More and more, there are an increasing number of tools available that enable virtual or eLearning. For years the museums have been incorporating new educational ways. Really good examples can be found throughout the country, and these include the WikiDocentes del Guggenheim of Bilbao or the EducaThyssen in Madrid.

A few weeks ago took place the VI MoodleMoot in the centre for contemporary creation, the “Matadero de Madrid“. The meeting of users of this online teaching and learning platform has been organised into sessions of debate and workshops that have let the participants share knowledge: teachers, computer programmers and users have discussed future developments and improvements of the platform, as well as innovations in its uses and applications.

The Moodle Platform is a free open-source software system for managing resources, allowing the creation of online learning communities. The first version of the platform was created in August 2002 by Martin Dougiamas, whose design was based on constructivist and pedagogical parameters. The system allows for greater flexibility of time in the learning, and fluent and interactive communication among the students, and between the students and the teacher.

Last year the meeting was held in Barcelona and including this year’s, we have now held six in the country. Many universities are currently using this platform and it is also being introduced in secondary schools. Initiatives such as Sclipo.com, self-defined as a “Social Media revolution”, are supported in Moodle.

There exist other highly used eLearning platforms. In the same line of open source software, we can find, for example, dotLRN, Dokeos, Caroline or Docebo. And if we take a look at private software, we will also find a wide range of alternatives such as, Blackboard (widely used in the USA), Saba, QSMedia and eCollege, amongst others.

So as to keep up-to-date with the online learning applications and uses, it is recommendable to follow the Online Educa Berlin(OEB) Conference that this year is being held from the 2^nd to 4^th December, or to consult the audio and video recordings of the OEB 2008 edition.

The UOC (Open University of Catalonia) has set in motion the eLearn Center, a research centre for online learning, the first centre of these characteristics in Spain, and as the director, Begoña Gros, explains, one of the few in Europe.

Cristina Martín
(Internship in the Picasso Museum as part of her Master’s Degree in Cultural Management from the University of Barcelona)