mguhlin

Opening the Door to @OpenClass

Like lots of folks who have access to GoogleApps for Education, when OpenClass LMS opened up today, I jumped in to explore and took some screenshots to build a virtual tour. Since my biases are undoubtedly going to color my view of OpenClass, allow me to throw them out there in the interests of fair play:

  1. I’m looking for a feature-rich environment that is as modular and activity-heavy as Moodle.
  2. I’m looking for flexible creation environment that allows me to embed content from GoogleSites, GoogleCalendar, and other web-based, Read/Write resources and tools.
  3. I am looking for a drop-dead easy to use system.
First impression? OpenClass isn’t there yet. That may mean, of course, that I didn’t know how to make it work in the short time I was logged in or whatever. For Texas folks, Project Share still looks to be a better alternative than OpenClass, but not quite as good as Moodle in terms of features.


After signing up, here’s what showed up in my email:

Hello Miguel,
 Welcome to OpenClass!  We’re glad you joined us.  There’s a lot to do in OpenClass – here are a few suggestions on how to get started. Add new users and courses through the Admin link at the top of the page.  (When you create users, just be sure to use their Google Apps email address so we can connect them with their Google account.) Setup your profile by clicking on your name in the toolbar.  Upload a picture, add your Skype address and tell everyone a little about yourself! Learn more about OpenClass or send us feedback through the Knowledge Base http://openclass.custhelp.com/. If you have any questions – let us know by emailing info@PearsonOpenClass.com. Thanks!

The OpenClass Team PearsonAlways LearningLearn more at www.pearson.com



Here’s a quick visual tour as I explored OpenClass:

As you might guess from the visual tour, the Loading… messages never disappeared. 

So far, my biases are keeping me from fully opening the door on OpenClass. I’m more tempted to slam the door, but that would be overly hasty. There has to be more to it than what I’m seeing in the screenshots above…I just don’t know how to get to it.
Hmm…

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8 comments

  1. Most definitely not ready for use yet. They did however get the Google Integration of calendar and email right at the top. Beyond that no where near ready. Tests look clunky (not yet figured if you are able to import questions or not)and if today is an example of what to expect of their servers when they are under load, way to much lag time. Give them a year or so to work out things and the concept proves to be beneficial, but not quite yet. I'll keep my Moodle instance running.

    Reply

  2. Most definitely not ready for use yet. They did however get the Google Integration of calendar and email right at the top. Beyond that no where near ready. Tests look clunky (not yet figured if you are able to import questions or not)and if today is an example of what to expect of their servers when they are under load, way to much lag time. Give them a year or so to work out things and the concept proves to be beneficial, but not quite yet. I'll keep my Moodle instance running.

    Reply

  4. Hmm… looks like that might be your browser. Are you using a supported browser? That seemed to help with me.

    Reply

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