Are Flash and HTML5 locked in a mortal struggle for control of the internet?

It’s a loaded question, isn’t it? The kind of attention grabbing headline we’ve come to expect from the mainstream media who receive a substantial portion of the $691,000,000 (2010) of Apple Inc.’s annual marketing budget. So what of this epic struggle between Adobe’s flagship software platform and the open source, open standard HTML5? Some sobering… Continue reading Are Flash and HTML5 locked in a mortal struggle for control of the internet?

New Avatar (profile picture) Camera app

Introducing a new Flash app for the SWF Activity Module for Moodle that is possibly the quickest easiest way for learners and teachers to change or update their avatars (profile pictures). Using your computer or mobile device’s webcam, the app saves your photo directly to Moodle without saving images to your desktop or uploading. When… Continue reading New Avatar (profile picture) Camera app

SWF Activity Module now supports conditional sequencing

The latest build of the SWF Activity Module for Moodle includes support for conditional sequencing between SWF course module instances. This means that teachers and course content developers can require learners to successfully complete one SWF Activity Module instance before moving on to the next. What is conditional module sequencing? Normally, on any given Moodle… Continue reading SWF Activity Module now supports conditional sequencing

Thoughts on Flash…

OK, here’s a geeky rant. I’ve heard and read the same unfounded rumours, hearsay and conjecture about Flash so many times it’s starting to sound like urban myths. Let’s put this on the record for once and for all. So, here goes… (deep breath)… Flash is as secure as any other web technology In his… Continue reading Thoughts on Flash…

Students can save snapshot images on Moodle

I’m pleased to announce a new open source application and web service that I’ve developed in collaboration with Greenwood College School in Toronto, Canada. Learners can now take snapshots of specially adapted Flash applications which are then saved by Moodle in the course files directory. It’s a simple yet powerful idea brimming with potential uses… Continue reading Students can save snapshot images on Moodle

SWF Activity Module now supports SWF Address

This article’s aimed at developers and adminstrators and addresses a web usability issue that has an ingenious solution. If you’re not at all “geeky” this article will most probably go right over your head. A common problem with Flash and web browsers is that they don’t use the same navigation model. Users regularly click on… Continue reading SWF Activity Module now supports SWF Address

SWF Activity Module updated for PHP 5.3+

In the world of software development, you always have to be looking ahead. The web server language that Moodle and the SWF Activity Module are written in, PHP, is constantly evolving and being updated. PHP 4 is no longer supported, we’ve been on PHP 5 now for over a year and PHP 6 is just… Continue reading SWF Activity Module updated for PHP 5.3+

SWF Activity Module goes public

I’m pleased to announce the full public release of the SWF Activity Module for Moodle 1.9. It’s no longer in beta phase and is safe to install in public Moodle 1.9 installations. Followers of this blog and my elearning projects will be well aware of the SWF Activity Module and what it does. If you’re… Continue reading SWF Activity Module goes public

Moodle SWF Activity Module developer preview

OK, this is going to be a very techie post as it’s aimed exclusively at developers who are interested in integrating Flash and Moodle. If you’ve never written a line of computer code, then this article will most probably bore you to death! What is the SWF Activity Module? The SWF Activity Module deploys Flash… Continue reading Moodle SWF Activity Module developer preview

Social networking for EFL/ESL

In this article, I’m going to discuss the relevance of social networking to learners of English, some of the developments in learning English as a foreign/second language on-line and how this might shape the future of e-learning and learning management systems for EFL/ESL. So much to learn, so little time to learn it. For learners… Continue reading Social networking for EFL/ESL