IMPLEMENTATION OF MOODLE IN A GOVERNMENT SCHOOLChris SimpsonCraigieburn Secondary CollegeLeading Teacher (e-Learning)

SESSION OUTLINE

• Why I choose to use Moodle• What were the preconditions at the school• The technical infrastructure and the need for

willing technicians• Getting staff ‘buy-in’• The development cycle in a government school• How I ‘forced’ staff to interact with system by

stealth• The cultural shift of the college

WHY I CHOOSE TO USE MOODLE

• Working in an Australian school in the UAE was my first introduction to Moodle• Moodle was chosen for me• Choice driven by price• Brief – “Make it work”

WHAT WERE THE PRECONDITIONS AT THE SCHOOL

• 1:1 funding through NSSCF for year 9-12• 2 full time techs and 1 that came 1 day per

week• 5 computer labs• Network drives (some files more than 5 years

old)• Beginning to use SharePoint as online platform

THE TECHNICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE NEED FOR WILLING

TECHNICIANS

• Mistakes made in the UAE• Whole set up lost by external

contractor...twice!• Little change was actually needed to the

existing infrastructure at CSC (SIPS rating: 3-stars [60%])• Moodle was installed on Virtual Server• Mistakes made at CSC• Initially set up on Windows Server 2003

• Technicians were willing to have-a-go• Would have been impossible otherwise

GETTING STAFF ‘BUY-IN’

• Having ‘Buy-In’ requires selling• Why Moodle over SharePoint which had time

already invested• Be ‘Available’ and provide training• Model behaviour, find ‘Champions’• Use KLA Managers/Co-ordinators• Investigate any projects occurring in the school

and see how Moodle can add value• Maths/English Help Pages (see links)• Static Pages, Calendars

THE DEVELOPMENT CYCLE IN A GOVERNMENT SCHOOL

HOW I ‘FORCED’ STAFF TO INTERACT WITH SYSTEM BY

STEALTH• Default Homepage• Removed all

Network drives at the end of year 1• All resource

bookings now online (MRBS)• Students Account

details (Database)• Common login

(LDAP Sync)

THE CULTURAL SHIFT OF THE COLLEGE

• Students:“Will that be on the LMS?” ,or,“Why haven’t you put it on the LMS?”• Student Extended Absences and Illness• Staff now come to me to find out how they can

use Moodle in their projects

WHERE TO NOW?

• Over 70% of staff/students login regularly,now work on ‘late adopters’• Looking at quality of interactions with the

system• Common platform with increase of BYOD• Greater use of mobile devices in the classroom• Getting parents online

THANK YOU

• Chris SimpsonCraigieburn Secondary CollegeLeading Teacher (e-Learning)• simpson.christopher.l@edumail.vic.gov.au