This article, and the ReadWriteWeb article that I referenced both read too much into this. From what I can tell, CloudCourse was designed to solve the resource management problems that Google had coordinating internal talks and training courses. Google is releasing this internal tool as open source as an example of Google Apps integration and for businesses using Google Apps. The requirements of schools are dramatically different.
I'm particular interested because I am building http://www.classlet.com -- Luckily, it does not appear that Google is competing with us (yet).
Classlet has a new version with loads of new stuff in the pipes coming soon. Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to know more.
Why not build off of this base specifically for schools? Blackboard is always going to be hanging over you. Why not get Google in your corner by relying on their open code?
Getting a course management system set up took me 33 minutes last semester: 30 minutes failing to get blackboard working, and 3 minutes setting up a google group.
I completely agree. At my school Blackboard gets more and more unstable as the semester passes. By the end of the semester we begin to get bizarre and meaningless error messages, and it slows to a crawl.
Unfortunately I feel like Blackboart/LMS has entangled itself within my University's systems such that it will have to be removed with fire... I don't see it happening any time soon. :\
This thing is extremely limited, and wouldn't get adopted by an institution for about 74 distinct reasons (e.g. data is stored in the cloud, which is illegal...)
Blackboard is a terrible terrible service, and all their customers hate them. They persist because they have ties to all the major schools and satisfy all the regulatory criteria required for LMS's.
LMS software is about 90% about sales, deployment and support and only 10% about the quality of the software itself.
As much as I would love to see Blackboard killed by Google, CloudCourse is a "course scheduling system" whereas Blackboard (and Moodle) are "learning management systems". An LMS will have a huge number of features that CloudCourse won't...
I doubt this will cause problems for Blackboard. I say that because schools don't go to Blackboard for their software; they go for their services and the CYA aspect of it. Like they say about Microsoft, "Nobody ever got fired for buying Blackboard".
If anything this poses more of a threat to Moodle.
Sorta on topic but it's on my mind tonight so here it goes:
If someone has experience with integrating their application with Blackboard I'd be interested in hearing about it. My sales people are telling me that people really want our product to integrate with Blackboard (without defining what that means).
How do people go about doing that? Are there consultants who just do that kind of thing?
It seems like the most interesting part of these services is the 3rd party integration capabilities.
Forget Google, Blackboard, or any player looking to personally benefit from dominating learning management systems. This is the project we should be supporting: http://sakaiproject.org/
Indiana University uses Sakai (http://oncourse.iu.edu/). At the time I used it ('04-'08), it was...better than Blackboard, but still generally a pain. The design was poor, the UX was awkward - just a deeply unsexy experience overall.
It might be better now, but I have a feeling that most LMS software is doomed to being, well, LMS software.
Is it a "Blackboard killer" because it is by Google or because it is OSS? http://moodle.org has been around for a long time, has attracted many Blackboard defectors, and yet Blackboard is still around...
Its not, but if it was it would be because it had Google backing it. Lack of a known corporate support system is Moodle's weakness, and Blackboard's sole reason for success.
Google has the engineers and the legal department to take on Blackboard. If they took 6 months for a dev team with this as their primary task and were willing to have actual tech support they could demolish blackboard with a single sales rep in 5 years.
I currently attend a high school with 800 students looking to use a simple and efficient organizer for teachers, classes, and students. Because it integrates with Google Calendar, I'm hoping future versions include support for assignments; it will be a huge help to our teachers and students. Would it be very difficult to add support for assignments/homework?
News items that contain the word "killer" in the title are usually composed by uninformed local TV news writers, or by hack bloggers who want to drive easy fanboy traffic to their site with cheap rhetoric. We see the same motive in headlines that start with "Top Ten Reasons That...", and "Is My Karate Better Than Your Kung Fu?" or "Python is Dead!?". Sensationalism has its place---the tech gossip media is built on it---but it's disappointing to see it finding unquestioned acceptance on HN.
This is mildly off-topic, but has been on my mind recently because I've spent a little decompression time recently hacking on my study system project.
I may be alone here, but I'd really like to see some sort of online community learning site, where students can organize based on the topics they want to learn, and collectively hire a teacher to assist them. Does this sort of thing even exist?
Looks to me like this app is a relatively simple scheduling app that in no way comes even close to the features and functionality of a full LMS such as Blackboard or Desire2Learn (or the other dozens-odd major players)
[+] [-] snprbob86|16 years ago|reply
"We actually didn't design this system with universities in mind - we designed it as a course scheduling tool for enterprises."
Source: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/google_releases_cloudco...
This article, and the ReadWriteWeb article that I referenced both read too much into this. From what I can tell, CloudCourse was designed to solve the resource management problems that Google had coordinating internal talks and training courses. Google is releasing this internal tool as open source as an example of Google Apps integration and for businesses using Google Apps. The requirements of schools are dramatically different.
I'm particular interested because I am building http://www.classlet.com -- Luckily, it does not appear that Google is competing with us (yet).
Classlet has a new version with loads of new stuff in the pipes coming soon. Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to know more.
[+] [-] robg|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] SlyShy|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] adbge|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] yummyfajitas|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] NathanKP|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ygd|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mambodog|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dhimes|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] axiom|16 years ago|reply
This thing is extremely limited, and wouldn't get adopted by an institution for about 74 distinct reasons (e.g. data is stored in the cloud, which is illegal...)
Blackboard is a terrible terrible service, and all their customers hate them. They persist because they have ties to all the major schools and satisfy all the regulatory criteria required for LMS's.
LMS software is about 90% about sales, deployment and support and only 10% about the quality of the software itself.
[+] [-] snprbob86|16 years ago|reply
Which data is illegal to store in the cloud?
Could you please provide a source?
[+] [-] teej|16 years ago|reply
You forgot that Blackboard keeps a healthy portfolio of software patents and leverages it to keep out competition.
[+] [-] thesethings|16 years ago|reply
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/schools-are-almost-ou...
[+] [-] gte910h|16 years ago|reply
They're crap and everyone in academia knows it.
[+] [-] TrevorBurnham|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] noodle|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mbthomas|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] thefool|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bradgessler|16 years ago|reply
If anything this poses more of a threat to Moodle.
[+] [-] jswinghammer|16 years ago|reply
If someone has experience with integrating their application with Blackboard I'd be interested in hearing about it. My sales people are telling me that people really want our product to integrate with Blackboard (without defining what that means).
How do people go about doing that? Are there consultants who just do that kind of thing?
It seems like the most interesting part of these services is the 3rd party integration capabilities.
[+] [-] jcromartie|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] daniel-cussen|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] zackham|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] cscotta|16 years ago|reply
It might be better now, but I have a feeling that most LMS software is doomed to being, well, LMS software.
[+] [-] lr|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] falien|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dzlobin|16 years ago|reply
What a horrible service
[+] [-] Legion|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Volscio|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] zaidf|16 years ago|reply
Google should acquire blackboard, keep their sales, fire their engineering.
[+] [-] dzlobin|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] falien|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ErrantX|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] helwr|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mwilcox|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tewks|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] andrewcamel|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] robg|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Feynman|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] douglasputnam|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] donw|16 years ago|reply
I may be alone here, but I'd really like to see some sort of online community learning site, where students can organize based on the topics they want to learn, and collectively hire a teacher to assist them. Does this sort of thing even exist?
[+] [-] pjhyett|16 years ago|reply
[+] [-] rm-rf|16 years ago|reply
Not even close.
It will not kill Blackboard.