[support] Class modules

[Bill Fitzgerald]

Hello, Warren,

Some notes inline below:

Warren Vail wrote:
> Good sources, I have the book, found it lacking but didn't give any thought
> to why.  

There are definitely things not to like -- in particular, I cringe at 
the sections on file/media handling, which has changed entirely since 
the book was written. I also cringe at the section on the text editors, 
as the WYSIWYG API is now a better choice if one must actually use a 
text editor.

The CCK, Views, and OG sections, however, have all aged pretty well.

> Closer look at this indicates a difference between what I am
> looking for and Mr. Fitzgerald's

Ach! Please, call me Bill.

>  focus.  The book seems to focus on
> supplementing the classroom process, instead of trying to find an
> alternative to that process.
>   

The beauty of Drupal is that it can be used to do both. In writing the 
book, I used the language of the classroom to describe the site build, 
as the vocabulary of the classroom will be more familiar to educators. 
However, the core building blocks discussed in the book (CCK, Views, OG) 
will work just as well in a more traditional classroom setting as in a 
learning environment with no hierarchy at all -- or, in any social 
context whether it's education-related or not. Although the book is 
geared toward education, the concepts apply equally well across the board.

My personal preference is for a system of learning that is 
student/process driven, but that's a different conversation.

> As a software developer, I have been part of, and victim of, a global effort
> to imbed knowledge in software to make it unnecessary to keep lots of
> developers on staff, allowing for offshore (cheaper) talent to supplant what
> I do.  
>
> My limited vision of what I needed would allow someone to create courses to
> teach the special knowledge of the courses author, then, the teaching would
> continue without the teacher's active participation.

Use OG. Override the presentation of group content via the theming 
layer. Depending on your specific needs, this could get you all of the 
way there. If not, it will highlight where you need custom 
code/additional modules.

>   Much of what I know
> about Drupal development was learned this way, from books just like Mr.
> Fitzgerald's, perhaps not as well done as formal teaching, but not as costly
> as formal classrooms.
>
> This raises the question, will educators become the next victims of
> globalization?
>   

No. People might try, and there will be lots of people attempting to 
sell us on a "more efficient educational system" but they should be 
rejected as the snake oil salesmen that they are. Learning takes time; 
reflection takes time; understanding takes time. Time can't be outsourced.

Cheers,

Bill

> Warren Vail
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tony Zielinski [mailto:tony at webavant.com] 
> Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 9:45 PM
> To: support at drupal.org
> Subject: Re: [support] Class modules
>
> Bill Fitzgerald wrote a 400 page book about using Drupal for education  
> actually http://www.packtpub.com/drupal-for-education-and-e-learning/book 
>   .  You should read back through the posts on the Drupal in Education  
> group at http://groups.drupal.org/drupal-education .
>
>
>   

-- 

Bill Fitzgerald
http://funnymonkey.com
FunnyMonkey -- Click. Connect. Learn.
ph. 503 897 7160