BP9_Moodle

I decided to try something new this week that I have heard a lot about, but since I haven’t been in the classroom I haven’t had the opportunity to use, Moodle. According to the website, Moodle (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) is a Course Management System (CMS), also known as a Learning Management System (LMS) or a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It is a FREE web application that educators can use to create effective online learning sites.

I decided to download the software and install it on one of my websites, VirtuGuild.com. For someone who is used to working with websites and setting up MySQL databases, it is fairly easy to walk-through the setup process. Even if you are not used to doing all of that there are a lot of helpful resources online that can help you get it all setup. I used Moodle’s: Getting Started for Teachers and Moodle Essential Training for Teachers on Lynda.com. 2 Minute Moodles is also a great resource and has videos you can view to help you get started. 

After I got Moodle installed on my web server I decided to setup a course. Creating the course was pretty easy after following the tutorials above and a lot of it was self explanatory.

I loved the various features that were available for you to add under your course management. You have two choices: add resource or add activity. Under each of those choices is a list of different resources or activities that you can add.

The resource section allows you to compose a text page or web page, link to a file or web site, etc…

Under activities you can add assignment, chat, forums, lessons, quizzes, surveys, wikis and more.

I went through and setup up week 1 of my course by adding resources consisting of links to other websites that I wanted to be read or items to be downloaded as well as a survey. Then under activities I added assignments and forums for discussion posts. 

I love the wide range of choices making it easy to allow for collaboration and reflection, so that learners can help contribute to their own education versus it just being instructor based. You can use it as a standalone or as a supplement to your current teaching. Even if you don’t have Moodle at your school or your own website to install it on, you can still visit Moodle’s demonstration site to check it out. So far I am really enjoying all it has to offer and I am thinking of using it as the interface for my Action Research project cycles. Check it out!