CBEA CONFERENCEOCTOBER 20, 2010

MRS. DEDERERBUSINESS TEACHER

BETHEL HIGH SCHOOL

Moodle

What is Moodle?

Moodle is an Open Source Learning Management system. Similar to WebCT and Blackboard

Moodle is an online tool that educators can use to interact and engage with students outside the classroom.

Institutions use it as their platform to run online courses or blended learning.

Pedagogy

Social Constructivist All of us are teachers as well as learners – in a true

collaborative environment we are both. We learn well from the act of creating or expressing

something for others to see. We learn by viewing the activity of our peers. A learning environment needs to be flexible and

adaptable, so that it can quickly respond to the needs of the participants within it.

By understanding the context of others, we can teach in a transformational way.

Moodle Advantages

Using Moodle teachers can easily construct richly textured web based courses.

Lessons consist of a number of lessons, with each lesson including reading resource and activities.

Tailored learning resources to the abilities, learning styles, and interests of each student.

Learning resources are available to students anywhere.

Advantages Cont …

Semester courses are complete with all resources and ready to use. Students can be cleaned out and new students added

in for each course.

Educators create an online component to their traditional classroom setting.

Moodle can save educators time and enhance the learning process for students while taking advantage of Multimedia. Video, Text, Animation, Sound, and Graphics Less papers to bring home to grade – assessment is

online

Uses for Moodle

Assessment Quizzes, submit homework, projects

Collaboration Wiki, groups, cross-subject courses

Communication Forums, messaging, homework feedback

Student Wikis or forums, journals

Offer downloads Subject course or handouts

Moodle Resources

Web Page – create your own pageLink to a file or Website– Microsoft Work

(homework etc…)Post audio/video

Podcasts/MP3 Videos – YouTube

Display a directory – teachers can create a folder and place all resources there Easier than linking many single files

Moodle Activities

Assignments – post instructions and students upload work to the specific assignment Deadlines can be set Refuse or accept late work Moodle indicates if the assignment was posted late Grade and provide feedback offline

Choice – a simple multiple choice question; used as a poll Logs all the answers and provides the statistics

Moodle Activities Cont…

Workshop – works like a super assignment Pick some student’s work Choose a theme Mark up the work Students look at exemplar material and mark examples Promotes students producing work that hits the marked

themeForum – allows a person to make a statement, give a

point of view, or ask a question Students can reply to the forum and their peers Ratings can be assessed Turns into a threaded discussion Excellent for Current Events

Moodle Activities Cont …

Quiz Best activity Types of Quiz: MC, short answer, numerical,

true/false, matching, essay Marks the quiz for the teacher Pre-prepared questions make creating a quiz take a

minutes work Build bank of questions

Provides valuable feedback – “What your students don’t know.” Examples: SAT questions When students finish the teacher can download a

spreadsheet of marks listing all parts of the question

Disadvantages

Moodle needs to be installed on a Web Server On your own computer - web hosting Your school’s server

Grade Book

No online grade book within your districtMoodle Grade Book

Create weighted categories All students for each class will automatically be

entered Reports can be generated

Example Sites & More Information

Springdale Schools http://moodle.sdale.org/

Norwalk Public Schools http://moodle.npsteachers.org/

Moodle Community http://moodle.org/