Using Moodle to Climb the Summit of Student Success Saturday March 3 @ 8:00 AM Mojave Learning Center Scott Smith

Moodle in context ~ Moodle is an open source online course management system (CMS) | Stats

• Administrators can establish web-based courses and monitory activity.
• Teachers can populate web-based courses with content and foster community learning activities.
• Students have 24/7 access to web-based content and can become active members of a community of learners.

Moodle's two greatest powers:

• Taps into the student's natural love-affair with technology and personal participation in cyber citizenry
• Helps teachers transition from lecture to collaboration, from passive learning to active learning, from push to pull,

A day in the life of a Moodle Administrator (version 1.7 ... see requirements)

• Create teacher account
  • username, password, first name, surname, email address, city/school, default everything else
     
• Create new course & assign teacher
  • category, name, summary, weekly/topic, enroll-able, guest, default everything else
     
• Upload batch of student accounts
  • text file fields ... username, password, firstname, lastname, email
  • recommendation ... use unique passwords and unique email addresses

A day in the life of a Moodle Teacher

• Login | select course | "Turn editing on" | hide News forum
• Edit Course summary (help on writing text)
• Edit Week summary
• Add resources (handout or web resource)
• Add activities (forum, journal, assignment, quiz, chat)
• Turn on blocks (calendar & upcoming events, online users, messages, RSS feed, HTML)
• Administration (files, groups, grades, questions)

Moodle Samples

A day in the life of a Moodle Student ... general observations (in class, online, survey)

• 24/7 access for majority of students ... review student activity reports
  • students with no home access either find it or can use library/classroom equipment
• Increased motivation to participate in a classroom assignment
• Shy, less confident students participate more
• Student writing

 á quantity
 á attention to detail
 á edits
 á ownership
 á parent awareness

Moodle Messes

• Cyber Citizenry
  • Identify theft ... guarding password
  • Personal profile ... NO photo of self or friends
     
• Messaging Mayhem
  • Moodle Rules ... proclaim & post
  • BP 6163.4 ... Student Use of Technology Policy
  • Student/Parent/Teacher contract
  • Parent Letter
  • Start with unique passwords
     
• Cost & Communication
  • Administration time ... add new courses/students
  • Very little technical support (back-up, install new version)
  • Educate ALL stakeholders
    • Build vision ... online learning environments best fit given a school's plan
    • Principals ... review cyber safety, help them anticipate potential problems, monitor teacher use
    • Teachers ... master cyber safety, learn how to use Moodle & why to use Moodle,
                         how to create a culture of learning - community of learners, monitor student use
    • Student training ... master cyber safety & Moodle rules, expectations, community of learners
    • Parent training ... vision, monitor child use, partnership

© Scott Smith, 2007