Having used the book Moodle
Administration I was delighted to get a copy of the Moodle 2
Administration. Whether you are an old Moodle 1.9 administrator or
completely new to Moodle 2 Alex
Buchner ensures that you are well informed of all the new
features from installation to adding plug ins and networking with
other Moodle sites.
Moodle 2 was released towards the end
of 2010. It is an Open Source Course Management System that has
become popular all over the world through its versatility in being
able to be adapted to suit Primary and Tertiary education. The
original Moodle was very successful, but since Moodle 2 there has
been considerable more momentum and support.
Alex Buchner is the co-founder and
Technical Director of the UKs leading Moodle Partner, Synergy
Learning. His first book Moodle Administration most experienced
Moodle users will be familiar with as a point of call and Moodle
2 Administration will do the same for Moodle 2. Administrators of
all levels will find this useful, whether you install and host
yourself or it is hosted by a Moodle Parnter and you are the on site
administrator, Alex has written a guide that you can turn to for
inspiration and support.
The first 2 chapters of the book cover
the installation and the system which helps administrators who are
handling their own Moodle installation. Alex uses plain English and a
succint description of the tasks at hand so even those that are new
to Moodle can follow the guide. It is nicely broken with clear
headings that allow you to chose which parts are relevent to your
install. Even if you are not installing Moodle yourself it is useful
to briefly look over the pages to familiarise yourself with Moodle 2.
Chapters 3,4,5 and 6 looks at users,
roles, courses and permissions. Existing and new Moodle users will
appreciate the time taken over these chapters to clearly explain the
relationships and the settings that are available in Moodle 2.
Different scenarios are outlined in setting up a Moodle site and also
individual courses making us aware of our options. Recommendations
are also made and best practice shared along with the pitfalls of
certain settings. The benefits of Synergy
Learning's experience with Moodle in different settings save the
reader lots of time.
Chapters 7,8 and 9 moves away from
courses and users and looks as how you can develop your own Moodle
flavour. Most Moodle users I meet have great pride in their Moodle as
there is lots of configuration that you can manipulate. Alex goes
through blocks, themes, plug-ins and configration with lots of help
and tips to ensure that you can develop your flavour.
In Chapters 10, 11, 12 and 13 we look
at reporting, security, performance and backups. This is again a
sound insite in each area that give an administrator the knowledge
that they need to get started and also to be aware of features for
the future. These chapters make essential reading for the
Administrator to keep an efficient Moodle and reap the benefits that
the user expects, but does not generallly see.
The final set of Chapters 14, 15, and
16 look more towards extending Moodle with 3rd Party Add
ons, Moodle Networking and Integration. We look at how to to extend
moodle in each of the cases and also how to revert back. Its useful
as an Admin user to be aware of the potentials of networking and
linking with Mahara although Alex warns us of the trust involved in
each of the cases and clearly explains the impact of each.
All in all the book is the Admin User
Guide that would be shipped with Moodle if you bought the software
off the shelf. Alex has laid down his knowldege to build a user guide
and shared his experience to make sound recommendations along with
warnings of common mistakes that can cause issues in the system. The
book is a must for new and old Administrators - a companion that you
will always refer to. Get your copy here
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