+
This release will tie up some other loose ends and new modules such as 'chat' + and the 'issue tracker'. It will probably include new features for backing + up and restoring individual courses. It may have support for groups and group + work.
-

Here is a rough map of the future as I currently see it (obviously this is - subject to change): - -

-
Version 1.0.9 - May 2003
- -
This release will contain all the many new features and bug fixes accumulated - since 1.0.8.1, including new modules such peer-graded assignments. -
- -
Version 1.1 - August 2003 ?
-
This release will tie up some other loose ends and new modules such as 'chat' and 'issue tracker'. -
- -
Version 2.0 - December 2003 ?
-
This major release will include some major changes in internal structure +
Version 2.0 - December 2003 ?
+
This major release will include some major changes in internal structure designed to add flexibility and scalability in many areas. Among the major targets are: -
    -
  • Stronger pedagogical support for both teachers and students -
  • Rewritten display layer using XHTML-compatible code and complete implementation - of templates for increased standards-compliance, flexibility and accessibility. -
  • Wider use of PHP classes in key areas of the Moodle code, to make things - easier for programmers writing new modules or integrating with external systems. -
  • Support for groups and group work -
  • New access-control system allowing finely-defined roles and rights. -
  • Basic support for IMS and SCORM -
  • Whatever else comes along :-) -
-
-
- -

 

-

Moodle Documentation

-

Version: $Id$

- + + +
+ +

 

+

Moodle Documentation

+

Version: $Id$

+ diff --git a/lang/en/docs/intro.html b/lang/en/docs/intro.html index 5fe4728cdb..2dc1d592ba 100644 --- a/lang/en/docs/intro.html +++ b/lang/en/docs/intro.html @@ -1,38 +1,40 @@ - - - Moodle Docs: Introduction - - - - + + + Moodle Docs: Introduction + + + + -

Introduction

+

Introduction

-

Moodle is a software package for producing internet-based courses and web sites. - It's an ongoing development project designed to support a social constructionist framework of education.

+

Moodle is a software package for producing internet-based courses and web sites. + It's an ongoing development project designed to support a social constructionist framework of education.

-

Moodle is provided freely as - Open Source software (under the - GNU Public License). Basically this means Moodle is copyrighted, but that you have additional - freedoms. You are allowed to copy, use and modify Moodle provided that you agree: to provide - the source to others; to not modify or remove the original license, and apply this same - license to any derivative work. +

Moodle is provided freely as + Open Source software (under the + GNU Public License). Basically this means Moodle is copyrighted, but that + you have additional freedoms. You are allowed to copy, use and modify Moodle + provided that you agree: to provide the source to others; to not modify + or remove the original license, and apply this same license to any derivative + work. Read the license for full details and please contact the copyright + holder directly if you have any questions. +

Moodle will run on any computer that can run + PHP, and can support many types of database (particularly MySQL).

-

Moodle will run on any computer that can run - PHP, and can support many types of database (particularly MySQL).

+

The word Moodle was originally an acronym for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic + Learning Environment, which is mostly useful to programmers and education theorists.  + 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. As such it applies both to the way Moodle was + developed, and to the way a student or teacher might approach studying or teaching + an online course. Anyone who uses Moodle is a Moodler.

+

Come and moodle with us!

+


+

+

Moodle Documentation

+

Version: $Id$

-

The word Moodle is an acronym for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning - Environment, which is mostly useful to programmers and education theorists.  -  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. As such it applies both to the way - Moodle was developed, and to the way a student or teacher might approach studying - or teaching an online course.

-


-

-

Moodle Documentation

-

Version: $Id$

- - - + +