Click to view at larger size or use the Bubbl.us graphic organizer below….

Ken Task approached me the other day at the SOSCON09 and shared something about Moodle Collaborations. I’m still not sure I understand this fascinating concept, but here it is in his own words:

What is it?
Where users of Moodle Server A can access/enroll in selected courses (from a selected category) in Moodle Server B.

Moodler Servers setup for networking can be on the same server, another server within an internet domain (ex: tcea.org), or the servers can be on different domains (ex: tcea.org and sosoftexas.org). Both servers can use their own authentication services (Moodle A could be using MS LDAP while Moodle B could be using FirstClass) yet all users of both A and B have access to courses offered on the other server.

Users of A and B would have single sign on … ie, user X logging onto Sever B doesn’t
have to login again to access the categories/courses to which they have access.

One can also network Mahara (E-Portfolio) servers with Moodle servers (and vice versa).

Possibilities/implications are numerous, but a few that could apply:
Every ISD may NOT have to “re-invent the wheel”. Collaboration across ISD’s within Moodles – could be students/teachers/administrators.

Imagine “A” ISD’s “best” 8th grade Social Studies teacher, “teamed up” with “B” ISD’s “best” 8th grade Social Studies teacher in a MNET “team taught” course. “A” ISD might be in El Paso and “B” ISD might be in East Texas!

As best I can understand it, regardless of affiliation, users can authenticate from wherever they might be and access a common list of Moodle courses.

This makes it possible for multiple school districts–handling user management/authentication in whatever way they prefer–to partake of courses offered by a central repository that might be hosted by an Education Service Center, organization Moodle course site, etc.

It’s a pretty exciting idea because it eliminates course maintenance for member districts and enables the “Moodle Central” organization to develop courses without having to manage users from disparate systems.

Ken sent the following update:

How 2:
http://sos.tcea.org/kensmoodle/
Registration required.
Now implemented (for TCEA consideration) on Ken’s Moodle to/with TCEA’s Moodle at
http://moodle.tcea.org/mhub/ (some, but not all courses).

Conceptual issues in setting up … especially IF you are admin of both Moodles.
The the end user, once configured and working, transparent and all they have to do is
“click”!

Am sure there are some “catch 22’s”, but I’ve not found any I would object to.
Also, am not alone … but may have been the first to explore this in Texas!
(that’s sad to say, given the number of ISD’s, size of State, and everyone’s situation
[large/medium/small schools] in “re-invention of wheel”).

Moodle 2.0 +
http://docs.moodle.org/en/Community_hub

Looks even better!