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Is it worth looking at possibly starting an online beekeeping "College"

  • Let's do it!

    Votes: 67 51.1%
  • Worth invetigation

    Votes: 50 38.2%
  • Not a lot

    Votes: 14 10.7%

  • Total voters
    131

Brosville

Queen Bee
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As raised in another thread - there's some excellent free software called "Moodle" which allows online colleges to be set up and run cheaply.The thought occurred that it could be about time there was a way of "learning online" for all levels of beekeepers -"Admin" has intimated he could be very supportive of such an idea if there were sufficient clamour.....

This thread is asking the simple question "is it worth looking at?" as a kick-off!
 
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To flesh the idea out a little - it would address the matter of "newbie's questions" very well - if for instance there were a section/sections devoted to all the typical "beginner questions", they could include Youtube video clips, mini-discussion areas, and the facility for a tutor/mentor to oversee/test their learning as required.
I'm sure there's people who would be happy to put together sections of it, and perhaps keep a friendly eye on "their" part of it - and the big thing is it enables people to do it from anywhere there's a computer, at whatever time of the day or night they find convenient........
There's also different ways it could work - the only real costs are the server fees, and fees for the tutors - most may choose to "do it for free", but I could see where you could also "sell" particular courses for the more commercially minded.
 
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Know I'm not supposed to agree with anything you say but it's a pretty good idea imo.

As a practical question, how does moodle differ from using a wiki type format? Im not being lazy, just posting from a phone so a limited in browsing capacity atm.
 
Brosville, sometimesw you are a star! A real thinker, even at the worst of times. Well done!

Look out, the dark side will have already poached the idea. Let's get it off the ground first with some real publicity - 6 O'clock News would do!

Regards, RAB
 
It's got all sorts of facilities - at it's simplest it can be just pages of text, or you can have inbuilt mini-wikis, discussion areas for particular courses, ability to embed things like Youtube, question and answer areas, and a simple control panel for "students" and one for those doing the tutoring - it can be pretty much whatever you want it to be, it's incredibly flexible!
I "played" with it a few years back, and can see how useful it could be.
Setting "differences" aside, as a newbie you have your monthly meeting with the local association, then you're left to your own devices until the next one - with an "online" tuition facility like this, people could "mug up" between meets - and if much of the basic knowledge were available as a "freebie", it would encourage people to learn from home - it would also give bored experts something to do during the long winter evenings.......:coolgleamA:
Then it would free up the forum for the important business......... of ranting! :rofl:
 
I think cross references for all likely variations of conditions is necessary as there are simple answers to simple questions, but as soon as constraints or other factors are addressed/included, no simple answer applies to all apparently similar 'simple' questions.

A bit like Wedmore, my favourite reference book, even now.

Regards, RAB
 
Where can I enrol?? My husband says 'do I get to wear a uniform...if so he thinks it is a great idea!?' :blush5:
 
Very good idea Bros - do you have an opinion as to whether Moodle is a more suited environment than other freebie CMSs such as Plone, Wordpress or Joomla?
 
In my time I've had a footle with most of those, and found that Moodle was the most flexible, and best suited to an online learning environment - once you're over the initial "learning how to use it" hurdle I found it easier than the others, particularly for the students - although you could indeed use one of several different CMS'
 
Queens,

do I get to wear a uniform

That can be taken in more ways than one!

Dare you expand - like what type of uniform?

Regards, RAB

BTW pm coming shortly -well within the next week!
 
Have used 'moodle' whilst at college, it can be very good.
 
I think it could grow into something rather special - it would be under constant critical "peer review" (us lot), could keep a lot of bored beekeepers "out of mischief" during the winter months writing/running courses, and allow people to use their creative talents (putting together podcasts and Youtube videos) to be used - and perhaps a bit of friendly rivalry may not come amiss.... I could envisage "rival factions" trying to outdo each other for the sheer magnificence/depth of the learning material they submit.....:coolgleamA:

Uniform?- black stockings for the ladies definitely (ahhh those balmy days when "denier" was all to do with the sheerness of stockings.......):D
 
Great idea - can we have lots of references to suitable background/additional reading to support on-line bits?

Happy to work on as trial user - knowledge insufficient to set-up but really willing to help any way I can.
 
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uniform

on a related note i'm sure there'd be a market for a BKF calendar or greetings/xmas card line featuring pictures of suitably vetted beeks sporting the new uniform whilst going about apiary business (bending over to lower a heavy super onto an upturned roof, leaning forward to peer into the brood box to decide how many seams need treating etc etc).
 
Uniform?- black stockings for the ladies definitely (ahhh those balmy days when "denier" was all to do with the sheerness of stockings.......):D[/QUOTE]

Brosville, you are suffering from the same illness as me. SWMBO says I am exhibiting all the symtoms of a DOM. I keep telling her to leave out the 'DO'!!!!:banghead:
 
right - in the spirit of "carpe diem", I have some webspace, and I've chucked a copy of "Moodle" up so that interested parties can "have a play with it" - I'll have to fertle with permissions and things, but hope to shortly have it so that interested parties can "have the keys" and try it out..... This is NOT designed as a finished article, nor the actual one that would be used, but offered purely as a testbed to give people an idea.
I've got to shoot out for an hour or so, anyone who'd like to have a "go" as tutor, just pm me, and I'll send the "passwords" sometime this afternoon - yer t'is in it's bare unadorned form.......... http://farmco.co.uk/moodle/
 
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