Online Learning Unit Site

Hosting Services

I am trialling Bluehost as my webhosting service
It has a range of easy setup tools for a range of open source web packages.
It allows hosting of multiple domains from the same account
It uses Fantastico for one-click installation of WordPress, Moodle, Gallery and whole host of other software.
My main website Wisebytes.net has been hosted at PhpWebhosting.com for almost 10 years now, and I have to say that the service has been very reliable and cheap. But the control panel functionality is very limited compared with Bluehost's offerings.

I use Moodle as my LMS of choice for open source webhosting
I would select Moodle for small or large organisations and I would set up as many installations as needed. Many small servers are just as easy to run and are more robust than one or two large servers.
An example of a Moodle site I've hosted is the AGPNS Study
Moodle is easy to set up and has many high level features.
If you find that Moodle suits you on a small trial (such as offered here) it is easy to move courses to a larger hosting service or to set up your own dedicated Moodle service.

My blogging software of choice is WordPress
I run my own blog using Wordpress at Wisebytes.net
Anyone wanting an educational blog should check out Edublogs.org, especially if you are based in Melbourne, Australia, because that's where James Farmer, its founder, is based.
Anyone wanting to write a blog should read Stephen Downes article How to be heard

My wiki software of choice is MediaWiki, made famous by WikiPedia.
I run a MediaWiki site at Wisebytes.net
I am not convinced that collaborative writing are quite as useful as they first seem to be, because I'm not convinced that very many people actually write collaboratively.
Wikis are great for sharing information, but before you set up a wiki, make sure that everyone really does want to share!! This is not a trivial thing. Some reasons for not sharing:
- Copyright / Intellectual Property reasons
- Different motivations for writing
- Different theoretical perspectives
- Different styles and use of language
Wikis are great for sharing the task of documentation, or for spreading limited expertise and saving people asking the same question a zillion times over.

I am currently trialling Gallery2
I have a Test Gallery site, but I can't guarantee it is working or stable or visible.
This is a Gallery Site that I really like.
There are tools to integrate Gallery with WordPress, MediaWiki and possibly also with Moodle.
There is an upload facility to go directly from Aperture (my photo management system) and you can also use a remote client, WebDav or FTP.
Gallery has a flexible set of permissions to allow different viewing, upload and download permissions for individual users and groups.

Social Networking Software (e.g., MySpace, Friendster and Facebook) is exactly that - social networking
Much learning occurs through social networks, but social networking software does not, itself, create social networks, and not all social networks are "Learning Environments".
Sites such as DeviantArt are social networks around a specific shared learning context, but people do not necessarily want to link their leisure-time learning to their Work.
People can link to their existing social learning networks if they like to link their social network to their formal learning environment.

I don't know too much about how to use library resources for sharing information.
I love the SuperSearch facility at University of Melbourne, but I am yet to sort out how to link to online resources easily in a way that facilitates access for those who have legitimate access.
I hope to learn more about accessing digital resources soon.