Learning Moodle and MoodleCloud
Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (Moodle) is a learning platform designed in such a way that we can create VLEs. Moodle can be downloaded, installed and run on any web server software using Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP). It can support a SQL database and can run on several operating systems. We can download Moodle 3.0.3 (the latest version at the time of writing this book) from the following URL: https://download.moodle.org/ . This URL is shown in the following screenshot:
MoodleCloud, on the other hand, does not need to be downloaded since, as its name suggests, is in the cloud. Therefore, we can get our own Moodle site with MoodleCloud within minutes and for free. It is Moodle's hosting platform, designed and run by the people who make Moodle. In order to get a MoodleCloud site, we need to go to the following URL: https://moodle.com/cloud/ . This is shown in the following screenshot:
MoodleCloud was created in order to cater for users with fewer requirements and small budgets. In order to create an account, you need to add your cell phone number to receive an SMS which we must be input when creating your site.
As it is free, there are some limitations to MoodleCloud, unless we contact Moodle Partners and pay for an expanded version of it. The limitations are as follows:
- No more than 50 users
- 200 MB disk space
- Core themes and plugins only
- One site per phone number
- Big Blue Button sessions are limited to six people, with no recordings
- There are advertisements
There is another option for MoodleCloud which is paid and grants more benefits, but throughout the book, we will deal with the free version of MoodleCloud.
When creating a Moodle site, we want to change the look and functionality of the site or individual course. We may also need to customize themes for Moodle, in order to give the course the desired look.
Therefore, this chapter will explain the basic concepts that we have to bear in mind when dealing with themes, due to the fact that themes are shown in different devices. In the past, Moodle ran only on desktops or laptops, but nowadays Moodle can run on many different devices, such as smartphones, tablets, iPads, and smart TVs, and the list goes on.
