Jump Start Dynamic Learning with Moodle

Meeting in the Moodle Jump Start Dynamic Learning NM TIE PreConference October 3, 2007 Regional Educational Technology Assistance http://reta.nmsu.edu Holly Rae Bemis-Schurtz [email_address]

RETA Program
http://reta.nmsu.edu
Technology Innovation Challenge Grant
New Mexico State University’s College of Extended Learning
K12 Professional Development
NMTA Prep
Online Teaching and Learning
Professional Development Dossier

About Me
Project Coordinator with RETA
Former Middle School Teacher (Technology & Media)
Graduate of Online Masters’ Program C & I – EDLT at NMSU
Action Researcher

RETAMoodle
http://reta.nmsu.edu/moodle
NM eTeacher Prep
Online Teaching and Learning Opportunities
Open Space for Course Development
(No student hosting)
New Mexico educators
Includes Moofolios

Entering Moodle
http://reta.nmsu.edu/moodle
Please use account and password on index card
Change account information to accurately represent you, or continue to use guest account

Learning Objectives
Understand dynamic learning tools available through Moodle
Identify challenges of dynamic learning tools
Consider the benefits and challenges of an open source tool such as Moodle
Identify resources for Moodle support
Explain ideas for incorporating Dynamic Learning

What is Dynamic Learning?
Based on social constructionist pedagogy
Active learning in a social context taking place in a learning environment with smart and interactive tools
Graphic from: http://eduspaces.net/terry/weblog/archive/2006/02/ (Terry Wassall)
21 st Century Toolbox

Why implement Dynamic Learning?
Accommodate new learning styles
Teach 21 st Century Skills
Collaboration
Critical Thinking
Literacy
Learning Skills
Manipulating 21 st century tools

Digital Immigrants: “When I was growing up…”
Lee Rainie (Pew Internet & American Life Project)

Digital Natives: “Born into Technology”
Lee Rainie (Pew Internet & American Life Project)

All About Digital Natives
Accelerated development as a result of interactive media
Cognitive intelligence
Reasoning
Personality
Autonomy
Sense of Self (Tapscott, 1998)
Adolescents develop abstract thinking skills in middle school – as a result of acceleration this may be happening younger
Ability to multitask and take in a variety of information streams (Rainie, 2006; McHugh, 2005)
Lack of awareness of consequences associated with technological actions (Rainie, 2005)

Digital Natives & Neomillenials
Think, learn and communicate differently than digital immigrants (Prensky, 2001, 2004)
Have sophisticated learning styles and strengths – they expect individualized instruction (Dede, 2005)
They need to “look under the hood of something to know how it works” and consider themselves the authority on technology , rather than their teachers (Tapscott, 1998)

Needs of Digital Native Students
Prepare for life in a time of drastic changes (Rainie, 2006)
Less need for basic skills in one particular area of technology which could become obsolete
More need for learning skills to thrive in a continually changing world
Ability to consider the ethics of technology research and design

Neomillenial Learning Styles
fluency in multiple media, valuing each for the types of communication ,activities, experiences, and expression it empowers;
learning based on collectively seeking, sieving and synthesizing experiences,
active learning based on experience (real and simulated) that includes frequent opportunities for reflection by communities of practice;
expression through nonlinear associational webs of representations rather than linear “stories”, such as authoring a simulation and a Web page to express understanding, rather than a paper (Dede, 2005)

8 Shifts for Interactive Learning
from linear to hypermedia
from instruction to construction and discovery
from teacher-centered to learner-centered education
from absorbing material to learning how to navigate and how to learn
from school to lifelong learning
from one-size-fits-all to customized learning
from learning as torture to learning as fun
from the teacher as transmitter to the teacher as facilitator (Tapscott, 1998)

Spectrum of Digital ‘Nativeness’
Evolving Understandings
NetGen - Tapscott (1998)
Digital Natives - Prensky (2001)
Not a general standard of age cohort
Demographics play a significant role
A trend which indicates how society is changing
Informs educators about student needs and learning styles
Informs gap analysis

Challenges of Dynamic Learning
Digital Divide
Complex Literacies
Technological Literacy
ICT Literacy
Computer Literacy
Information Literacy
Digital Literacy
Multimedia Literacy
Access
Schools/Districts

What is Moodle? What is MOODLE? Online Resources, Polls, Forums, Chats, Wikis, Assignment Dropboxes, Blogs & much, much, more LCPS TMT May 9, 2007

Web 2.0 Course Management Software
Flexible course design
Distance Learning
Blended Instruction
Social communities
Professional Learning Community
Evaluation/Data Collection Enviroments
Portfolios (MooFolios)
Resource Collections

Web 2.0 Course Management Software
Lots of tools
Profiles
Blogs
Forums
Wikis
Assignment Dropboxes
Polls, Choices, Questionnaires
Quizzes and Surveys
Links to websites and files

Moodle supports active, social learning
Social Constructivism: http://www.citejournal.org/vol1/iss4/currentissues/socialstudies/doolittlefigure3a.gif

Easily Embed Dynamic Content
Vokis
Flixn
Del.icio.us
RSS
Video/Audio/Podcasts
Meebo
Embed codes from popular widgets

Features of Moodle as an Open Source Tool
Public license, open source and permission to develop code
GNU
Creative Commons
Supported by user community
Extensible, malleable, adaptable
Examples
Linux
GIMP
OpenOffice
Audacity
Moodle
Drupal

Open Source Challenges
Your user community
Knowledge based
Active problem solving
No tech support phone number
Participate in Community Solve Problems ?

Open Source Benefits
No license fee
Anyone can access software and code
Development of autonomy
No per user or course fees
Limitations only imposed by infrastructure
Reallocate funding
Professional development
Classroom technology
Growth of internal knowledge base
Contract support available

Scoping out an Infrastructure
Administrative Support
Identify learning outcomes, Connects resources and infrastructure
Teachers who are willing
Internet comfort a major plus
Professional Development for teachers
Time, Professional Learning Community, Philosophy
Site Administrator(s)
Manages Users, Courses
Server Administrator
PHP, mySQL, databases, installing modules, themes

Technical Infrastructure
Linux, Windows, Mac OS X & others
Apache, PHP and database (ie:mySQL)
Approximately 50 concurrent users for every 1 GB of RAM (variable)
approx max concurrent users = RAM (GB) * 50
approx max browsing users = Approx max concurrent users * 5
From http:// docs.moodle.org

Install Overview
Download and copy files into place
Set up moodle directory
Set up your system
Check web server settings
Configure PHP settings
Create an empty database
Create the data directory (moodledata)
Run the installer script to create config.php
Go to the admin page to continue configuration
Set up cron
Set up backups
From http:// docs.moodle.org

What’s happening with Moodle so far?
“ This has changed everything about the way I teach.” – Las Cruces Moodler
Teachers feel comfortable using Moodle
Students feel comfortable using Moodle
Language learning students and emergent readers need adaptations
Moodle is very extensible
Time Saving
?

Pedagogies of Engagement Slide from Karl A. Smith (2006)

Lila M. Smith Slide from Karl A. Smith (2006)

Imagine
…that you have a fully functional Moodle site within your hands..
Create a plan for dynamic learning…

Conclusions
Sharing of ideas
Comments
Questions
Webinars
Next steps

http://moodle.polk-fl.net	146
http://moodlebots.blogspot.com	24
http://www.slideshare.net	13
http://maggiev.edublogs.org	11
http://reta.nmsu.edu:16080	10
http://moodlebots.pbworks.com	9
http://moodlebots.pbwiki.com	6
https://reta-otl.pbworks.com	4
http://reta-otl.pbwiki.com	4
http://www.edu20.org	1

Jump Start Dynamic Learning with Moodle

by Holly Rae on Nov 17, 2007

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