LIveCD available (beta stage)

LIveCD available (beta stage)

by Maik Riecken -
Number of replies: 3
Hi,

There is a working liveCD running moodle. The content of this cd (moodle system) can be easily customized using windows or linux. If you like to join in our running beta-test you are welcome to email me for further details.

maik.riecken[at]gmx.de

Features:
* kernel 2.6.11
* moodle 1.5.2+ pre-installed including book/hotpot module
* acrobat reader, koffice, xine, xmms (for showing up/playing resources)
* mozilla firefox
* icewm (kde/gnome are difficult due to performance issues)
* based on knoppix / some ideas of lamppix
* english / german version available
* image size about 400megs => space for 300megs own content

It is not free, but you don't have to pay money. You just will have to give feedback about this development instead of payment - otherwise I would not be able to leave the beta-status clown... The final version will be released using GPL/GNU-licence of course.

Don't expect a full-featured desktop-system supporting any kind of printer, automounting usb devices e.g. It is a live-system running moodle which can be modified without a full remaster. It should give you the ability to present your courses offline or just to demontrate moodle-features somewhere having no internet access. Customizesation is done by multisession (like lamppix) - quite easy.

Most things will going on using RAM - this is what you really need, if you are adding megs of own content.

Maik (from germany)

PS: The livecd is in beta-status...
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In reply to Maik Riecken

Re: LIveCD available (beta stage)

by James Robertson -

I am a little confused about how this interfaces with the school site.  For example, is there a way to transfer data (e.g., a quiz attempt or online assignment) from the CD Moodle used by a student at home to the school web-based site?

Thanks,

Jim.

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In reply to James Robertson

Re: LIveCD available (beta stage)

by Maik Riecken -
Hi James,

I am german - my english is not to good, so I will say in my own words what I understood.

Step 1:
You want your students working at home with exercises you gave him using e.g. the liveCD.

Step 2:
You want to "replay" her/his work to the school site.

You only can export/import whole courses or parts of them. Export only works with admin or course creator permission. So you will run into trouble, because the student will be able to manipulate his results easily.

Export/import of courses can be done using usb-media (e.g. sticks) or floppy. But this won't solve the main problem...

One thing is thinkable and has to be realized then:
You can put an existing moodle to an usb media which can be used in combination with the cd (the cd loads your moodle from the stick/floppy and rewrites changes later before shutdown). Syncing of userdata will be a hard job... You are looking for a new moodle-feature which requires much time to be integrated. You problem is a very special one, too.

The CD has been developed mainly for other purposes:

* presenting your work somewhere without internet access
* giving teachers the opportunity to get in touch with moodle
* realizing an undestructable moodlesystem to teach others in using moodle (it can be integrated in an existing network - knoppix like)
* giving students opportunity to prepare for e.g. tests without being controlled afterwards
* convincing journalists to write about moodle
etc.

yours,

Maik




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In reply to James Robertson

Re: LIveCD available (beta stage)

by Maik Riecken -
I've been thinking about this problem last night. Maybe this could be a thinkable way:

The CD can provide to save a mysqldump of the current live system (which includes user data as well) to a floppy. This can be realized just by a desktop icon - for example. Also encryption is possible. That is not a big job.

This dump can be read back to the schoolsystem. You only have to check for each MySQL-insert if there is an existing entry for it. Only new ones should written back. This can be done by a simple PHP-script (uploading the dump as txt-file from floppy). You have to face regular expressions then. That is a bigger job.

You have to try it out with a demo site, of course. I don't know what will happen within such a big modification in the moodle database.

This should not be too difficult if you have a perl or php-freak available among you fellows teachers or students.

This requires the full school site system mastered to the cd.

regards,

Maik
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