Today I want to show you how easy it is to add the free Moodle course management system to your self-hosted teaching site using cPanel and Fantastico. But first, I’d like to discuss some things to keep in mind when you and your students start using Moodle.

When signing up for a web hosting account, most of us choose the least expensive option, which is shared hosting. Wikipedia defines share hosting as “a service where many websites reside on one web server connected to the Internet.” It is the cheapest hosting option because many people are sharing the overall cost of running and maintaining the web server.

This arrangement generally works well for personal sites and even small business sites. But if your site starts getting “hit” beyond a certain threshold, it slows down the entire server because everyone is sharing the same system resources. Most web hosts closely monitor server activity and will issue a warning should you exceed their threshold (this varies by web host). Ignore warnings at your own peril — in the worst case your account may be suspended.

You can avoid unpleasant surprises with a dose of common sense. First, make sure you choose a reputable web host (see Part 2 of this series for guidelines). Reputable hosts are there when you need them and will try to resolve any issues fairly. They can also suggest upgrade solutions should you need one to handle more traffic.

I bring this up because Moodle  increases server load depending on the number of students interacting with it at any given time. This is generally not a problem when randomly accessing Moodle outside of class for homework or other assigned tasks. But problems can occur in wired classrooms or computer labs when too many people are using Moodle at the same time. Response becomes slower and slower, and eventually the system may freeze (I speak from experience).

So, tip number two is to limit the number of your students simultaneously accessing Moodle to no more than 20. This is purely a guideline but one that has worked consistently for me. You can manage this in larger classes by preparing one or more non-Moodle learning activities and rotating your students accordingly.

By now, anyone gamely following this series should have registered a domain name, set up a web hosting plan, and changed your nameservers to point to your host’s address on the Internet. Now let’s put a face on your website.

In this tutorial, I’m going to be creating a demo site using the domain name eltinternet.com, which I have previously registered. Please substitute your own domain name as you complete the following steps:

1. Log in to your cPanel
2. Install WordPress in the root directory of your website using Fantastico
3. Log in to WordPress
4. Install any themes you have previously downloaded
5. Select a favorite from among them
6. Don’t forget (as I did!) to log out when finished

As I mention during the video, you certainly do not have to use WordPress as your default home page.

If you are familiar with FTP, you can upload a readily-available HTML template. Or, using Fantastico, you might want to install Moodle, Drupal, Joomla, or other content management system as the front door to your site, and put WordPress in a separate directory. That’s the power of self-hosting — you really can have it your way and at an affordable cost.

I should also add that what I’m covering here is merely the scaffolding to support your e-teaching space. The real challenge, of course, is putting together your content.

Coming next: Moodle – installation and considerations for self-hosted teaching sites.

Now that you’ve acquired a domain name and a hosting account, it’s time to connect the dots. This no-frills slideshow is a short guide for pointing a domain name registered at GoDaddy.com to your site with an imaginary hosting company called “hostcompany.com”.

Typically, your web host will provide you with two nameserver values in an email along with other important account information. You’ll definitely want to print everything out and keep it in a safe place. (Tip: Store an extra copy on a USB flash drive.)

After changing the nameserver info in your GoDaddy account, allow up to 24 hours (typically much less) for the changes to cycle through the Internet and make your site visible.

In the meantime, key in “free WordPress themes” to your favorite search engine and explore the myriad offerings available to you as a self-hosted teacher. One good place to start is the WordPress.org site, but there are hundreds of others.

Preview any that catch your fancy, and download the ones you really like. We’ll be uploading them to your website in the next part of this series.

According to the experts at TopTenReviews, this table presents the best of the best web hosting companies. Which one should you choose to host your site?

The answer: None of the above. Unfortunately, this outfit and tons of other review sites put profit ahead of objectivity when making their recommendations. The underlying motivation shows clearly in this video clip.

Finding a truly “good” web hosting company is probably the biggest challenge you’ll face when setting up your site. Word of mouth is a good place to start. But in the end you have to test-drive the service yourself before you really know if the fit is right.

For me, a “good” web host has to offer, at the minimum, the following:

• Money back guarantee
• Better Business Bureau rating of at least B+
• A telephone number that is answered within a reasonable amount of time
• 24/7 tech support from knowledgeable staff via chat, phone, or email
• Modern, reliable hardware with limited down time
• Generally positive comments from independent customer forums
• Full feature set, including cPanel and the Fantastico script installer

I have researched quite a number of web hosts but found precious few that satisfy these criteria. Among those that pass are Arvixe, Inmotion, and Host Gator. Any one of these would probably be a good choice.

But even if your experience is unsatisfactory, you can easily back up your entire site and transfer it to another provider. Intact. That’s one of the biggest advantages to going with a host that features the proprietary cPanal versus other control panels. It makes managing your site a breeze.

Once you have registered a domain name and chosen a web host, the next step is to connect them and start building your site. Look for details in Part III of this series.

More and more teachers are jumping on the bandwagon and creating some sort of web presence. Many teachers that I know have set up a blog as their  base of online operations. Free services such as Blogger, WordPress, and EduBlogs make it so easy!

These free services are a great place to start. But if you’re like me, at some point you realize their limitations. Caps on storage space or bandwidth. No FTP capability. Unsightly advertising. Inability to use themes other than those provided. Limited customization. You can, of course, upgrade to a premium account to get some of these features. After all, outside of advertising, that’s how these services make their money.

But let’s say you want to expand your web presence with a wiki, bulletin board, forum, or Moodle. Unless your school is doing the hosting or footing the bill, you could end up with a hefty charge at the end of each month.

A more economical solution, and one that is ultimately more flexible and satisfying, is to host your own site. For one low, flat monthly fee, you can set up any number of blogs, wikis, Moodles, etc., and customize them as you like. This is also a very good option for teachers whose schools have unusually tough firewalls or less than cooperative system administrators.

Other self-hosting advantages include:

• No bothersome advertising
• Free email accounts with your own domain name
• Complete control of all your files and information
• Direct upload and download of these files to and from your server
• One-touch installation of WordPress, Moodle, and other scripts
• Complete site backup and restore capability

Where to start?

I would suggest first getting a domain name. Be wary of the “free domain for life” that some web hosts offer. Why? Because if the hosting company goes out of business, or is bought by another firm, your domain name could disappear or be held hostage to extract more money from you (I speak from experience).

Play it safe and get your own name from a third-party domain name registrar and manage it yourself. I use GoDaddy and have no complaints, but there are a number of others to choose from. Expect to pay $8-15/year to secure your domain name.

Tip: No matter where you register your domain, make SURE to keep a safe copy of your username and password. This info is vital for connecting your domain name with your website.

What’s next?

Now that you have a domain name, it’s time to go shopping for the right web host. Details coming up.