Can Moodle do this

[Simcfc73]

Hi,

We have Home Access plus as the first step towards a VLE... gauging how staff feel about using it but one of the things they do is just writes the homework schedule on a word document and the staff read it.

What I want is to create a very simple moodle site where they can log in (automatically hopefully) and create pages for the homeworks. I am not savvy with Moodle (tbh I don't like it) but I have a simple site set up. I did look at Sims links as it would be really nice to link the staff accounts to Sims and import all the students automatically.. my goal would be to pull in the kids timetables so they open up moodle and see their timetable and their homework.

How hard is this? I don't have the budget for the Sims link just yet so fancy having a go at it myself.

[bossman]

@Simcfc73:

Moodle can do transparent authentication, it can also synchronise with sims (there are various blocks with which this can be done with) also remote web access blocks can be installed and configured so users have access to their files. Staff in Moodle version 2.0 are able to create lessons which can be assigned to different groups of students plus create homework for instant marking with markbook blocks etc.

All this can be done for free but will take you a long time to install and configure, we have gone down the route of external developers and they have developed our Moodle version 2.0 exactly how we want it.

We do have things to develop in the future such as an in built reader which will tie in with a library system block so we can automatically download free digital books which can be reviewed separately before being made available to the students.

There are many things that you can do with Moodle and it can only get better as other CMS VLE's fall by the wayside.

We decided 3 years ago to go down the Moodle route and up till now has been very stable.

Its what is right for your environment within your school and how you interface with the staff on this as to whether they embrace the tool which you are creating to try and make their teaching and learning style that much better with the least resistance.

Good Luck

[penfold_99]

Its possible to do what your asking for if the SIMS link is in place. If you went down the DIY there will be a lot of time required in creating the timetable block.
I would look into the cost of the solutions out there compared to the length of time it would take for you to create it.

[british_government]

We are looking at moodle as one of the options for when our current VLE contract expires. As part of this I have been testing some concepts I had on transfering data from sims to a remote moodle web server.

This work has gone really well, and after a couple of days work I have fully linked timetables and attendance data being transfered from our local sql server to our external moodle server using a small script which runs on the sims server sending data.

I have not yet looked at provissioning student/teacher/parent accounts from sims as one of the aims for the school is to have a single sign on for all ICT provissions.

Here is a screen shot of how the student see's their timetable.

UPDATE: cant upload pictures through school proxy, I blame the dodgey technicians here!

Basically what I have learnt from my couple of days I know that anything is possible with moodle given a little time and effort, either from 3rd party or personal development.

[glennda]

Not linked to moodle but we built this The Weald School

Linked to AD and Sims