mguhlin

Moodle, Open Badges and Other Stuff

Gee, I just finished updating 4 Moodle instances to the latest version. Lots of fun!

Source: http://goo.gl/FLQUC

This would only be a tweet worthy remark, except that this came into email and I thought I’d take a stab at responding:

I’m thinking about my Moodle site for next year and am interested in gamification – I’d particularly like to try and use badges. I see that Moodle 2.5 integrates the Open Badges framework.
If I were to develop my site on a local v2.5 server over the summer at home, would it be possible to put it on the network in August? It looks like v2.5 may be released by then. Also, if I were to tweak the setup of the server, would it be possible to keep those changes and run it on a separate server here and still make it available off campus?

Response:


I’m thinking about my Moodle site for next year and am interested in gamification – I’d particularly like to try and use badges. I see that Moodle 2.5 integrates the Open Badges framework.
The Open Badges framework allows you to assign badges to students for completing certain tasks or assignments. The badges remind me of what cub/boy scout type badges. The Open Badges framework has grown popular as a way to “certify” achievement of a specific set of skills.
Here are a few relevant links:
If I were to develop my site on a local v2.5 server over the summer at home, would it be possible to put it on the network in August? 
Yes, if he has a local installation of Moodle on a laptop or server, then it would be possible to back up the entire course and restore it. Note that this is a course backup, as opposed to backing up a Moodle instance. 

It looks like v2.5 may be released by then. Also, if I were to tweak the setup of the server, would it be possible to keep those changes and run it on a separate server here and still make it available off campus?
Before you can answer this question, you have to find out what operating system he is running the Moodle instance on. If he wants to make a complete backup of a Moodle instance (e.g. database, php files, moodledata), then that can certainly be done; it would be better to push him towards a course backup
If he wants to replicate the settings he has on his own or local server, and make those changes on the District server, then that will probably only be possible if you are running the same operating system, etc. Chances are, though, the answer to this question would most likely be…

“Sorry, our server has been optimized for speed and reliability. We can take a look at the customizations you would like to see, but it’s not always possible to implement customizations from one server to another for a variety of factors.”

So, what would you have said?

Check out Miguel’s Workshop Materials online at http://mglearns.wikispaces.com

Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

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