Open Source Meets Google Summer of Code 2012

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Submitted by Bryan on

Every year, I find it an honor when I'm asked by open source projects to announce that they have entered been accepted as mentoring organizations into Google's Summer of Code program. I'm a big advocate of college education and I also understand the importance of a summer job to keeping those college bills under control. Open source projects and the Google Summer of Code provides this opportinuty for upcoming software developers. The Summer of Code is a "global program sponsored by Google that offers post-secondary student developers ages 18 and older stipends to write code for various open source software projects".

There are several goals to the Google Summer of Code program:

  1. Create and release open source code for the benefit of all
  2. Inspire young developers to begin participating in open source development
  3. Help open source projects identify and bring in new developers and committers
  4. Provide students the opportunity to do work related to their academic pursuits (think "flip bits, not burgers")
  5. Give students more exposure to real-world software development scenarios (e.g., distributed development, software licensing questions, mailing-list etiquette)

The Summer of Code program provides college age students with alternatives to the typical summer employment at the local grocery store or fast food chain with an opportinity to work the code and on projects that inspires them the most. Google will provide a stipend of $5500 USD per accepted student developer, of which $5000 USD goes to the student and $500 USD goes to the mentoring organization.

Moodle 2.2.2, 2.1.5, 2.0.8 and 1.9.17 updates

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I haven't done one these for awhile...a Moodle release announcement. Last year, we took Moodle off our Top 30 CMS Focus list so it isn't on my radar too often. But like so many great content applications out there, just because it isn't on our list doesn't mean you shouldn't still consider them for your CMS.  

Below is almost a straight copy and paste from the release announcement at Moodle.org. Be sure to also pay attention to the release notes for additional details. And yes, as a non-Moodle user I too was confused as why there are four different versions of Moodle being supported and updated. The explanation is at the end of the announcement.

 Moodle 2.2.2, 2.1.5, 2.0.8 and 1.9.17 are now available

Moodle 2.2.2, Moodle 2.1.5, Moodle 2.0.8 and Moodle 1.9.17 have been released.

In addition to a number of bug fixes and small improvements, security vulnerabilities have been discovered and fixed. As always, Moodle recommends that you upgrade your sites to these latest versions as soon as possible. All admins of registered Moodle sites have been notified with security issue details.

Upgrading should be very straightforward. Full details about the releases can be found in the release notes:

The releases themselves are available via the Moodle download page as packages or direct from our CVS and Git repositories.

CMS Report's Ten Additional Stories for 2011

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Submitted by Bryan on

The problem I have with top ten lists is that inevitably there is a story that should have made the list but didn't. Last week, I posted CMS Report's Top Ten Stories of 2011 and wished I could have included additional stories. The articles listed were ranked by popularity based by how many times viewed and the rate that they were viewed through the year. Popular stories do not always signify well written articles and they aren't always an indication of my personal favorites.

In case you missed these stories the first time around, below are ten additional content management articles we published in 2011. Every article deserves a second chance to be highlighted or tweeted again.

Moodle 2.1 Released

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Submitted by Bryan on

Martin Dougiamas from Moodle.org announced today the release of Moodle 2.1. Moodle is a learning management system which in simple terms can be described as a niche CMS geared toward the education field.

Moodle LogoMajor new features in Moodle 2.1 include the following:

  • A new question engine (used by quizzes, for example), which makes questions more robust and will enable developers to create all kinds of interesting question types in the future.
  • Restoring of Moodle 1.9 backups is now possible.
  • Moodle 2.1 now directly supports mobile apps for some functions. In addition, there is direct support for mobile-specific Moodle Themes and automatic detection of mobile browsers.

Digging into the release notes, you'll also find additional changes in this version of Moodle include:

  • Ability to copy (or clone) an activity
  • Ability to navigate navigation/settings menu and dock with keyboard
  • Improved plugins check/overview page
  • Upgraded TinyMCE (a rich text editor) to the latest version 3.4.2
  • New performance setting for calculating an appropriate timeout during large cURL requests
  • Daylight saving should be calculated for users having string timezone
  • Messaging Improvements: Site administrators can now control which message delivery methods can be used for each message type

Moodle 2.1 is available from a number of sources including packaged form from the Moodle download page, direct access via a git repository or one of Moodle's CVS mirrors.

Multimedia integration with Moodle now made quick and easy with Packt's latest book

Packt is delighted to announce Moodle 2.0 Multimedia Cookbook, which aims at helping users learn how to add photographs, videos, animations, and much more to make their Moodle course even more interactive without the need to read through long tutorials. Written by Silvina P. Hillar, the book provides a plethora of recipes showing how to manage, link, and embed different multimedia resources into a Moodle course.

Moodle JavaScript Cookbook

Packt is delighted to announce Moodle JavaScript Cookbook, a collection of over 50 step by step recipes to enhance Moodle with JavaScript and the Yahoo! User Interface Library. Written by Alastair Hole, author of award-winning Moodle repository plugin- MrCUTE, the book explores a wide range of modern interactive features, from AJAX to Animation to create more dynamic and responsive Moodle systems.

Moodle is a free source e-learning software platform. It has become very popular among educators around the world as a tool for creating online dynamic web sites for their students. Its open source license and modular design allows any developer to create additional modules and features.

Moodle JavaScript Cookbook starts off by explaining the basics of combining Moodle with JavaScript and its various libraries. It then shows readers how to integrate Yahoo! User Interface Library with Moodle and will be the main focus throughout the book. Readers will also learn how to add validation features to their Moodle forms, retrieve and process data from external sites in a range of formats using AJAX.

Moodle 2.0.3 and Moodle 1.9.12 released

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The folks over at Moodle have released versions 2.0.3 and 1.9.12 of their open source learning management system (LMS). Helen Foster writes in the Moodle announcement:

In addition to a number of bug fixes and small improvements, five security vulnerabilities (4 major, 1 minor) in 2.0.2 and two security vulnerabilities (both major) in 1.9.11 have been discovered and fixed. Thanks to the reporters and to all the team responsible for fixing these security issues.

Some of the new features and improvements in Moodle 2.0.3 include:

The latst versions of Moodle can be found at Moodle.org's download page.

Create feature-rich extensions using Moodle

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Submitted by richarddias on

Packt is pleased to announce its new book titled "Moodle 1.9 Top Extensions Cookbook" that will help users to install and configure the best Moodle modules. Written by Michael De Raadt, this book covers many features and techniques in order to allow readers to organize their ideas and thus, to improve teaching using Moodle as a virtual learning platform.

Moodle is a free web application that educators can use to create effective online learning sites. It is designed to help educators create online courses with a focus on interaction and collaborative construction of content. Its open source license and modular design allows developers to create additional modules and features.

Moodle 1.9 Top Extensions Cookbook starts off with simple activities such as adding and installing modules. It then goes on to explain an interesting topic about the integration of multimedia into Moodle, covering major multimedia elements. Ultimately, the book shows readers how to use Moodle to accept and assess coursework submissions, discuss work with students, and deliver quizzes, tests, and videos.

Book: Create and evaluate interactive tests using Moodle

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Submitted by richarddias on

Moodle 1.9 Testing and Assessment is a new book from Packt that puts together a variety of modules and activities that will help readers to easily create a variety of tests on any subject and assess them using Moodle Gradebook. Written by Jason Myrick, this book will assist readers to develop and assess simple as well as complex quizzes and tests.

Moodle is a free web application that educators can use to create effective online learning sites. It is designed to help educators create online courses with a focus on interaction and collaborative construction of content. Its open source license and modular design allows developers to create additional modules and features.

Moodle 1.9 Testing and Assessment starts off by teaching readers to create different types of questions such as short answer questions, multiple choice questions, and so on. Users will then realize how to integrate all of them in a Moodle quiz and to create a complete test by setting the various options such as Timing, Display, and others. They will learn how to test and assess students through work submitted using Moodle Workshop which also provides an opportunity for self- and peer-assessment of the student's work.

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