Moodle or a Social Network?

I am a high school student and I am comparing and contrasting Moodle and a social network I created on Ning. The Social Network I created is exclusively for students in my high school. I am experimenting to see if it would work better then Moodle. Trying to test to see what students would take to more and what would be more used and effective. If anyone has any feedback to what they think would work best?, If this is a good or bad idea? And what uses could benefit out of both?

Tags: moodle, socialnetworks

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Steve Hargadon on January 16, 2009 at 8:50am

It's a great idea, Skype. I think you'll find Moodle is better at the "learning management" stuff (quizzes, calendar, etc.) where Ning is better at the "connecting" stuff (and visually). I'm guessing you'll find that the other students like the format of Ning better.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Tom Daccord on January 16, 2009 at 9:21am

Hi Skye. To a certain extent it's like comparing apples and oranges. Moodle is a CMS (course management system) whereas Ning is a social network. Herein lies the difference: Moodle helps you manage and disseminate content and provides a few tools for collaboration and discussion. It's like a Swiss army knife with a lot of blades (some sharp and some dull), a few of which facilitate collaboration and discussion. Ning helps build online, interactive communities. If your ultimate goal is to create a learning community that engenders collaboration, sharing, and interaction then stick with Ning. We all know that kids share and collaborate online naturally and I think you'll find that your peers more motivated to interact in an online social environment than a CMS.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kate Klingensmith on January 16, 2009 at 10:01am

I've never used Moodle, myself, but I agree with Steve and Tom about Ning offering a great platform for interaction. Reall, the main reason I'm even commenting is to give you major props for spending your time to look into this. Cheers!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Connie Weber on January 16, 2009 at 11:54am

Without a doubt, ning is the way to go. The difference between a Course Management System and an Online Learning Community is HUGE.
How's your network going?

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jason Weden on January 16, 2009 at 6:38pm

Take a look at the wikipedia entry for LMS (Learning Management System). I view moodle more as an LMS. But I can't say I've used moodle myself.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ian Carmichael on January 16, 2009 at 7:08pm

Great idea, very timely for me and my colleagues. It looks like moodle helps manage and document content, but I have to investigate its social and community credentials! Keep us posted, Skye.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Katie Grassel on January 16, 2009 at 8:40pm

I use moodle for my classes and it really allows me to get me information out to my students and keep it organized. I can set dates and evaluate what work has been turned in electronically. I also use the ning for the social aspect within my school. The main question you need to ask yourself is what am I trying accomplish. Through my teaching a CMS is a valuable tool to make sure the class is organized in a way that is easy for the students and myself to use.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Nicole on January 17, 2009 at 7:43pm

I'm new to all of this interactive learning myself, so unfortunately I can't offer any advice. I have recently been introduced to Moodle, and so far it seems fairly easy to navigate/use. I've been reading the other comments about the other programs out there, so I'll have to check those out. I work with high school students as well, so I'd be interested in hearing how you use these networks with your students.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Fred Ravan on January 18, 2009 at 6:11am

Please let us know what you find. I have used Moodle a lot and really like it. I would like to incorporate at Social Network, like NING into my teaching but, I know very little about the advantages of using NING. I would love to hear how others are using NING in their classrooms or how students would use it in a classroom setting. I am Spanish teacher so communicating in the target language would be a big benefit for my students.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Steve O'Connor on January 18, 2009 at 7:04am

If you would like to integrate your Moodle site with a social network, Mahara can be set up to do so. I know individuals that are working on a simple Elgg/Moodle integration as well.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Maria Fleyshgakker on January 18, 2009 at 8:44am

Hi :) My suggestion is: when you compare and contrast do not compete :) Find similarities and differences, some of which were shown to you here, in this discussion. Then realize that people, students in your school, are different too and some of them might prefer the one you consider a weaker choice. I think each choice is individual and we have to have many choices.