Making the Most of Moodle

Created and displayed with open source software + Linux Making the Most of Moodle Content licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/

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Brian Jamison

 

 

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A brief review of Open Source and Software in General

People resist change.

Sometimes things break.

Software is complex.

Most software is awful .

Nothing is Free.

More minds are better than less minds.

Source Code: Human readable text files that a computer turns into software programs.

Moodle Course Management System (CMS) not to be confused with a CONTENT Management System (CMS)

Course Management System (CMS)

not to be confused with a CONTENT Management System (CMS)

Installation considerations server bandwidth backups access outside the firewall

server

bandwidth

backups

access outside the firewall

Use teacher forums for collaboration

Embed multimedia Administration -> Filters -> Configuration Multimedia Plugins

Administration -> Filters -> Configuration

Multimedia Plugins

Moodle logs /everything/ administration -> logs database

administration -> logs

database

Moodle backups Administration -> Configuration -> Backup Littering the server with zip files is /not/ enough recommendation: RAID 1 + offsite storage use backups to duplicate courses!

Administration -> Configuration -> Backup

Littering the server with zip files is /not/ enough

recommendation: RAID 1 + offsite storage

use backups to duplicate courses!

Modules Not all are created equal usefulness (birthday notifications vs. grading) quality speed of development Compatibility Configurability Freshness Version ('ware the 1.0)

Not all are created equal

usefulness (birthday notifications vs. grading)

quality

speed of development

Compatibility

Configurability

Freshness

Version ('ware the 1.0)

Speeding it up Find the bottleneck first Use Linux Maximize hardware add ram, gigabit NIC, hw RAID, swap, procs

Find the bottleneck first

Use Linux

Maximize hardware

add ram, gigabit NIC, hw RAID, swap, procs

Speeding it up, 2 Tune the database Eventually may need dedicated db server Services Apache PHP Check for other loads e.g. mail or spam/virus Tune Moodle Site admin -> Server -> Performance

Tune the database

Eventually may need dedicated db server

Services

Apache

PHP

Check for other loads e.g. mail or spam/virus

Tune Moodle

Site admin -> Server -> Performance

Upgrades Consider all third party plugins Security fixes inside firewall Murphy says “Use a test server” make and test a backup document all actions Ask for help

Consider all third party plugins

Security fixes inside firewall

Murphy says “Use a test server”

make and test a backup

document all actions

Ask for help

“ RTFM, n00b ”

How to ask for help on a forum (and get it) Look around first! Ask for one thing at a time Details, details, details specific need versions, operating systems, logs, exact error messages environment, class size your experience level things you already tried Don't feed trolls Use the bump Report progress and success! (with details)

Look around first!

Ask for one thing at a time

Details, details, details

specific need

versions, operating systems, logs, exact error messages

environment, class size

your experience level

things you already tried

Don't feed trolls

Use the bump

Report progress and success! (with details)

Greg Lund-Chaix Oregon Virtual School District Project

Oregon Virtual School District Project

Any questions? Visit us at our booth! Brian Jamison [email_address] (503) 544-3558 Thank you!

Any questions?

Visit us at our booth!

Brian Jamison

[email_address]

(503) 544-3558

Thank you!