What in the world is LMS?

Hi (hi in Romanian is the same too!).

Learning Management Systems or LMS as they are more commonly referred to on the internet are programs just like Moodle and Blackboard.

Moodle and Blackboard programs (which we all use for university so don't need an explanation) can be described as being student centred rather than teacher centred because if you look at the continuum of teaching methods you will realise we the students really do guide our own learning. With LMS programs, students can focus on the areas they want to read or participate in without having to be concerned about what everyone else is doing.

And if you look at it from a Productive Pedagogies viewpoint, programs like Moodle and Blackboard fit in the Supportive Classroom Environment column accurately as again it is student directed, self regulated and incorporates academic engagement.

The author of an article by the Australian Flexible Learning Community compared LMS to being a ‘basket’ that just about everything you need is in. That comparison sums up Blackboard and Moodle to me. What do you think?

Pa (bye in Romanian).

References:
Continuum of Teaching Methods

Department of Education. (2002). Productive Pedagogies. Brisbane, Queensland, Australia: Curriculum Implementation Unit.

Australian Flexible Learning Community. (2004). How To Choose A Learning Management System. Retrieved the 13th of August 2009 from the Australian Flexible Learning Framework. http://community.flexiblelearning.net.au/managingflexibledelivery/content/article_6944