The Biblio File

Michelle Boule has a very nice write up on ALA Tech Source on a couple of Content Management Systems (CMS) that can be used to replace your Course Management Software (CMS). One is called Drupal, the other is Joomla. Both are free and open source. I especially like her argument for why we should consider switching from our traditional course software like WebCT and Blackboard to one of these alternatives:

Most of the options for course management, like WebCT and Blackboard, are very expensive and clunky. Institutions and organizations could reasonably charge students large amounts of money for enrollment and participation in an online course if they were using one of these two tools. WebCT and Blackboard are archaic structures that resemble how students learn in face-to-face environments. Continuing to build online education in ways that resemble the face-to-face environment harms our students and reflects poorly on us as educators. We should know better than to create a hostile learning environment.