1. William R. Clements Grand Canyon University TEC-542 Devmnt & Degn of Mda.In Edu St 04 May 2011 Authoring Tools Comparison Moodle, aTutor, Claroline.net

2. Table of Contents for Moodle, aTutor, and Caroline.net The Cost of Each LMS Animation Capabilities Audio and Video Capabilities Compatibility Amongst Platforms Ease of Use Integration into Learning Management Systems Limitations Ultimately, choose a Web authoring tool that would suit your tutorial.

3. The Cost of Each LMS Moodle −The cost will always be free aTutor −Basic Support Single Support Ticket Cost $100 −Development Services Cost $85 per Hour or a Contractual Cost Caroline. Net −The web site asks for donations to cover its growth −Right now, it is free −Since it is growing, operators may have to pay later

4. Animation Capabilities Moodle −Clip Art or pictures can be downloaded But there can not be animation within each picture aTutor −Should be able to play movies, short or long −Should be able to input clipart that has animation −Should Caroline. Net −Does not show the capability for animation −When making the course, pictures and clip art could be added without animation.

5. Audio and Video Capabilities Moodle −Can record any audio and video onto the system Has commercial support Has 3 rd party plugins Instant Messaging for students to collaborate aTutor −Can have audio and visual conferencing −Can use instant messaging Caroline. Net −Has a collaboration feature for video conferencing −Audio and video streaming can also be used

6. Compatibility Amongst Platforms Moodle −Has a list of different resources to use to make other platforms compatible −Compatable With Most Programs −Tech support is increasing the capabilities aTutor −Is compatible with most browsers −Is compatible with most platforms −Tech support is increasing the capabilities Caroline. Net −Tech support is making efforts to make Caroline more compatible with other programs −Is compatible with some programs with minimal conformance level

7. Moodle 7 to 16 year olds have taken a very short period of time to master the program Moodle The home page is straight forward Gets you started quicker aTutor The Home Page has a large amount of info. Makes it hard to pin point certain areas of interest Have to scan through the whole page to find where to begin. Caroline.net Has a manual for operators to use that has ten chapters Takes 2 to 3 windows to get to the information The text is difficult to understand Ease of Use

8. Integration into Learning Management Systems Moodle Various items can be integrated into Moodle easily Step by Step procedures are given to you Integrating can also mean to work in conjunction with Moodle aTutor Can be integrated with many programs Tech support has developed ways to integrate useful tools of elearning, (i.e. Gradebook) Newer integration is being developed as needed Caroline.net Has the capability to be integrated into any computer system. Tech support has developed ways to integrate useful tools of elearning, (i.e. Calenders) Newer types of integration are being developed

9. Limitations Moodle It is difficult to share objects between courses It is difficult to change colors and graphics in the course There is a limit on the reports describing students progress aTutor There is a limit to the size of the file that can be uploaded There is a limit to the storage space that is needed Students are limited to the number of times they can view the content in the course Caroline.net Focuses on self-learning only There are time restrictions There is no collaboration between students

10. Ultimately, choose a Web authoring tool that would suit your tutorial. Moodle is the tool, I want to use Students can collaborate on the reading material This is essential for students to develop inferring skills Students can understand other points of view The web site is user friendly It is easy to use the developing tools Students can use this tool without difficulty It has the necessary tools to be a successful resource It has a grade book to watch the students progress You can make assessments to judge students knowledge You can make a blog for students to use for their thoughts