Moodle

Comentarios: I think I stated most if not all the benefits in the "pro" section. It's a great time saver once courses are set up.
I can see the stats on my students' involvement with the various parts of it.
I can cut down paper work by having files submitted electronically.
I can use rubrics of my own design to quickly grade programming assignments
I can mark up PDF submissions on the screen to give feedback.
I can moderate discussions and teach students how to speak in a forum setting.
I can provide more opportunities for students to think and produce more creatively.
I can enjoy creating my own materials!

Puntos a favor: Moodle allows me to provided a blended learning environment for my students. I use it for AP Statistics, AP Computer Science A, AP Computer Science Principles, and Integrated Math 1. I can post assignment schedules, additional readings, links to off-site materials, etc. just as I did in my web pages in the past. However, it also allows me to assign "lessons" that my students do interactively online, discussion boards where they have to write their thoughts coherently, and assignments where students upload files for me to review and grade. It has become an important communication tool for me to use with both students and parents outside school hours. No student can say they forgot their book at school or don't remember the assignment because texts and assignments are online in Moodle. Parents can see what their students are doing in my class academically and not just the grades they receive. Moodle has become more important to my teaching than the textbook. All resources can be found in one place and students can interact with the materials, each other, and me in class and outside class. We have even implemented a computer lab and device reservation system for teachers in Moodle which has saved our librarians a ton of hours of work each week.

Puntos en contra: Moodle is not intuitive to the novice. It took some time for me to learn how to use its many features and implement them well. I have been doing this for at least 8 years, but I am still learning more about the system and its capabilities. As the server administrator, doing upgrades has always been problematic. I don't think an upgrade has ever gone smoothly. The reason I stick with it is because I haven't found a LMS that can offer me as much as Moodle. Plus, it's free and we can run it in-house.

Comentarios: There is not really any cons about Moodle. It is a highly satisfying product that is worth a try.

Puntos a favor: First: It is free! As a student: it has easy navigation, provides a dashboard with all the related courses currently enrolled, it has a calendar on the right highlighting all the upcoming submission dates. It also notifies us about the upcoming events the lecture has set. All the information are arranged in a neat format. It shows the online users. It has portfolio option, makes it easy to keep track of all our works. It also has email facilities so we can email other users. As an administrator: There is so many features incorporated in Moodle! The teacher has the power to design the moodle course in however way they want: It integrates SCORM packages, documents, videos, links, quiz, different grading systems (average/individual) and the grade history of the students on the platform. The teacher also has the flexibility to program when to make one lesson visible (by presetting the time and date), when to close assignment submission past deadline automatically, or to create specific forums and events. One can use moodle to run a class or to act as a learning repertoire. There is also the option to add a chat room for a particular lesson. What I also appreciate is the feature to monitor course participation and activity log report of students. By including keys to the lessons, we can control who we give access to the contents on the forum. Thus it can either be open contents or private. The power lies in the hands of the administrator.

Puntos en contra: The chat feature should be an in-built feature rather than a pop-out screen available only when the administrator adds it as part of a lesson.