Moodle

Moodle is a web based collaborative tool similar to Blackboard that is also aimed at higher education. It offers a number of tools that help students collaborate like forums, chat rooms, and wikis. It also supports interactive online quizes, surveys, and lessons.

Moodle is a capable replacement for Blackboard, but its static web-based interface feels dated. It currently doesn't push the 'lessons' to the student, so it cannot be used as a real-time presentation tool.

Good Features:

• Web-based, little needed in client side software
• Supports live, web-based chat
• Live roster that shows what students are doing
• Good user management with configurable premissions

Bad Features:

• User interface is ugly and it only allows the student to do one thing at a time
• Interaction between the professor(s) and students is limited to chat and forums

Missing Features:

• Real-time presentation
• Dedicated means of taking notes
• Drawing capability