WK1 Project - LMO Overview

Copyright-free photo obtained from microsoft.org

Ever since I started this class, entitled Learning Management Systems and Organization, there have been acronyms being thrown at me that have become all scrambled in my head. Let's try to untangle these letters and straighten out the definitions of each of these acronyms:  CMS, LMS, LCMS, and PLE.

The acronym CMS stands for course management systems in the education field.  A course management system is an online platform that manages a student's classes.  A school system usually contains the foundation for the system, and students are asked to register with the system during the enrollment process.  At this point, each student has their own organizational space on the system where all assignments are posted, grades are kept track of, and progress is monitored.  These systems were widely avaliable to students in 1997, and since then the popularity and use have increased significantly (Rabinowitz & Ullman, 2004).  Some common CMS's used today are Blackboard, eCollege, and WebCT.  The benefits of CMS's are better handling of grades, easy registration, library resources, and organization.

The next acronym we need to unscramble is LMS.  This acronym stands for learning (or learner) management system and is used more commercially than CMS's.  An LMS manages learners based on individual requirements, and is perfect for the workforce.  This system is not broken into semesters or terms, but can be used at any time with any type of job. "Typically an LMS provides the means to track users, assess performance, deploy content, and access general administrative functions such as management of users records  (Adobe TechNote).

Although it looks quite similar, an LCMS is something completely different from an LMS.   We just learned that LMS stands for learning management system - now we will discuss LCMS, or learning content management systems. LCMS's are on the cutting edge of technology and are intended for use in big systems.  They are currently being used in the army, because training and readiness are major components of the system. The LCMS's are used to prepare and train individuals for situations they will encounter.  "LCM's evolved out of the recognition in some companies that they had a big problem with lots and lots of learning content, and no coherent way of managing it, finding it, maintaining it, and tracking usage of it" (Wilson, 2003).

The last acronym to unscramble is PLE.  PLE stands for personal learning environment and is being defined as we speak. A personal learning environment can be a lot of different things, but basically any type of system used to learn that can be organized around a certain person.  Places like social networks and virtual worlds are labeled as PLEs.  There are still many questions surrounding PLEs, but as our technology advances, our understanding of PLEs will also advance. I found a great video describing PLEs at Slideshare.net Make sure you check it out to learn even more about PLEs!

References

Adobe TechNote  (November 2004). What is a learning management system?  Retrieved from    http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/187/tn_18773.html

Attwell, G.  (2006).  Personal learning environments [Video file].   Retrieved from    http://www.slideshare.net/GrahamAttwell/personal-learning-environments-46423

Rabinowitz, M. & Ullman, C.  (October 2004).  Course management systems and the reinvention of instruction. The journal. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2004/10/01/course-management-systems-and-the-reinvention-of-instruction.aspx?sc_lang=en

Wilson, D.  (March 2003).  Do I need an LCMS? Elearnity.  Retrieved from http://www.elearnity.com/EKCLoad.htm?load=categorylist?openForm&Target=LCMS