Moodle

Puntos a favor: As an online learning designer, Moodle is a fantastic tool because it integrates multiple options for learning and collaboration between both on and off campus students. It is incredibly flexible with a plethora of both simple and advanced features which can be integrated at a teacher’s preference, and the entire teaching experience can be run through the system. It’s agile enough to integrate with multiple external software systems so is less restrictive than some LMS systems.
The interface can be configured to suit individual institutions or teaching and allows a teacher to monitor all activity.
As a course designer, Moodle Analytics are extremely valuable because I can see exactly what parts of the course are being accessed, how often, and if they are being completed. This allows me to know if individual components of the course are beneficial to learning or if it needs changing or replacing, without the risk of violating student or institution privacy.
When working for an institution that is a Moodle partner, I like the opportunity to help shape Moodle’s future by offering submissions direct to the designers.

Contras: Whenever updates for Moodle are released (six monthly) there are always some problems with existing content, especially with non-standard features that have been designed exclusively for a course or institution. Sometimes they are not immediately evident and can cause issues during the teaching period.
Moodle is a very large, powerful system, so it can take considerable time to understand it well enough to be confident designing and teaching courses. Also, if support staff are not on hand it can be difficult to resolve issues or find ways to integrate special requests from teachers.

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.

Contras: 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.