The Rocket theme by Julian Ridden (@Moodleman) is a customizable theme to make your site less Moodley (and it succeeds).  The theme has customizable logo, header images and category images and just simply looks great.  It just may be the least Moodley looking theme of all Moodle themes!

Check it out in some screen shots below and get your self a copy at Moodle.org: http://moodle.org/plugins/view.php?plugin=theme_rocket

It’s nice looking and easy to navigate (and courses look great with the theme as well).

Enjoy!

Moodlebook for Moodle 2.2.x forum [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=163036] | Download [https://github.com/moodleman/moodle-theme_moodlebook]

• for both 1.9 and 2.0+
• easy to configure
• still supports blocks
• aesthetically oriented
• no page loads navigating to topics
• no scroll of death
• intuitive
• easy to edit/configure

For more information about the pending release of Moodle 2.1 and the Mobile Moodle App visit:

• 2.1: http://docs.moodle.org/dev/Moodle_2.1_release_notes
• mobile: http://docs.moodle.org/dev/Mobile_app

As a bonus, Julian also provided some basic stats about the iMoot which I thought were worth sharing here, if only to highlight the year over year momentum the event has picked up (and I hope will continue to).

• This year over 540 individuals registered for the event (and many others simply registered for the sites to engage the discussion forums which were open to all registered users).
• Over the 4 days of the event the iMoot site garnered nearly 8000 visits from 79 countries
• Over the 4 days there were more than 500 #imoot tweets
• On the most active day (May 3rd) there were nearly 800 logins as captured by Moodle’s site statistics

Participants also gave kudos to the many outstanding conference sessions which I have to 2nd.  I’ve been going through all of the sessions that I missed and have yet to be let down.  Every presenter was both well prepared and truly and expert on the topic he/she was sharing.  Many thanks for the hard work which was evident across the board.

As a bonus, the session started talking about how to expand the iMoot presence and influence next year and asked for the capability to create “Mini” iMoot events. The solution is http://mini.imoot.org which I hope to see evolve over the next year with additional shorter presentation days and mini-conferences.

If you missed this year, stay tuned for next because this is not an event you want to miss.  If you’re an attendee you can go back and watch the Wrap up session at this link: http://2011.imoot.org/course/view.php?id=142.

Don’t forget that even if you missed you can still get some Moodle gear/shwag to highlight your skills by visiting the official iMoot online store: http://www.cafepress.com/imoot

There were several really great courses designed, each using some of the new features in Moodle 2.0 like conditional activities.  My personal favorite was more about the content than the aesthetic: Kristian Still’s (@kristianstill)  ”A Climate for Change” included game-like course resources and activities where the student was on a mission to save the world.  The course included some really great audio based narration which I found very engaging (and brought me back to my non-computer game based classroom exercises and the excitement that a well executed fantasy scenario can bring to academic content).

Before the challenge was commenced there was also a course design panel featuring many of the most well-known Moodlers internationally: Gavin Henrick, Mary Cooch, Michelle Moore, Mark Drechsler, Julian Ridden, Tomaz Lasic and Joyce Seitzinger.  When it’s available I highly recommend watching the replay.

Below are a few screen shots of my favorite entries (and if you didn’t quite catch it yet, the theme was Climate Change).

Last weekend I was one of 100s of participants of the 2nd annual iMoot (online Moodle conference) event which was hosted and organized by Pukunui Technologies. Most notably the behind the scenes was managed by a tireless Julian Ridden (@Moodleman) and his staff of session moderators and helpers who got each presentation off without (mostly) a hitch and off to the races.

A few takeaways:

1. This year’s event was bigger and better than ever.  While there is only 1 year to compare, this event is certainly growing and will continue to evolve.
2. Adobe Connect was the main focus of griping.  I never had an issue with Adobe’s conference tool (across 4 sessions and 4 recorded sessions) but I heard in the conference discussion forums that there seemed to be a lot of issues.  That being said, with any virtual conference technical issues are a certainty.  What I can say is that my personal experience with Connect has always been positive.  The fact that I, and many other conference attendees never experienced the “negative” aspects of Connect is a testament both to the work of the conference organizers and the quality of Adobe’s product.
3. Great session presenters.  I’m still going back and watching the sessions my own session attendees suggested as “the best”.  There are simply SO MANY.  Here were a few that were suggested to me (if you’re so inclined or want to book mark this for when the session archives are publicly available in the future: Open Desktop (a cool collaborative tool), Open Education (Miles Berry), Big Blue Button (an Adobe Connect alternative), Michelle Moore’s Course Design session, and the Course Creation Panel.
4. Awesome attendees. In addition to the great sessions I learned a lot and received great support from my session attendees and my fellow attendees.  Where else can you engage in a direct conversation with other Moodlers while the session is live? If there’s one thing that can be said about your “average” iMoot attendee is that sharing is their modus operandi.
5. No such thing as too much Moodle: when attending a future iMoot, be sure you don’t have anything else scheduled.  I had a hard time managing 2 presentation sessions of my own and juggling the many sessions that caught my eye.  Thank goodness that this conference was on a weekend (mostly) otherwise I would have needed to take vacation days! One thing the iMoot gets right? its non-stop action.

I’m going to continue reviewing some of the sessions I missed (which is a great asset to the iMoot format) and will post some more thoughts and recaps here at Moodlenews.  If you have anything to add as a conference attendee please share it here.

For Participants/Attendees only (but there’s still time to sign up to win free registration, do it now!) on Saturday during the iMoot there is a panel which will “wrestle with the question ‘What makes a great Moodle course?’”

But this isn’t a regular discussion, this is the midway point of a competition to create the best possible Moodle course focused on climate change.  The competition is for iMoot attendees only and is a venue to show off your Moodle prowess and development skills over a short 4 day course creation blitz.  Team up, go solo, or remix a course to show off your command of Moodle 2.0, course design and sound pedagogy.

The panel of judges (also the panel discussing “great Moodle courses” design) includes Mary Cooch, Tomaz Lasic, Julian Ridden, Michelle Moore, Joyce Seitzinger, and Gavin Henrick.

If you’re signed up for the iMoot you can access the Course Creation Challenge at this link: http://2011.imoot.org/course/view.php?id=128.  If you’re going to build a course don’t delay the contest has already started and you could be the world champion Moodle course creator (that’s a made up title; but you can win some books and a free registration to next year’s Moot).

So…what are you waiting for?

Did I mention you get to live/work in Australia?

Check out the full post for the job at Moodle.org: http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=54&rid=4652* or below,

Type: Full-time
Location: Sydney, NSW
Contact:jobs@pukunui.com

Are you passionate about education, eLearning and Open Source? Do you love sharing your passion and knowledge with others? Does the words Moodle or Mahara fill you with a sense of excitement? If you answered yes to these questions then we are looking for you.

Pukunui Technology is a leading official Australian Moodle and Mahara partner. Based in Perth, Pukunui Technology are leaders in educationally focused open source technologies. Through the leveraging of existing systems and the custom development of new code, Pukunui are heavily focused in bringing turnkey integrated education focused solutions to their clients.

With demand for open source at record levels and the demand for experienced eLearning professionals close behind, Pukunui Technology is seeking to employ an experienced and passionate education focused consultant to join their Sydney office to meet this growing demand.

What are we looking for in a Consultant/Trainer?
The key to this role will be your in-depth knowledge and practical experience with the Open Source Moodle product. You will be a passionate educator and enjoy spreading this passion with others.

In this diverse role your responsibilities will be wide and challenging. From consulting with our clients in a face-to-face capacity, to assisting in the creation of documentation and finally through the delivery of detailed training programs you will regularly bring your expertise, passion and knowledge to the table.

As an expert in Moodle, you will assist our clients in transitioning to and implementing Moodle to meet their institutional teaching and learning objectives. You will also assist in growing our Moodle business through pre-sales activities such as product demonstrations, presentations and manual/worksheet creation.

Candidates with either an e-learning consulting, practical teaching or strong Moodle and/or Mahara (eportfolio) experience are encouraged to apply. Candidates with experience across the spectrum will be highly regarded.

Requirements:
+3+ years working with Learning Management Systems such as Moodle and at least 1 year experience with Moodle from a practitioner’s perspective
+A good knowledge of the Mahara ePortfolio platform is beneficial but not a requirement.
+Experience delivering effective face-to-face and online training sessions for LMS applications
+Knowledge of e-learning best practice and instructional design techniques
+Proven effective oral and written communication skills
+A strong personal interest in the fields of education, emerging technologies and pedagogical shifts
+Strong interpersonal skills and networking ability
+HSC or equivalent
+Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (or higher recognised teaching qualification) – BA level preferred but not essential
+Must be an Australian Citizen or have permanent residency / be eligible to live and work in Australia.

How to Apply:
Email your CV and cover letter to jobs@pukunui.com by no later than Friday 1 April 2011

*note that we are not affiliated with Pukunui.com in any way…Just trying to spread the word for this very cool job opportunity.

My recommendation?  Pick one of these 4 keynote/panel presentations which are all easily accessible through the embedded mp3 (or subscribe via iTunes and listen on a long run or trip to do some errands): http://2010.imoot.org/mod/podcast/view.php?id=1035.

Options include:

1. A panel of Moodle.com developers
2. Martin Dougiamas’ keynote which featured Moodle 2.0
3. Julian Ridden and Shane Elliot talking about pulling the 1st ever iMoot together
4. Helen Foster sharing stories from the Moodle community
5. Teresa Gibbison leading a panel of administrators discussing user and course management

Listen to them all!

Direct link: http://2010.imoot.org/mod/podcast/view.php?id=1035