Yesterday was the first day I actually tried upgrading a Moodle 1.9 version to Moodle 2.0 (I used a testing site – NOT production and it didn’t matter one bit if I lost it all). I was stuck while upgrading with the error:

When I click “continue” it goes back to beginning screen of the upgrade. I tried deleting the table and I got another error from a different table. I then reverted back to my 1.9 version and tried removing the non-core modules and still no luck. Although, I don’t think I have removed all of the modules and data – I’m going to try that next. One other thing was that the php extension “Intl” was not installed. I believe this is optional but I am installing that on the server to test.

I tried this upgrade pretty much on the fly and not very cleanly, however I’m going to still keep it and fiddle with it. I’m also currently installing a fresh Moodle 1.9.10 install to try and upgrade it to 2.0 with no data. I’ll post on this when I complete it.

The point of this stream of thoughts post isn’t really the technical parts of upgrading as I am planning on doing a bunch of testing and waiting quite awhile to begin seriously upgrading for a pilot like state.

The point of this post is to start thinking about transitioning from Moodle 1.9 to Moodle 2.0. Not just the technical parts.

Initial questions

• When to upgrade?
• How much training will users need?
• How do I go about telling users about the change that is coming?
• How do I make the “change” be a good thing to our users and not another hurdle and “another thing to learn”?
• All themes are new – should I remove all old ones?
• Make a pilot group for Moodle 2.0?
• What about modules users currently use that aren’t in Moodle 2.0?
• I’m not familiar with the real use of the Gradebook and Quiz – are there big differences?
• Where to go for help?

Future Action Items on the Roadmap to 2.0

• Duplicate our current district Moodle site and test the upgrade
  • Test compatibility – themes, courses and modules
• Talk with tech integration specialists and come up with a plan of action for training, ease of transition
• Round up some super Moodlers in the district to pilot and get feedback
• Search like crazy online to see the main upgrade/transition issues

So far…lots of questions. I don’t plan on doing anything serious, like getting pilot users, until Moodle 2.1 gets closer and the backup and restore function works. I hope to have it working next Fall because we’re only in our 2nd year and if we switch over soon there will be less courses and users to transition. However, I don’t want to push it out early because if it’s not ready it will create more problems.

Start of the 2.0 Journey

So, I guess that was my first post of many about the Roadmap to Transitioning into Moodle 2.0. I’ll be posting more of my journey as I troubleshoot and brainstorm the best way to have a smooth transition.

EDIT: After writing this original draft I came across some php 5.3 issues when dealing with the php extension Intl. I believe these issues deal with Moodle 1.9. I am in the process of figuring out with my host what needs to be done. Will update later.

It’s been awhile!

I’ve been busy the last few months as I’ve taken a new job but now that I’m settling in I wanted to take a quick stop and present some recent Moodle 2.0 links and news I’ve gathered from other blogs, my Google reader and Twitter of course : )

Moodle 2.0

• Opinion – Why a delayed Moodle 2.0 matters (Moodlenews.com)
• Moodle 2.0 Release Candidate 1 (9/23/2010) News update from Martin Dougiamas on Moodle.org
• Download Moodle 2.0 Release Candidate 1
• Moodle 2.0 Release Candidate 1 Release Notes
• Try Moodle 2.0 out on the Moodle 2.0 DEMO SITE
• Moodlenews.com “Moodle 2.0 Posts“

Coming soon… reviews on some Moodle books, other great links to resources, news and Moodle articles…

…..Moodle on!

Just a quick note to stay updated with Moodle 2.0 news at Moodle Monthly. Moodle 2.0 Beta recently came out and is available at Moodle.org for download.

Recent posts

• What’s up with FTP in Moodle2.0? by @moodledan #moodle2PR
• 4 part video preview of #Moodle2 by @Moodler
• @ghenrick showcases the #moodle2 navigation
• @Moodleman outlines #Moodle2 conditional activities

Other ways to keep informed of the development of Moodle 2.0

• Moodle Monthly web site
• Moodle Monthly Twitter – @moodlenews
• Martin Dougiamas – @moodler
• #Moodle2 Twitter hash tag

This is sort of a two part post…

I recently joined the Moodle Monthly team and started off by telling my experience of implementing Moodle into a school district.

Stopping on that note – I’ve been meaning to write a blog post about this great new site, Moodlemonthly.com. By now, most of you already know : ) but Joseph Thibault started up the site and it has multiple daily posts with up to date information, breaking news and resources. Check it out and follow @moodlenews (Moodle Monthly Twitter handle) on Twitter.

Okay, back to my series of blog posts that will be on Moodle Monthly about my experience with implementing Moodle – I’ll be breaking down the process into segments based on topics over the next few weeks. After I’m done I will probably collect the links and write up a post on Moodlerific to reference all of the posts in one place.

I wanted to post this quick link I just found from @tobyholman showing Moodle’s growth graphically on a map. Check it out! It looks like it’s from Moodle.org. Moodle rocks!

Planet Moodle

• Meeting moodlefairy 10-23-09 (Helen Foster)
• Moodle 1.9.7 supports IMS CC import 10-20-09 (Helen Foster)

Other

• Testing Moodle for Accessibility 10-21-09 (Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org)

….and More

Recently I’ve been helping out with getting our district’s Moodle-Google SSO fully working. It had been working but we ran into a few issues. I think we have solved our problem…we’ll see tomorrow! I plan to write a complete blog post about our situation and how we were able to get it working which will hopefully help others out there in the same situation. We’re using Ubuntu 8.0.4, Moodle 1.9.1+ and the LDAP Authentication.

Although it’s a few weeks into school I thought I would give a few good links for the beginning of a new school year.

Here are a few “introductory” type videos and presentations

• Show your colleagues what Moodle is all about (presentation) (GlobalClassroom)
• Moodle Student Induction Video 2009/2010 (via @sukhwantlota)
• How can Moodle change a school (Part 1) (thanks @edtechsandyk)
• Moodle Presentation [Version 2.0, HD] (thanks @edtechsandyk)

Moodle blogs

• GlobalClassroom – This blog has many great Moodle related posts. It’s updated frequently and it’s a great Moodle (as well as educational) resource for new learning, discovering new tools and getting some great links.
• Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org – Another awesome blog with educational and Moodle posts. This blog is also frequently updated and I find myself visiting it quite often.
• Moodleblog.org – A blog all about Moodle. Posts consist of tips and tricks, ideas, how tos and more. Another blog to bookmark!
• Check out all of the other equally as great Moodle blogs on my Resources page

Moodle.org Help

• Moodle Docs (official documentation – I use this all the time)
• Using Moodle – This is an actual course on moodle.org. It consists of all forums. If you have a question, this is the place to go! This is the best source for Moodle help.

Other Moodle Resources

• WeFollow Moodle – Looking for fellow Moodlers using Twitter? Here is a dynamic list of Moodle Twitter users. Awesome!
• Moodle Administration book – Great book for Moodle admins. I highly recommend this book for future admins or even current ones. I was a Moodle admin for more than 1 year and I still learned a bunch.
• Moodle Course Conversion: Beginner’s Guide – Another great book targeted towards teachers. This is an excellent book to help you convert your current course into an online Moodle course. By the end of this book you will have an engaging Moodle course. What I like about this book is that it gives real life examples and less step-by-step directions.
• MoodleTutorials.org – A YouTube-like site with all Moodle video tutorials.

This is another official update to the original “Shift Happens” video.

“Did You Know 4.0″

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILQrUrEWe8

For credits and more information visit the xplanevisualthinking YouTube Channel.

There are so many more great Moodle sites, these are just a few. Check out my Resources page for a more complete list. I plan on updating and organizing that resources page soon, so if you have any I’ve missed please let me know!

It took awhile for me to finish reading “Moodle Course Conversion: Beginner’s Guide” by Ian Wild but definitely not because I did not enjoy it, I have simply been very busy! I recently read and reviewed “Moodle Administration”, which is also from Packt Publishing, and like that book I was impressed with this one as well. I was actually a little more impressed with the Course Conversion book!

One reason why I enjoyed reading this book so much is because it did a good job of covering a lot of topics without overloading your brain. It guided the reader from start to finish – creating a new course to backing that course up and everything in the middle. Of course the book could not explain every single feature in depth but I thought it did a great job of covering the main, important topics.

Another reason why I enjoyed this book is because it put the reader in the teacher role where I am used to being in the administrator role. The author told you his own experiences and it was good to know that he’s been in that teaching position so he knows what it’s like. The book even gives the reader web sites and resources to use within Moodle like Voki, Odeo and Slide.com.

A big reason why I think this book would be so useful for Moodle users is that it shows the reader real classroom applications. It goes through many common tasks that teachers will more than likely run into like working with PowerPoints, taking images from a Word document, how to zip files so you can upload multiple files at once to Moodle, using video in Moodle and more. Instead of focusing only on the “how tos” and explaining the actual Moodle features it showed how to use the features by using real examples such as embedding a YouTube video with “compose a web page” or transforming a project into Moodle assignments.

It would get very boring and probably overwhelm a reader if it were to give you step by step directions on “how to” use a Moodle resource or activity, so by giving the reader an example on when and how a feature could be used is much more engaging and memorable. It may also spark some ideas for the reader or they could even use that very example in their own Moodle course.

To sum it up, I would highly recommend this book for any teacher that is planning to start using Moodle with their class. This book gives you the knowledge and power to create an engaging Moodle course from start to finish by taking you along his own journey of converting his course into Moodle. If a reader were to read this book and follow along by creating their own course I would be confident that it would be a success. Being a Moodle admin/trainer/support I can greatly appreciate this book for showing me the “teacher side” of a Moodle course. What I’m also taking from this book is the knowledge of other resources to use in a Moodle course, some great ideas and information about Moodle feature settings I never knew (wikis, gradebook, scales, lessons). Finally, it has helped me and will continue to help me form and structure our district’s Moodle help page. I have always struggled with how to display and give Moodle help and support to users in an online format because there is just so much information. This book has given me a few ideas on how to structure online Moodle help.

I could go on and on about the specifics in this book and the interesting things I found but I would really recommend buying it so you can read for yourself and refer back to it in the future – I know I will! Now, I must get back to all of the post-its I stuck in the book to try out and explore on my own Moodle site!

Related Links:

• Buy Moodle Course Conversion: Beginner’s Guide
• Moodle Course Conversion: Beginner’s Guide complete table of contents
• Packt Publishing Moodle Books