Moodle versus WebCt

2007-03-09T07:13:00.000-08:00

Moodle versus WebCT
The popularity of online education has prompted many new software packages, such as Moodle and WebCT. Moodle is a program for online learning and also know as a Course Management System (CMS), or Learning Management Systems (LMS), or Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). According to an article, A Free, Easy, and Constructivist Online Learning Tool by Maikish, “Moodle is a free, open source course management system software package that is designed to help educators create quality online content and a collaborative, interactive environment to support their classroom courses.” It was designed to help teachers create an effective online learning environment. Moodle is a free, open source software package that is used world-wide by universities, schools, companies and independent teachers. The users are free to distribute and modify it, under the terms of the General Public License. It can be downloaded directly from internet. Moodle is an acronym that stands for: Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment .

WebCT (Web Course Tools) is another online learning system that is sold primarily to colleges and is used extensively for online education. It is considered to be the first commercially successful virtual learning environment. The company determines the price of the software based on size of the institution and how it is used. Some universities have instituted a fee for courses that use WebCT. WebCt has also been criticized for being more difficult to use than other course management systems; however this may be because of its flexibility compared to other systems. In February 2006, WebCT was sold to the competitor Blackboard Inc. and as part of the merger terms, the name WebCt will be phased out in favor of the Blackboard name.
According to the article, Some differences between Moodle and WebCt, “…there are some key differences that make each one special in its own way.” The article listed many differences that I haven’t mentioned such as:
Course format: In WebCt, selecting a course listed under My Courses results in a course homepage with a single format of presentation. In Moodle, selecting a course listed under My Courses results in a course home page with one of three different formats, determined by the instructor’s choice.
Communication tools: In WebCt, you can send email to all students or those in a subset.
In Moodle, using the instant messaging tool, you can send messages to offline users.
Assignments: In WebCt, you have only one type of assignment, where a student submits files to this assignment. In Moodle, there are three types of Assignments that you can choose depending on your needs, Offline Activity, Online Text, and Upload a single file. Others differences mentioned include communication tools, lessons, search, choice, tracking, etc.
In conclusion, both are CMS for online learning, with strong and weak points. The decision of which one to use would have to be based on the user’s need.

References:
Maikish, A. (2006) MOODLE: A Free, Easy, and Constructivist Online Learning Tool. MultiMedia & Internet@Schools, 13(3), 26-28. May/Jun2006, Vol. 13 Issue 3 Retrieved Tuesday, March 06, 2007 from the MasterFILE Premier database.
Moodle (March 2007). Retrieved March 8, 2007 from
http://moodle.org/.

Some Differences Between Moodle and WebCT (June 8, 2006).
Retrieved March 8, 2007 from http://wwwlb.aub.edu.lb/~acc/Moodle/MoodleFaculty/MoodleFacTutorials/Moodle_vs_WebCT_8June06.pdf

WebCt (March 8, 2007). Retrieved March 8, 2007 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebCt

Comparing HD-DVD and Blue Ray DVD

2007-02-25T18:48:00.000-08:00

A comparison of HD-DV and Blue Ray DVD

Technology has taken quantum leaps in the 21st century and as a result, consumers are demanding technology that can integrate movies and games into one format. Two such products are HD DVDs and Blue Ray DVDs.
HD DVD or High-Definition DVD is a high-density optical disc format designed for the storage of data and high-definition video. It is one of the two major formats competing for the emerging high definition DVD market. HD DVD was designed from the standard definition forum but with outstanding high-definition resolution in video and audio. Toshiba launched HD DVDs in the United States on April 17, 2006. The major companies backing the technology are Canon Inc., Digital Theater Systems, Hitachi Maxell, Ltd., and Kenwood Corporation. HD DVD can store about three times as much data as its predecessor, specifically, offers 1080 lines of video resolution, compared to the 576/480 lines offered by DVDs today. It can store 15GB per layer and permit several more features to fit onto a disc with space-saving forms of compression.
“Blue-ray” is the other major format competing for the emerging high definition DVD market. “Blue-ray” comes from the use of blue-violet laser to read and write data instead of red which is used for current DVDs.
Both DVDs and Blue-ray come in single layer and dual-layer versions, although a single layer Blue-ray disc will store around 25GB or 50GB for a dual layer, which is more than 5 to 10 times the capacity of a single layer DVD. This improvement is due mainly to the use of blue laser instead of red laser and also improved lens specifications of 0.65, which means that the data layer is placed “closer” to the laser lens than in DVD so there is less distortion. Blu-ray DVDs have a higher rotational speed that allows the data transfer rate to be over three times of HD DVDs. According to Manners, Electronics Weekly, “Blu-Ray is championed by Sony and Philips while HD-DVD is championed by Toshiba. The major content providers, the Hollywood studios, have lined up behind one or other camp with some saying they will release content on both formats.”
According to Demos, in Fortune, “Blu-Ray is the superior technology, but HD-DVD is cheaper. Neither format will probably win outright; eventually content makers may release on both formats, and hardware makers may include dual-play capability.”
However, according to Kallender, PC World, “after more than a year of touting Blu-ray disc as the best technology to replace DVD …Sony, one of Blu-ray’s major bakers, has opened the door to the possibility of unifying the format with its arch rival, HD-DVD.”

References

Demos, T. (2005). DVD Tug of War. Fortune, 152(12), 32-32. Retrieved Friday, February 23, 2007 from the MasterFILE Premier database.

Kallender, Paul. "Sony May Unite Blu-Ray Disc, HD-DVD." PC World. 24 Mar. 2005. IDG News Service. 23 Feb. 2007 .

Manners, D. (2005). Blue laser, double-sided 27Gbytes DVD market still growing despite standard format battle. Electronics Weekly, Retrieved Friday, February 23, 2007 from the MasterFILE Premier database.

Library

Moodle versus WebCt

Comparing HD-DVD and Blue Ray DVD