mighty.grey.eagle

Two points. The first being that the data is the schools and they should be able to do with it what they want (as long as the DPA is being followed). So why not go to a 1 day old backup copy and work on that. There is no way that you can do any harm and it is unlikely that up-to-date info would be required. Working with live data would be problematic to say the least. Secondly. The recent VLE requirements say that should be a two way flow of information between the VLE and the Management programs (like SIMS). I went to a meeting where Capita representatives said that they would provide whatever links are required. Having said that I suspect that they would be the bare minimum since they have a VLE of their own. Or am I being cynical?

Hi Has anyone managed to get ProDesktop 2000 working as a thin client? I know that as a general rule you shouldn't run CAD packages but with this being an old version I thought it might be possible.

No comparison. Moodle is free, has a fantastic support community and is growing at a phenomenal rate. Courses/materials can easily be shared between schools and you are not being locked into someones proprietary software. On the other hand Kaleidos is from RM and costs real money. Having tried to perform a Sims upgrade last night (and failed) I don't think that the ability (or not) to link with Sims is that important. Having said that, the recent Becta Learning Platform document says that it should link in with Management systems so Moodle will be tweaked to do this. Dave Berry

Yes but 500,000 are from Geoff !!!

There is only one answer: Moodle. All of the rest cost money and support from a commercial company costs money so they cut corners by responding slowly. With Moodle the forum support is second to none. Most of the problems are solved within the hour (and they tend to be caused by me not reading the help properly). Quite often it is the writer of the module that gives an answer - can you imagine M$ doing that! Think about how quickly Firefox is updated when there is a problem - compare that with Internet Explorer. Secondly. Our school tried a Blackboard demo system last year. Some staff put a lot of work into it then, when the demo ended, they lost all of their materials. Whatever VLE system is adopted you need control of it. Thirdly. Moodle may not be the "best" system (although that is open to argument) but it easily can be. The more people using it the better it will become. Moodle 1.6 will be out in beta towards the middle of this month and, from all accounts, it is very impressive. Lastly, in education we are forever re-inventing the wheel. Even within departments we go our different ways - often creating very similar worksheets. Now is the time to share and the technology helps. As my gesture towards this goal I offer notes on the AQA Advanced Computing (CPT1,2,3,4,5 and 6) together with a KS4 ICT Revision course. All released under the creative commons blurb. Not brilliant but I am sure that someone can improve on it and then offer it back. Contact me through my account details if you are interested or you can pick them up from http://www.e-subjects.co.uk/

Time for the older ones to own up. I'm Dave and a network manager (sort of) in Lancashire. Vary rarely post because I feel very inadequate in my knowledge compared to your regular contributors. Started at my present school in 1980 as a Physics teacher. Since I had a little programming background I was offered the post of Head of Computing in 1984 – a trifle grand since I was the only computing teacher. Over the years set up and maintained several different networks; RM 480Z, RM Nimbus, Novell and Windows NT. Gradually the “Geeks” took over but I am still around to look after the Admin side and to keep the Geeks and the teachers apart. Actually our geeks seem to be hiding away from saying who they are although many of you will know “Linux Geoff” and “Silent Bob”. Also hiding in the wings are Richard and “young” Dave. They say that confession is good for the soul so here goes. I taught “Linux Geoff” and gave him his first Linux CD and machine to play on. Also my daughter went to school with Ric Charlton. I now feel very old and it is time for my afternoon nap………

What about "Shibboleth"? I thought that that was the flavour of the month. Dave Berry (Carr Hill)

Just to clarify a couple of points. Moodle is not just a "Content Management System" - it is a "Course Management System" which is a subtle difference. It's primary use is in providing course content, the ability to set assignments, set quizzes (and have them marked automatically). The list goes on. It is free and, most importantly in my opinion, there is a fantastic support network. If in doubt go to http://moodle.org/mod/forum/index.php?id=5 and look at the number of users/developers. The more people involved the better. Course/content sharing is a key part of the philosophy. Secondly (and I am surprised that Geoff hasn't commented on this - he must be asleep) Carr Hill is part of a pilot to set up a reverse proxy system so that the Moodle system can be hosted in school and yet accessed externally. Oh my god. Just read all of this back and I sound like a teacher. Where am I - let me out of here. Xmas greetings Dave Berry (Carr Hill - Lancashire)