Re: Recommendations of LMS

[Jean Louis]

* quiliro <quiliro@riseup.net> [2020-08-08 02:21]:
> Jonathan Sandoval <cloudneozero@gmail.com> writes:
> 
> > Thanks everyone for your kind suggestions.
> >
> > Techela-emacs seems really interesting as an emacs user myself, but I
> > cannot expect the other teachers to learn emacs to use it.
> 
> Emacs can be made easy to use for the end user. Everything in Emacs is
> configurable to the point that you can use buttons, colors and types. It
> is even better for maintenance because it will be very easy to migrate
> text, photos, audios and other files to other platforms when you
> want. Usability is the best reason for using something entirely
> configurable. Perhaps time constraints to investigate would be big
> factor to avoid Emacs. But it would pay itself several-fold, if we
> consider it as an investment for the gains in future (and present)
> benefits.

The Techele Emacs shows pretty much the basic principles of task
assignments and collections on this page:
https://github.com/jkitchin/techela-emacs

So far I see, it is using git to send and receive assignments. It can
be done in CLI, it can be done in Emacs, it could be done through
browser I guess, it could be done through dedicated application that
is pushing and pulling assignments, exactly the thought I had in my
previous email, it is just basics principles that has to be
understood.

Building LMS around one interface like browser, is actually limiting
the capacity to widen the knowledge and also limiting the user or
student to learn.

The git commands shown can be easily put in some graphical interface,
but I think it is simply better giving the students the actual lesson
and explanation how it works. There is nothing so hard. If student is
already meant to use a computer, it is not hard learning few commands
for a computer. Let us not underestimate students of today, they need
not get dumber, they need to get smarter.

> I understand that you might be careful not to blow up your prestige by
> avoiding text-only solutions for canned patches. But if you are
> considering a long term solution, you could use plain-text applications
> in parallel with the other temporary canned patches.
> 
> I know it is more work than just sticking to one decision. There is a
> great many marvelous ways that text can empower the user. One way is
> plaintextaccounting.org , another is EMMS and even Emacs Artist.

Emacs may be used as interface for learning and without problem, and
with extensibility that other interfaces cannot supply. Myself I am
using Emacs as database management system, so I manage everything in
Emacs, including tasks and assignments that I send to my staff members
located anywhere in the world. So if my staff member in Sierra Leone
can learn, then a school student can learn too. My Emacs usage is
already "LMS" type of a usage.

Let me give more ideas here:

- M-x `record-voice-note' is recording voice, same could be done with
  video, one could make video record. Dired files are opened, same can
  be tagged and sent quickly by email or they could be quickly
  uploaded to remote LMS database. Emacs is offering enough
  extensibility that functions to upload assignment could be very
  quick. Text files and any other files can be sent so easy, any
  system could be used, I would not use insecure systems. HTTPS or SSH
  or `rsync' could be used to upload, and all that need not make the
  life of a student complex. All that student would need to do is
  enter username and password.

- I would always prefer SQL database of assignments, or any other type
  of a database. But not for files, pictures and similar. Yet such
  assignments, done or not done things, could easily be converted to
  Org style automatically generated files, and same could be easily
  converted to HTML viewable from browser. Within my Emacs, I can find
  a contact, like "John Doe" and click F3 in the Helm session, and I
  get automatically generated Org file with a profile of such contact,
  when did I create the contact, full name, which group this contact
  belongs, lead source, email addresses, birth date, I can see some
  pictures of a contact on a click, full address, description, I can
  see notes, I can see which SMS I have sent to this contact, I can
  open all emails related to contact within a second, and I can see
  number of interactions. I could add notes, or open tasks and
  assignments for this contact. The SQL database and Emacs Lisp
  determines where the files for this specific contact are located, I
  do not need to "change directory" with my hands, it is changed
  indirectly for me by computer.

- Anything, all information pertaining to contact should be
  transferrable, it should be ordered, files should be on file system,
  but some information may be in the database. The database profile
  should be exportable so that it may be moved to other system or
  integrated or reviewed by some other teachers. Number of students
  are moving from one place to other place. Files should be
  transferrable and ordered by date or course, grade, assignments and
  should be reviewable by parents, including should be returnable to
  student. 

- I do not know a reason why should a user or student be limited to
  review assignments or tasks, only by browser, only by specific
  software, and if not using that specific software, user would not
  have possibility to participate. Majority of computers since last 30
  days can load files of any kind, pictures and videos into them, they
  can submit such pictures by using some of network protocols, so
  those basic requirements should be seeked.

- Drawing by hand is assignment often done in schools, there are
  technical drawings or all kinds of drawings that student need to
  submit, are they then limited to browser usage?! I would not call
  that progress. Student need to do it with own hand, not with
  computer. Doing it with computer is not making their hand skills
  better. So how are drawings to be submitted? Would they be submitted
  by using mobile phone? Or computer camera? Or scanner? Are then
  students obliged to have such device before being able to
  demonstrate that they can draw? Or are the limited to demonstrate
  that they can only draw within a browser? That all does not seem to
  be progress to me, as 500 years old computer-less student could then
  draw so much better than the one from today. LMS should not be
  limiting the creativity and interaction of a student by any means.

Finally, remote learning is never enough supervised, so it can never
fully replace the face to face learning with a proper supervisor, it
should be considered limited for the reason that teacher or supervisor
cannot ever fully ensure that student did learn the
assignment. Thinking too much and creating too much into direction of
remote learning like LMS is going to bring civilization down, not
progress. We will have plethora of pretenders and lack of skilled people.

-- 
Thanks,
Jean Louis