File this as “needs further investigation.”
There’s been a blog post on Moodle version 2.0 that’s been sitting in my RSS reader for quite some time now that I’ve only just gotten around to reading and I’m really glad I did, because one portion of it in particular has made me cautiously optimistic.
In “Did You Know Moodle 2.0 Will…” Hans de Zwart writes:
“Not only will Moodle have a proper RSS feed for your internal blog, it will also allow you to import an external blog (based on a feed URL and on tags) and make it available internally. Moodle will make sure that the posts are in sync: so if you delete a post on your internal blog, it will also be removed from your internal blog. Brilliant!”
Potential Implications
This news is really significant if it proves to be true. As I wrote recently, one of the main issues with classrooms blogs is how to track all the disparate conversations and reflections in a manner that can be most effectively pulled back into use in the classroom. Individuals or small networks of people may be thriving in their blogs, but without a means of effectively aggregating and browsing through the content, most of the class will be unaware of its existence.
By (allegedly) bringing in support for external blogs, Moodle 2.0 might just provide a solution for this. Certainly I have visions of grandeur for developing an open system that would do far more than just aggregate content and syndicate it in a manner that’s easy to browse and filter – much like what David Jones discussed here – but in reality any traction on that front is going to be a ways off.
Indeed the changes to Moodle might go a long ways to doing the sorts of things I’d envisaged. The prospect of it being incorporated natively into Moodle is even better.
Blue Sky Speculation
The following is all uninformed speculation on my part, but is theoretically possible nonetheless.
By pulling in content to the system you would be tying the blog posts to student records, which would theoretically open the door to a number of different options.
For instance, if Moodle 2.0 were capable of supporting feeds for different tags – or better yet would dynamically recognise or interogate the associated tags within a single blog RSS feed – you might be able to automatically funnel different posts through to different courses. This might enable instructors to quickly add a section in their Moodle course that contained all the blog feeds of their students.
You would also conceivably be able to start tying blog posts to the gradebook and assessments.
Whether it is a good idea to start assessing blog posts is a completely different matter of course, and in some regards I’m inclined to say it isn’t – however undoubtedly some people will want to, and this might facilitate that.
The point is that a solution for creating gateways to the blogging contributions of a student cohort is a must if you are going to be using blogs in the classroom, and these upcoming changes to Moodle may ultimately facilitate this.
More Investigation Required
That said, the only direct references I’ve seen to this feature are the quote from Hans de Zwart I included above, and a passing reference in the Moodle 2.0 Roadmap to the addition of “commenting to blogs (MDL-8776), as well as support for external blogs.” So more investigation is required before the reality of these changes will be known.
References:
- “Did You Know Moodle 2.0 Will…“, Hans de Zwart
- Moodle 2.0 Roadmap (Moodle Docs)
- Student Projects/Blog Improvements (Moodle Docs)
G’day Mike,
Like you I’m wondering what the support for external blogs in Moodle 2.0 means. What affordances it will provide.
There’s a chance it will make BIM (the tool I’m working on) pointless in the long run. However, in the short run I can’t see my university installing Moodle 2.0 until late 2010, probably early 2011.
I’m also wondering how “blog” specific this will be.
I’m looking at removing “blog” from talk about BIM. BIM is more about feeds. The feed doesn’t have to be from a blog.
As you say, “more investigation required”.
David.
@David Jones: You’re too right about this being bigger than blogs. I fall prey to that bias a bit too frequently I’m afraid since they are my medium of choice in most cases. Learning takes place through many mediums, in many forms and can be represented using many different approaches – most of which can be captured and disseminated via an RSS feed. So we do indeed need to be thinking more broadly than just one platform.
In the case of Moodle v 2.0, I suspect that these changes will make the platform an even more desirable option and substitute for Blackboard than it already is – especially considering how ridiculously inept Bb is at supporting RSS.
I’m increasingly trying to be platform agnostic, but placing Moodle and Bb along side one another it’s clear which option is better. My prediction is that the role out of Moodle 2.0 will mark an even greater exodus from Blackboard than has already occurred…
Support for External Blogs in Moodle 2.0 http://tinyurl.com/ycqt7al
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Retweeting @john_larkin: Support for External Blogs in Moodle 2.0 http://tinyurl.com/ycqt7al
This comment was originally posted on Twitter