Moodle: Engaging Students Online

Nathalie Rudner, Thornhill Secondary SchoolAnita Drossis, Vaughan Secondary School

York Region District School Board

Nathalie Rudner, Thornhill Secondary SchoolAnita Drossis, Vaughan Secondary School

York Region District School Board

an ABEL tool

a course management system that allows teachers to create quality online courses customized to meet their own specific classroom needs

can be used to deliver course content and/ or to supplement course materials

What is Moodle?What is Moodle?

Moodle: provides a multimedia learning experience extends our students’ learning beyond the classroom. creates an interactive space for students to learn provides resources and opportunities for students to

review material taught in class allows course material to be available to students at

all times

How can Moodle engage students?How can Moodle engage students?

Address Different

Learning Styles

Address Different

Learning Styles

ImproveLiteracy Skills

ImproveLiteracy Skills

ProvideAccess toMultimediaResources

ProvideAccess toMultimediaResources

CreateCollaborative Workspaces

CreateCollaborative Workspaces

ProvideFeedback to Students

ProvideFeedback to Students Moodle

can beused to

Moodlecan beused to

What can Moodle do for your Students?

What can Moodle do for your Students?

In Moodle, you can meet the needs of different students by:

providing a variety of resources that appeal to different types of learners

providing video and sound clips explaining concepts for visual and auditory learners

providing copies of class notes for students who have difficulty with note-taking or who miss class

providing interactive activities for students who learn by doing

Address Different Learning StylesAddress Different Learning Styles

Grade 9Grade 9

Grade 11Grade 11

Class NotesClass Notes

SMARTboard LessonsSMARTboard Lessons

Sample SolutionsSample Solutions

Using Moodle, provides opportunities for students to improve their literacy skills by:

providing different opportunities for students to communicate (projects, question and answer, definitions)

having practice questions for students to post answers a get feedback from other students and the teacher

having students write opinion pieces on an article, website or text

providing a database to students to present research information

providing a space for a glossary of terms as students learn new material

Improve Literacy SkillsImprove Literacy Skills

Individual WikiIndividual Wiki

DatabasesDatabases

Building VocabularyBuilding Vocabulary

Using Moodle, provides opportunities for students to improve their digital literacy skills by:

teaching students how to interact in an online environment

providing different media for students to communicate in (chat, messaging, discussion forums, wikis)

guiding students as they collect and analyze data from internet resources (students post their projects online as they work for teachers to give continuous feedback)

providing opportunities for them to use technology they will encounter in the workforce

Improve Literacy SkillsImprove Literacy Skills

Digital Literacy: Student PerspectivesDigital Literacy:

Student Perspectives

~ Ambika, Grade 11

“It gave me a different view on how we learn from the computer. Before it was just research, but now it's actually asking questions and interacting with the computer more.”

~Armin, Grade 11

Discussion ForumsDiscussion Forums

“My favorite activity in Moodle has to be the discussion forum. I'm the kind of guy that cannot sleep when things are on my mind...so I ask questions on Moodle and they are answered….”

~ Daniel, Grade 11

Discussion ForumsDiscussion Forums

Using Digital ToolsUsing Digital Tools

In Moodle, you can build a resource library that could include:

course outlines and handouts access to student/ teacher power point

presentations web links for research purposes that have been

approved by you video clips/ applets to support learning from sites

such as www.unitedstreaming.com links to online tutorials that reinforce concepts

Provide Access to Multimedia Resources

Provide Access to Multimedia Resources

Video ClipsVideo Clips

“It was fun watching posted videos as well as being able to see other people's projects. “

~ Iana, Grade 11

In Moodle, you can create collaborative workspaces called wikis to encourage students to work as a team:

to research a topic to create presentations to draft documents to develop a lab procedure to edit each others work

Create Collaborative WorkspacesCreate Collaborative Workspaces

Group WikiGroup Wiki

Group WikiGroup Wiki

Example 1: Approved

Example 2: With comments

In Moodle, you can create opportunities for students to obtain formative feedback through:

practice quizzes online games peer/ teacher editing of written work discussion forums assignments with in-line comments

Provide Feedback to StudentsProvide Feedback to Students

Practice QuizzesPractice Quizzes

“This feature on Moodle has helped me study for many quizzes and tests. I usually do the [practice] test first and whatever I don't understand I'll study it instead of wasting my time trying to figure out what to study for.“

~ Bradley, Grade 11

GamesGames

http://education.jlab.org/elementhangman/index.html

Feedback from StudentsFeedback from Students

Feedback from StudentsFeedback from Students

Feedback from StudentsFeedback from Students

Feedback from StudentsFeedback from Students

The Student PerspectiveThe Student Perspective

~ Memy, grade 11

“I liked how it was really easy to communicate with the teacher and my peers when I needed help or had questions.”

~Iana, Grade 11

A Teacher’s Perspective A Teacher’s Perspective

Narindra Dat, Chemistry/Science Teacher

Getting Started Getting Started

An electronic version of “Moodle Pages” will be available online.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at:

nathalie.rudner@yrdsb.edu.on.ca

or

anita.drossis@yrdsb.edu.on.ca

Participate in the ASI Moodle at: http://moodle.abel.yorku.ca/ in the Professional Learning category.