ELIS made headlines earlier this year when it was open sourced by Remote-Learner and shared as a resource at Moodle.org.  The newest version appears to be available through that addon/plugin repository entry: http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=13&rid=4894

According to Michael Penney,

The main improvements/fixes in this release are a big improvement in report times in ELIS for reports with data for very large numbers of user’s (50,000+), and a big reduction in the memory used by Integration Point.

For more information or to download the Enterprise Learning Intelligence Suite visit https://github.com/remotelearner or check out the presentation below:

From the entry,

As a highly flexible system, ELIS(TM) is widely used in a variety of learning programs. ELIS(TM) is a set of add-ons to standard Moodle, these add-ons provide the administrative, business intelligence, data mining, learning management, content management, and longitudinal record keeping functions that standard Moodle does not provide. ELIS(TM) code is managed by Remote-Learner’s team of long time Moodle experts, core developers, and expert support and training staff.

Find out more about ELIS by visiting the official documentation: http://rlcommunity.remote-learner.net/

Moodlenews: Why release now?

Justin Williams: ELIS was always built as an open source application. That is the reason for using Alfresco and Jaspersoft. However, at the time, we did not have the infrastructure and GIT repository to create automated support for the community through the release versions. We now have those systems in place to do so.

MN: Any big name companies that use ELIS?

JW: I can mention that we have numerous K-12, HigherEd and Corporate clients using ELIS for Moodle, including Ashley Furniture and the International Monetary Fund.

MN: When can the community expect ELIS 2.0?

JW: As stated…we released the 1.9 compatible version for now and will be releasing the 2.0 version in the Sept/Oct time frame. We are excited about the product and the potential of it with the assistance of the community.

If you’re interested in seeing a demo/slide show of ELIS check out the embedded presentation below (or here)

You can easily add your own tip or trick by simply opening and editing the document.

• View the presentation at https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dhn2vcv5_843fgbk2dk;
• edit the presentation at https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AclS3lrlFkCIZGhuMnZjdjVfODQzZmdiazJkaw&hl=en

Check them all out, add your own and don’t forget to spread the word!

Which is why the Forums Code of Conduct is so important for a Moodler: http://docs.moodle.org/en/Moodle.org_forums_Code_of_Conduct

Tips for getting the fastest answer include,

• checking the FAQs and searching the forums before posting (it’s possible that other Moodlers have had and resolved your same issue!)
• find the appropriate forum
• post a clear and descriptive title to your post
• outline your Moodle version and specific hosting details (this will help the community triage and solve your particular issue)
• provide feedback

Be sure to read the quick tips about #Good_conduct as well which highlight the do’s and don’ts of posting at Moodle.org.  It’s a great community resource and I encourage all Moodlers to seek help in the forums (and to contribute answers where applicable).

My favorite part though is his slideshow which highlights how the Community of hubs and sharing of courses can grow exponentially with just a few connections.

If you’re curious about how the hub/Mooch will work or how to get connected, check out the presentation below, read Tomaz’s post or visit the Mooch:

Forum: http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=160814#p704253

A Moodle Admin/Teacher, Drew Mortensen has solicited the communities help in order kick off a Moodle integration event.  Kind of like a Moodle-barn raising!

In about thirty-six hours from now, on Monday [10/25/10] night from 6pm to 8pm EST, I will be leading six school districts in a kick-off event to start their use of Moodle. As an effort to demonstrate the power and generosity of the Moodle Community, I would like to show the teachers and tech directors at our meeting what can happen in less than two days time. Please consider making a short recording (audio/video) of yourself talking briefly about your own experiences with Moodle. I’m not looking for how-to videos, I’m looking for personal stories… How/Why is the Moodle community meaningful to you? [emphasis added]

There are already a few submissions, including a nice quick video about Mary Cooch’s (@Moodlefairy) experience with Moodle at her own institution and the self-evident importance of the Moodle.org forums for support.  Below is Mary’s video embedded and here’s a quick link to her own blog where it’s also posted with additional commentary: http://www.moodleblog.org/?m=201010

Check out the original thread and contribute your own testimonial here: http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=160814#p704253

Just like a Personal Learning Network (PLN) finding a peer group of Moodlers can really provide you with the motivation and inspiration to take your Moodling to the next level.  We all need support when using new technology or learning something new.  So here are 5 of the biggest, in no particular order.

iMoodle [600+ members]: this Ning-based social network is a great place to find resources and connect with peers.  According to the site, “The iMoodle network discusses all things Moodle, the popular LMS (learning management system) preferred by educational institutions & ESPs.”  Find events, videos, free course opportunities and ask questions on the easy to use Ning forums.  iMoodle’s Ning was founded by (and may be sponsored informally by) a member of the WizIQ/Authorgen staff, Jagdeep Singh Pannu.

MoodleMeet [1100+ members]: created by Moodle author, Laurie Korte (“Moodle Magic – Make it Happen”) and originally hosted by Ning, this social network provides a similar service to iMoodle and is a destination for sharing Moodle tips and meeting new Moodlers.  Laurie’s intention was to create a space where Moodlers could meet online in order to collaborate in their own classrooms.  So if you’re looking for someone to work with directly in a Moodle classroom, this might be it.

MoodleMayhem [200 members]: this relatively new Moodle group was created by Miguel Guhlin primarily for TX based Moodlers.  It’s grown beyond that though and has provided a Google-based email list for asking questions/finding tips (~1-3 emails per week), a regular podcast series and additional quality resources provided by it’s creators and the growing membership with editing ability on the site.  If you’re looking for a collaborative, grassroots Moodle community with legit practitioners at the helm: this is it.

Moodle.org [nearly 1,000,000 members]: the quintessential one-stop-shop for all things Moodle.  From the expert programmers providing feedback and help to the informal, “social” forums where you can debate Google’s level of evil, Moodle.org should be in every Moodler’s bookmark list and one of the first destinations with an issue or question.  Searching the forums will provide a history of discussion forums and Moodle docs outlining the millions of contributions to the site over nearly a decade.

LearnCentral’s Moodle Group [300 members]: LearnCentral is Elluminate’s collaborative/webinar focused social network where users can connect in discussion forums but also plan and deliver synchronous learning sessions through the popular Elluminate platform.  The service is free, the only caveat is that all sessions must be public.

Others that you might be interested in:

• For the Canadians out there: http://ceetbc.ning.com/
• IT4All runs regular (now paid, but inexpensive) Moodle courses: http://www.integrating-technology.com/
• Or start your own!

You might have heard of Teachbook.  It’s the website getting sued by social networking behemoth, Facebook for infringing on the use of the “[insert random word here]book” brand that Facebook has ever so diligently built (note sarcasm).  Considering that Facebook’s name itself is lifted from a product that was once in print, I’m not a fan of the litigation.  Not to mention that they’ve taken it all a step further and are moving to protect use of the word “face” as well.

Dear Mark Zuckerburg,

Stop it.

Anyways, what most people don’t know about Teachbook is that the collaboration it promotes occurs at least in part on a Moodle site.  (Where’s your Moodle, Facebook?)  On the Teachbook Moodle, while there are only 8 courses, you can see the level of collaboration within those courses by the number of co-facilitators/teachers enrolled.

According to the site:

When you join Teachbook, you can:
+Manage your professional profile and all information in your account by choosing to share with administrators, colleagues, parents or public
+Create and search lesson plans, instructional videos, and other teaching resources
+Manage your classroom communications with secure parent-teacher communication tools, such as a gradebook, events calendar, classroom newsletter, and homework space
+Communicate and connect with colleagues though discussion, chat, blogs, and more
+Gain new teaching knowledge and insights from like-minded professionals in groups
+Create and manage online courses and instructional modules
+Enable teachers to manage their student grades by recording, calculating, and sharing them in a secure online gradebook.

Teachbook is taking the social aspects of the web and going one further by providing both the training and the tools necessary to master the use of online course management systems.  I think it could be a hit service and community.  Even if it has to change it’s name.

Note, at the publishing of this post there existed a redirect issue on the Teachbook Moodle site (always returning you to the home page).  A support ticket was submitted to Teachbook staff to alert them of the issue.