I am currently working on a Moodle project for a grade 7 Ancient Civilizations unit. This project will meet the grade 7 curriculum standards in British Columbia. As one can imagine, there will be many different forums and options for the students to explore. This rational will contain an online activity that involves the exploration and comparison of different cultures and civilizations.
This project will consist of two parts, a mindmap and a podcast. This will contain mainly asynchronous components, although the podcast can be converted to a live webcast for older students if a synchronous activity is preferred. Due to the age group and potential issues (lack of computer time, computer tech knowledge, home computer access) I decided that a asynchronous approach is ideal to help improve student confidence and the overall quality of the work.
The first activity will be the creation of an online mind map. Students will select an ancient civilization from a selection presented to them. Using http://bubbl.us/ they will then mind map some of the technologies, inventions and innovations that the chosen civilization has developed. Using the mind map, they will chart these discoveries out and post it as a jpg attachment in a dedicated forum for the project. The students can then examine the mindmaps and compare the similarities and differences in a later activity. This allows the students to decide what they feel is relevant, and helps to remove a dependence on answering questions from the forum which can lead to uncreative answers. According to Anderson “I have found that overreliance on this form of discourse soon becomes boring, and allows much of the learning to be focused on responding to teacher-initiated items, rather than challenging students to formulate their own questions and comments about course content. (Anderson, p.351)” This is also a key component of the second part of the assignment.
The students will be then be required to create a podcast that contains a brief history the history of the civilization in question. This can be done during class time to allow for proper instruction. Students are required to work in groups of 2 and are welcome to examine and comment (no negativity) on other students work through the forums. The podcasts will be uploaded to a dedicated forum, The podcasts will consist of the history, (rise and fall) of the civilization and any other aspects that they deem relevant. It can be created in a creative way, as a newscast or a live radio program if desired.
Due to the nature of Moodle, tracking student progress is simple. The students are required to post their information and their podcast in the site. This particular learning environment is ideal for this project because of the ability to manipulate and modify as needed. Students are responsible for creating their own project and editing and postings. Appropriate feedback and assistance will be given as needed. “Because what the teacher sees is so similar to what students see, managing a course in Moodle is quite intuitive (Perkins and Praffman, p.35).” This project is ongoing, and not expected to be finished all at once. The time frame for completion will allow appropriate time for experimentation and editing.
Anderson, T. (2008). Teaching in an Online Learning Context. In: Anderson, T. & Elloumi, F. Theory and Practice of Online Learning. Athabasca University. Accessed online 3 March 2009 http://www.aupress.ca/books/120146/ebook/14_Anderson_2008_Anderson-DeliveryQualitySupport.pdf
Perkins, M. & Pfaffman, J. (2006). Using a Course Management System to Improve Classroom Communication. Science Teacher, 73(7), 33-37.
Categories: