I agree that VLEs leave a lot to be desired. But until something better comes along - and it will! - they have certain advantages. Designed for learning, they keep everything in one place and provide for a variety of ways to teach and learn, at a variety of levels of expertise.

Recent discussions about the future of learning, e.g., at the Learning Futures Festival and JISC online 08 have shown that there are new more personalised and flexible technologies coming along for learners to manage their own learning. Until then, the VLEs are our familiar territory and it’s up to us to find creative ways to use them.