http://elgg.ell.aau.dk/ryberg/weblog/60.html
I gave a presentation on Web 2.0 and e-learning both for a network meeting we had in the Danish network on ICT and Learning and also as a part of a seminar on PBL entitled: "Innovating Problem Based Learning through ICT" - the presentation from the latter event can be seen here:
Web 2.0 and PBL-processes
In both presentations I took up some thoughts on our current learning management systems using Quickplace and Moodle as examples. My claim was that both these types of systems are rather hierarchical systems and their information architecture and logic is that of an institution rather than the users themselves. This obviously have some advantages in relation to courses, semesters and for students to overview material and so on. But it also has its disadvantages.
For one thing, neither students or teachers have en e-portfolio, personal space or the like that sort of creates a contionous identity over time in the system. In this way each course and each semester is an isolated event, where not very much carries over or stretches across the institutional metaphors of the "course" or the "semester" - the individual users have no personal continous spaces that span the different semesters or a digital identity apart from a "user profile" with more or less personal information.
In this sense the courseware create sort of isolated spaces and strong boundaries between different events - between courses, between semesters; further such systems are often very teacher driven and usually the teacher puts up material, whereas students putting up links, texts etc. is not very well afforded - though in Moodle and QP there are forums, where one can write and usually students can be granted permissions to upload an assignment or the like.
But there are certain boundaries between the course space and other activites in peoples life and the "outside" world as well - though in Moodle this is increasingly disappearing with the capabilities of importing RSS feeds and the feature of blogs in Moodle 1.6. Most importantly in the new Moodle features I think is the integration with exactly Elgg. This is a very interesting feature, which allows for a combination between "an institutionalised course logic" and then the digital, continous identities or e-portfolio of students and teachers.
I think this combination has the power to open up the isolated spaces of QP and Moodle and enable a larger amount of information exchange between persons at different semesters following different courses; and it enables people to have their own space that stays with them across all of the different activities they are involved with. Also what I really like about Elgg is that you can follow other peoples resources - what files do they have, which blog or newsfeed do they subscribe to, what are their interests - there are good chances within the same eduaction and course that I would be interested in much of the material as well.
I think the integration will be an immensely powerful educational tool and I hope I will have the chance to test it out for some courses using a combination of Moodle and Elgg (and quickplace since that is the official system where messages fromadministration and other teachers is located).
But thumbs up for the people working out the Moodle/Elgg integration - you have done a wonderful job!
Keywords: e-portfolio, Elgg, hierarchy, identity, learning systems, Moodle, personal learning spaces, PLE, Quickplace
