jQuery.sheet is spreadsheet plugin, that offers creation, viewing and editing. All combined with a nice API.
As I said before, Learning Management is really taking off and I get many client requests to do some kind of integration or custom solution for them.
What is a LMS?
A Learning Management System (LMS) is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, and delivery of educational courses, training programs, or learning and development programs.
It is used by organizations to manage and deliver their internal training programs and can be used by schools and universities for managing online courses as well. An LMS typically includes features such as creating and delivering content, user management, tracking progress, assessments, reporting, and collaboration tools.
In one of my latest articles I started listing solutions for WordPress, WordPress and the LMS universe.
But those solutions might not always be the best fit for your project. Many of them actually try too hard to be everything. The amount of cross linked functionality is getting insane and increases the point of failure.
In some cases a trimmed down solid solution might be the better way to go. SaaS (Software as a Service), part of the cloud trend, is providing more and more options, this includes the LMS arena.
A SaaS solution refers to software that is delivered to users over the internet, typically on a subscription basis. Instead of installing and running the software locally on individual computers or servers, users access it through a web browser or a thin client. The service provider manages the infrastructure, maintenance, and upgrades of the software, allowing users to benefit from the latest features and improvements without having to manage the underlying technology themselves.
Stop worrying about the software and concentrate on your content again. The SaaS provider takes care of functionality, support, updates and delivery.
This is nothing new, solutions like TalentLMS or Litmos LMS offer this for some time now.
TalentLMS is a cloud-based Learning Management System (LMS) designed for small to mid-sized businesses and organizations. It offers features such as creating and delivering online courses, tracking progress and performance, reporting, and integrations with other tools like Google Drive, Dropbox, and Zapier. TalentLMS also includes mobile learning capabilities, allowing users to access courses on their smartphones or tablets. The platform is easy to use and offers a range of customization options for branding and layout. It also includes features for creating and managing certificates and badges for learners upon completion of courses.
Litmos is a cloud-based Learning Management System (LMS) designed for businesses and organizations of all sizes. It offers features such as creating and delivering online courses, tracking progress and performance, reporting, and integrations with other tools like Salesforce, Marketo, and Google Drive. Litmos also includes mobile learning capabilities, allowing users to access courses on their smartphones or tablets. The platform is easy to use and offers a range of customization options for branding and layout. It also includes features for creating and managing certificates and badges for learners upon completion of courses. Additionally, Litmos offers features for automating course assignments, tracking compliance with regulatory requirements, and providing personalized learning experiences for individual learners based on their performance and progress.
Modern SaaS solutions provide Public APIs, that allow you to seamlessly integrate them with your current solution. So in case of a LMS, that part of your project could be handled by the SaaS provider, while e-commerce, social and other content areas remain under your full control.
We are looking at a very crowded LMS market, but always nice to have options :)
Now that Parse is phasing out (01/2017), people are looking for alternatives that offer:
Collaborative list of Parse alternative backend service providers @ GitHub
Nice set of Google Analytics helper plugins.
Riveted is measuring the amount of time users are actively engaged (e.g., clicking, scrolling, using the keyboard) and then reporting the data to Google Analytics in frequent intervals. GitHub
Scroll Depth is a small Google Analytics plugin that lets you measure how far users are scrolling. GitHub
Screentime is a small tool that helps you start thinking of your website traffic in terms of time instead of hits (pageviews, visits, etc). You can define areas of the page, called Fields, and then Screentime will keep track of how much time each Field is on screen for. GitHub
“PNotify is a JavaScript notification plugin, developed by SciActive. PNotify can also provide desktop notifications based on the Web Notifications spec. If desktop notifications are not available or not allowed, PNotify will fall back to displaying the notice as a regular, in-browser notice.”
“Home automation with Raspberry PI and Arduino using Node.js, MongoDB, HTML5 and Websockets”
Cylon.js is a JavaScript framework for robotics, physical computing, and the Internet of Things. It makes it incredibly easy to command robots and devices.
IoT is the current buzz word and I will be doing some more tinkering with current solutions this year. I have done projects with Arduino , Raspberry Pi and looking into relayr / Wunderbar right now.
relayr provides a tech stack with Wunderbar, that easily connects included sensors with the cloud. They provide a wide range of API endpoints to collect data and even integrate hardware solutions like Arduino orRaspberry Pi.
“The WunderBar is built for software developers. It is a powerful rapid prototyping and product development tool that enables developers to immediately start creating products and solutions that utilise the Internet of Things, without any prior hardware knowledge. No soldering or electronic engineering experience is needed. Just choose what sensors you need for your project and start coding.”
Starterkit should arrive next week …
A repository of over 1000 quality jQuery plugins in categories like UI, Forms, Media, Navigation …
All nice, as long as those plugins are being updated. We had respositories of jQuery plugins before, that had many outdated or broken solutions.