Ed(mo(o)d(le)o

Nine years ago I was asked to looking into some upcoming new software platform called a VLE for Tanglin.  We looked at a few different solutions at the time, including Blackboard and Sharepoint.  Then we came across the open-source delight of moodle.  Thus was born a relationship with moodle that has continued for me right up to this day.  When I joined Oathall in 2006 it was the VLE of choice for West Sussex, and in fact I delivered some county training on moodle to interested teachers.  Coincidentally it was also the VLE when I joined GIS, and we are still using it.  And I still think it has a place.


But oh dear I have just come across edmodo (late to the party on this I know) and it is just so....simple....slick....easy.  None of these words can be applied to moodle - which is like the bigger stronger, more boring and plainer brother to ed.  So I am feeling the same sort of pang that I felt when I crossed over to the other side from my HTC smartphone to an iPhone 4S - almost an existential IT geek anxst because I have found something that does similar things but just does them better than the old way.
Sigh.  For the record, moodle, you are very, er, useful.  In many ways.  But for my new iPad launch with a bunch of hoppingly excited Year 7s, I am using the Facebook-esque patina of edmodo, and the edmodo app is installed and gleaming with anticipation and ready to go.  And they cannot wait.