Learning Management Systems are virtual location to create, distribute and evaluate educational courses. Content Management Systems are related to learning management systems because the latter are were the content or learning resources is storage, allocated, maintained and reused. I found a blog where his author (Prof. Conway) post his notes about a presentation he gave on instructional technologies. (http://drconway.wordpress.com/2008/10/22/asking-the-wrong-questions-of-instructional-technology/) Here he cites another blog were the author writes about how currently Learning Management Systems are trying to include many of the features in Web 2.0. He suggest that instead of incorporating these tools the users should redefine the functionality or how we are going to use these technologies.
“To continue the series on a new vision for Learning Management Systems, I want to turn our attention to the new direction that I think the LMS program should go. Instead of going more complex by adding more and more buzzword tools, I want to see LMS companies go the opposite direction: more streamlined. In my opinion, the way to go is a simplified user interface that is focused on active learning, constructivism, and openness.
As I stated in an earlier post about this subject, we need to start seeing the LMS as the control panel of a subway system. As trains go all over the place, they relay information back to the control panel so that the head conductor can know where they are going and what they are picking up on the way. In other words, use the tool to make the instructors job easier while also launching students out on to the web to learn.” (http://www.edugeekjournal.com/blog.php?id=197)
I think the train analogy applies very well to the possible diverse functionality we can give to complement these technologies.
