On October 12, for a county-wide-in-service day, I will be taking four, 50 minute mini-classes on Moodling. I am excited and concerned at the same time. My goal is to reach out to students in a new avenue and connect with them on their turf. Too, I want to offer a mode of learning that increases dramatically the amount of student participation. Moodle is a free software Course Management System download that is PC or Mac compatible that helps teachers create a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). If students retain 70% of what they do, then using a Moodle to heighten student learning could be just the ticket.
The Moodle web site is straightforward and easy to navigate. They even have a page directory especially for teachers. What I liked about the site was that they provide beginners with everything they need to begin, including a list of do's and do not's. The program is so user friendly that NCSU reported in July of 2009 that it switched from Blackboard Vista to Moodle, and that both UNC Charlotte and Ashevlille will be soon. We as JMU students, and faculty, can attest to frustrations with Blackboard and would most assuredly enjoy a user-friendlier VLE.
This leaves me at the highschool setting feeling a bit out-of-the-loop. With our countwide system closed to outside forums, chat rooms, and e-mail access, teachers have few tools at their disposal to connect with 21st Century students. I am excited about the opportunity. Of course, with each growing technological resource comes a huge learning curve and a revamping of my entire approach. I also fear the lack of available terminals on a regular basis. As I venture into Moodle, I will take their web site advice and start slow. How VLE's impact us as educators and students is yet to be understood completely. I for one, intend on being at the forefront, rather than waiting to catch up.
Emmett
Hi Emmett,
ReplyDeleteI became exposed to and worked with Moodle this past summer as a project assistant for Dr. Estes and other researchers. The project involved a grant that focused on mentoring through a social networking site (at the end, we wound up switching to Ning). I had to familiarize and train myself on the site, and I must say that it was quite overwhelming at first. Nonetheless, I was impressed with the number of features that it offers. I haven't immersed into Moodle long enough to prefer it over Blackboard, but I can understand the movement toward Moodle.
Chiquita
I am not too famaliar with VLE's, however, I extremely dislike blackboard!! I am very impressed with what MOODLE has to offer and what it will do for students in the learning system. What teachers and students alike will have to get used to is the learning curve. That's with anything when learning something, so it should not be so bad. Here at JMU, it would be nice to do a trial and error to see how the students respond to the system in the near future! Good luck with your class and have fun!
ReplyDeleteJessica Wade
Moodle looks like another interesting tool in the box. I just went into the demo site to get a feel for how user friendly it is. So far, it looks pretty easy to use. A student can see what needs to be done quite easily.
ReplyDeleteClassroom organization and management are very important components in setting the stage for learning. The key, as always, is content. The technology will only be as good as the content and how diligent the teacher and administrator are in keeping up with the content and making sure to work the kinks out.
Though I have never used Moodle before, I did look at the demo, and thought it looked very user-friendly, perhaps more so than Blackboard. However, I am still getting use to Blackboard. This semester is the first time I have ever used Blackboard. At Bridgewater College, Blackboard or nothing like it for that matter, is used. So, even though I'm still figuring out Blackboard, I have already found things I dislike about it. I think trying Moodle, might be an idea JMU should at least entertain. From what I saw so far, through the trial version of Moodle, it looks like Moodle could be just as user-friendly and efficient, if not more so than Blackboard.
ReplyDeleteI have not used Moodle previously, but I have heard of it through several professors in the AHRD program. I am hoping to learn a lot more about it and experience it in the next week to add it as a tool for a mentorship program at Waynesboro High School (WHS) that I run through the Professors in Residence program at JMU. WHS already uses Moodle to a small extent. I will be sure to post my experience. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Emmett - thanks for letting us know about your upcoming professional development and be sure to fill us in on how it goes. Moodle is a fantastic example of the free Web 2.0 tools out there. These are both exciting and nerve racking times for Educational Technologists. So many tools and so little time!! Moodle is definitely worth looking into as a way to reach out to your students. Starting slow, for example posting announcements and handout/assignment/ppt files you have used in class can go a long way in creating a shared responsibility for learning. The students do not have to 'ask' you for everything.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, it seems to me as though we will never be able to use web based technologies, such as social networking, until we can guarantee that all students have consistent access to technology. Though I do not work in secondary education, I would suspect that this is an ongoing rationale for school districts to no adopt widespread use of technology that demands off site access. There are still plenty of families in every school district who have a hard time providing pencils, paper and lunch money, let alone computers and internet service. How would this technology best be used in schools? Perhaps in a computer lab setting where students can at least be exposed to the existence of such tools, even if the infrastructure does not currently allow for mandated widespread use.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of “moodle” in the classroom was a new concept for me. This is the first time I have heard of it. I have been using “Blackboard” (mostly from the student perspective) as an online component for 4 years now. Like any Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) I feel BB has its pluses and minuses.
ReplyDelete“If students retain 70% of what they do, then using a Moodle to heighten student learning could be just the ticket.”
I am not sure how I feel about VLE (moodle/BB) being the ticket to heighten students learning, like any learning environment, I feel it depends on the goal and overall delivery of the tool.
As a student, I feel at times the VLE brings significance benefits to the learning environment, other times, I just feel like it adds “busy work” to an already stressed schedule.
I do feel that the online environment is a strong tool for today’s youth and having additional resources available like lectures as podcast and the ability to access class notes (ppts) is a real asset that caters to different learning styles. This is a benefit of the VLE.
I have been playing around with Moodle and I really think it is something that I can utilize for social networking purposes! I have not found a better option that is separate from the common social networking sites; i.e., facebook and myspace. If you know of any, send me an email @ jcave04@gmail.com
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