Where is a list of the "best" moodle blocks/plugins?

Where is a list of the "best" moodle blocks/plugins?

by Eric Stephan -
Number of replies: 13

Hi folks --

We are doing a lot with our moodle installation, and as usual there are a few things about its navigation and other issues that could be improved.

I strongly suspect that there are moodle blocks and plugins that could help. However, going through the giant database of plugins on this site isn't the most effective. I've pursued a few, and not surprisingly, that database is rounded out with every last plugin that anyone has made, without differentiation regarding which ones are truly supported as moodle versions have increased, which ones are real favorites that the community has really adopted with all its heart, which ones are just ultra-specific ones for a rare purpose, etc.

Does someone have a list of the "top, best" Moodle plugins and blocks that people are really using, that have broad application among many types of sites -- ones that improve navigation for users -- ones that have really made moodle much better?

it would be greatly appreciated!!!

eric
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In reply to Eric Stephan

Re: Where is a list of the "best" moodle blocks/plugins?

by Steve Hyndman -

I'm not sure one exist...if it does it would be a short list. But, in an effort to start it....

1. Feedback
2. Quickmail

Steve

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In reply to Steve Hyndman

Re: Where is a list of the "best" moodle blocks/plugins?

by Peter Campbell -
I'd add Course Menu to the list, as well as the File Manager/My Files. Agree that Feedback and Quickmail are very good.
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In reply to Eric Stephan

Re: Where is a list of the "best" moodle blocks/plugins?

by Paulo Penteado Filho -
May I suggest...

3. Questionnaire

Paulo
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In reply to Paulo Penteado Filho

Re: Where is a list of the "best" moodle blocks/plugins?

by Eric Stephan -
These "best modules and plugins" recommendations are incredibly valuable. I'm especially interested in looking into the course menu and My Files ones. (but am really eager for more nominations!!!)

Those two intrigue me because the two areas where I am worried about moodle's lack of functionality are the following:
1-- the user having a less-than-ultra-easy time navigating forward and back through the course, since the prev/next arrows are wayyy up or wayy down and to the right... some e-learning courses have a much more central "Here's what to do next" area, right in the user's face
2-- and the file/document system being pretty weak -- there being zero metadata attached to an uploaded document, and therefore the ability to tag a document or have a single document cross-referenced so that it appears in more than one relevant folder... those functions are real basics that my document libraries need...

thanks, and anyone else that can nominate a "best of" module or block, I'd be grateful!!
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In reply to Eric Stephan

Re: Where is a list of the "best" moodle blocks/plugins?

by Paul Nijbakker -
Hi Eric,

We have tried out numerous third party modules and blocks over the years. this would be my list of most valuable ones:
  1. Book (Still listed as third party, but very closely integrated)
  2. Quickmail (has been the best mail tool for us so far)
  3. Wikipedia block (very simple, but useful. We would have preferred an updated/improved Multiple Search block, but it was not happening)
  4. Feedback/Questionnaire
We do not use any others presently (in version 1.8.3+).

Rgrds,
Paul.
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In reply to Eric Stephan

Re: Where is a list of the "best" moodle blocks/plugins?

by Chad Outten -
i agree - feedback activity is a gem. above & beyond those plugins mentioned already, find below a few personal faves. naturally, install them on a test server before committing to a production environment.

just a thought > i realise there's a rating system for each plugin on its respective page (but most ppl don't use it), moreover there ISN'T a system that actually ranks or compares the credibility of the plugins. we all appreciate the time & effort developers invest to make these plugins available to our community, but lets face it - some are more stable & better maintained than others.

joomla gives users the opportunity to favour, rate, recommend, & review extensions. users can also browse by most favoured, top rated, most popular & reviewed.

do we need to devise a system that makes it easier for people to make an informed decision about which moodle plugins are(not) reliable? on the same token, this may motivate developers to contribute & further improve their work. any further ideas?..

----------

blocks
birthday block
skype
theme switcher
YUI course menu

activities
certificate
game
stamp collection

resource
lightbox gallery

filter
multimovie filter

Cheers, Chad
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In reply to Chad Outten

Re: Where is a list of the "best" moodle blocks/plugins?

by Anthony Borrow -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Testers
Chad - This question of how to rate 3rd party or contributed modules and blocks is an issue that I would like to see us be able to do better. Perhaps you can start a separate discussion about what types of ratings would be helpful to a user. In other words, what does an administrator need to know about a piece of contributed code before installing it? Ease of installation, functionality (it does what it promises), reliability/stability (it has been tested), Moodle-like (seems to be a natural extension of Moodle), Overall rating seem to me to be some possibilities. Developers and end-users should be able to evaluate. Currently, we have a rating option in the Modules and Plugins database which is probably under utilized but could be used to post ratings and comments. If we can distinguish between what comments should go within the Modules and Plugins versus those that really belong in the Moodle.org forums we could make some progress is having a way of assessing contributed code. So please know that this is on my radar and any help you might be able to give to help clarify things would be appreciated. Peace - Anthony
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In reply to Anthony Borrow

Re: Where is a list of the "best" moodle blocks/plugins?

by Kevin Hunt -

I'm in the same position as the OP - just "playing" with a Moodle install at a foreign language school and looking for what are the "best" plug-ins to use. I agree it's very frustrating trying to find what is good/supported etc.

As I've posted elsewhere, the system used for vBulletin forum plug-ins is excellent (www.vbulletin.org) as (once logged in) you can view plug-ins by category (vBulletin version) and you are able to tag those you are interested in. It also logs what you have downloaded and then prompts you to mark the plug-in as "Installed" (assuming after download you did install and use it). There is also a full rating system (1-5 stars) plus a list of number of downloads of a particular plug-in. It's all capped off with a "Mod of the Month" carried out by user voting. One very improtant feature is that on each plug-in it tells you who the developer is, their website AND if the plug-in is supported.

I certainly feel that a system such as this would be a great addition to the Moodle plug-in list and make it much more usuable and accessible, especially for novices.

My background is in IT and I am professionally qualified in that field (tho' I'm no coder or programmer) and I have to say my "gripe" with open source software is the (generally) poor implementation of documentation to make it easy to use for the novice or first-timer.

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In reply to Eric Stephan

Re: Where is a list of the "best" moodle blocks/plugins?

by Alon Margovskiy -
Here's one we made:

http://www.lambdasolutions.net/20-musthave-moodle-modules

Lambda Solutions
Full-Service Certified Moodle Partner
www.lambdasolutions.net
sales@lambdasolutions.net
1-877-700-1118

We provide:
  • Moodle Hosting and Moodle Support
  • Moodle Installation and Customization
  • Moodle Themes and Integration
  • Moodle Training and Consulting
  • Online Course Development


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In reply to Eric Stephan

Re: Where is a list of the "best" moodle blocks/plugins?

by Fernando Oliveira -
Picture of Plugin developers

This message might be of interest to anyone who wants to test-run a particular block or mod.

Cheers,

Fernando

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In reply to Eric Stephan

Re: Where is a list of the "best" moodle blocks/plugins?

by Stuart Mealor -

We've just updated our public plugins demo site to Moodle 2.3.3.

There are more than 50 plugins working, which you can test out live (useful if you are a Teacher and not an Admin).

We will be trying to cover all the top plugins listed on the Plugins section on:

http://download.moodle.org/stats.php

Stu

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