For two of my modules, I have been using Wordpress MU. This is the
multi-user version, designed for ISPs and others who want to let lots of
people sign up for blogs.
But the authentication has been modified to use LDAP, using the central
university LDAP server to authenticate using the students' single
sign-on to university facilities, and a local LDAP to only accept
students on the module. The same LDAP authenticates their access to
Mediawiki and Wikindx.
Since only my students were using it, I didn't need to install and
activate Akismet to spot spam, which we had to do for
http://wheel.e-consultation.org/ and http://diversity.e-consultation.org/ .
I asked my students to use these blogs to keep their learning logs of
their project work (http://mmk.mgt.qub.ac.uk/blogs/ and
http://itsoc.mgt.qub.ac.uk/blogs/). They continued to use their Bebo
accounts for everything else (like checking where a project group member
had disappeared to).
For next year, I'm thinking of using ELGG (www.elgg.org): for learning
logs, project work, and informal Personal Development Planning (as
opposed to the formal recording system being done centrally).
As for central facilities, there are 3 possible approaches:
1. Set up a series of tools for student writing (as opposed to reading),
and see which ones they use.
2. Direct them to outside services, but provide a place they can enter
links to those, so people inside the university can find them.
3. Look at setting up environments to support wide groups of particular
learners with common needs. Just like Sourceforge.net provides all the
tools for free software developers, you could imagine combinations of
tools to support social science Ph.D. students right across Europe.
No. 3 is more work, but could be funded under Erasmus or the Framework 7
second ICT call on technology-enhanced learning.
--
Dr. David R. Newman, Queen's University Belfast, School of
Management and Economics, Belfast BT7 1NN, Northern Ireland (UK)
Tel. +44 28 9097 3643 FAX: +44 28 9097 5156
mailto:[log in to unmask]
http://www.qub.ac.uk/mgt/
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