Starting the Journey to transition to Moodle 2.0 #moodle2
Posted on December 28th, 2010 in Information, Moodle 2.0 | 4 Comments »
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.




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