What do I have to know before I start using Moodle?

It is one of the (free) learning management systems.

Moodle is just one example of how educational materials can be used for the benefits of students. This open-source software first appeared in 2002. The person who designed it–Martin Dougiamas, now 46, from Australia–understood early on the potential of the Internet for education (what we would later call e-learning), and began to develop a system in 1999 as part of his PhD.  Years have passed, and Moodle have been tailored to the needs of educators from different countries, so the functionality expanded and the variety of languages soared to more than 100.

Moodle can be used as a supportive environment for instruction.  It can be formal education, trainings, short seminars, etc. The major assumption behind it is to enhance learning, not to replace it. After all, learning is most probably happening in our heads instead of our computers. Moodle allows for educators to create assignments, quizzes, tests, instructional materials that support learning.

Other examples of learning managements systems (LMS) are  Blackboard, Desire2Learn, and Instructure. The competitive advantage of Moodle is that it is a free tool and can be used in the countries and settings that cannot pay thousands of dollars for other platforms. The official website of Moodle is https://moodle.org/ and anyone can create his or her account there free of charge.

My project is about introducing Moodle for learning English in a Belarusian secondary school. First, LMSs are still not there; second, LMSs help move home assignments online and provide additional materials; third, LMSs may influence the discipline of students with the idea of strict deadlines, which is a big issue in Belarusian high schools.