Post date: May 17, 2016 2:7:28 PM
After looking at the information provided in this lesson, I realized that I have experience with both Course Management Software (CMS) and Learning Management Software (LMS). I knew what a LMS is, but I was unfamiliar with the term/acronym CMS.
Turns out, this website is more like a CMS. It is basically a place where I can store information for my students, whether that be files, links, or something else entirely. I could probably set it up to have particular pages that are password protected and create quizzes in google forms and have folders that students could deposit assignments, but that's not really what it was designed for, so it would be clunky and far from an elegant solution.
Haiku, however, is a true LMS. Not only can I store and disseminate information to students, but I can assess them, collect assignments, have discussions with them, populate a calendar, and send out alerts. It was designed for this purpose, and thus, does an excellent job of this. I find it easy to work with and easily does tasks that would be cumbersome on the website. I've noticed as my teaching as evolved and my comfort with online platforms has increased, my students and I use my website less and less and spend most of our online time in Haiku.
It really depends on your needs as to which you should choose for yourself. At first, a website was enough for me. It held files and links and that's all I needed it to do. As I started flipping my classroom and utilizing the internet more and more, I realized I needed an LMS. I discussed the options with my school's Technology Specialist and we decided on Haiku. I've been happy with this choice. As I get more and more comfortable and familiar with the software, I have started utilizing features in Haiku that I didn't bother with at first. I like how a LMS can grow with you. It can be as full-featured or as limited as you need/want or are comfortable with. If I was teaching a virtual class that was completely online, I would definitely want an LMS rather than a CMS.