Moodle Learning Management System Proposal as a word file if you prefer or continue reading below as posting:
Moodle Learning Management System Proposal
Christine Irvine
For ETEC 565A
University of British Columbia
School District: Okanagan-Skaha, #67 in Penticton and Summerland, British Columbia, Canada.
Population: 6219 students (October 2012), with 2235 at 12 elementary level in K-5 configuration, 1386 at 4 middle schools (grades 6-8) and 2598 at 3 secondary level (grades 9-12). School district 67 classrooms include students with diverse learning challenges, such as autism, learning disabilities, behavioural disorders and other special needs.
Proposal Summary:
That school district #67 implement a Moodle Server to ensure all students in the district have the best chance to be successful in their academic endeavors by offering them online learning for times when they are not able to be present at school, for catching up when they fall behind, for promoting collaborative learning and for building their online learning skills to better prepare them for the challenges of a technologically oriented future.
Project Goals:
The goals of implementing a learning management system such as Moodle in school district #67 are as follows:
- To allow students access to coursework and resources when they are unable to attend school or require time to catch up on tasks, or review expectations. Moodle is an Open Source Learning Management System (LMS) that is used by educators to create websites for their students to access course materials, resources and timelines. It can be used as a complete online course, or combined with face to face learning, known as blended learning. Teachers embed the content onto the server, which can be hosted by the school district or by a learning partner, such as Lambda. See demo site at http://demo.moodle.net
- To improve collaboration and communication between students and teachers and to allow students to take control of their own learning. Martin Dougiamas created Moodle to help educators create online courses that allowed interaction and collaborative organization of content. It is based on a constructivist view of learning, which posits that the learner is an active constructor of knowledge, building ideas through a foundation of prior learning experiences and that learning must be social to be effective (Vygotsky, 1978). Moodle has many options for collaboration and communication, such as discussion forums, wikis, comment boxes and private messaging.
- To build online learning skills to prepare students for the challenges of a 21st century learning environment. In the Premier’s Technology Council’s paper, a vision for 21st century education (2010), technological literacy is defined as “the ability to amplify one’s learning ability, and improve one’s productivity” (p. 1). It is considered one of the nine essential needs of a knowledge-based society.
Why Moodle?
- Learning Outcomes:
The International Society for Technology in Education has created standards for evaluating skills and knowledge students need to be effective in a global and digital society (ISTE, 2012). These include developing creativity and innovation by reflecting using collaborative tools, developing and publishing works using a variety of media, promoting digital citizenship by using technology in a safe, legal and responsible manner, understanding technological operations and concepts by using technology systems and applications. Moodle has many tools for collaboration, publishing, and applications which can be adapted by teachers and students to improve these skills. Bates and Poole (2003) in their SECTIONS framework model for choosing and using technology, indicate that teaching and learning approaches must be considered carefully in order that the learning drives the choice of technology, rather than the other way around. Moodle lends itself to a myriad of teaching styles, and can be individualized to reflect each teacher’s philosophy of learning and pedagogical vision.
2. Achievement Indicators:
According to the 2012 sd67 district achievement contract, entitled the vision:improving the achievement of all learners, achievement goal number 2 is as follows: To increase the likelihood that ALL students will successfully COMPLETE THEIR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS with a positive sense of optimism, purpose, and control (p. 20). Moodle allows students to learn and review at times that are convenient, to complete and hand in work online, to learn in multimedia formats not always available in face to face situations, and to communicate with their teacher and other students in a more convenient and, sometimes, more comfortable format for students. Moodle encompasses many technological skills, such as using collaborative tools, taking online quizzes, viewing and posting multimedia, editing online text, submitting assignments, self and peer evaluation, managing files, tracking progress, creating homepages etc. Having exposure to online learning gives students a jumpstart to prepare them for post-secondary online learning opportunities.
3. Ease of Use:
Perkins and Pfaffman (2006) say ease of use is an important priority in choosing a learning management system. Moodle works from most computers and is popular because users don’t require specialized training. There are currently 1,294,569 teachers and 70,555,532 Moodle users in 236 countries. These statistics provide compelling evidence that the platform is user friendly.
4. Cost:
Bates and Poole (2003) indicate cost as a significant consideration when selecting new technologies. Moodle is an open-source platform. Costs are generally dependent on many factors depending on the organization, but basic costs are as follows:
Setup and Maintenance: 3-4 weeks of technology helping teacher time (based on salary of $80,000 per annum): $8000
Pro-d/Mentoring by technology helping teacher: 40 hours per year: $3500
IT support: approximately 20 hours per year @ $50 per hour = $1000
Total Cost: approximately $12,500 per year.
Other Resources required:
1. Sufficient bandwidth for many users (possibly in the hundreds) to access and use Moodle during the school day and outside of the school day if required.
2. Technology helping teacher hour availability, up to 4 full time equivalent weeks.
3. Possible IT support if technology helping teacher is unable to solve technical issues.
Thank you for considering my proposal. Supporting all learners to do their best now and in the future is a fine vision, and I believe that Moodle can be an economical conduit to its success.
Chris Irvine
Uplands Elementary School teacher
References:
Bates, A.W. & Poole, G. (2003). Chapter 4: a Framework for selecting and using technology. In Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education: Foundations for Success. (pp. 77-105). San Francisco: Jossey Bass Publishers.
Chickering, A.W. & Gamson, Z.F. (1987). Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, 39 (7), 3-7.
http://www.aahea.org/articles/sevenprinciples1987.htm
Chickering, A.W. & Ehrmann, S.C. (1996). Implementing the seven principles: technology as lever. American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, 49(2), 3-6.
http://www.aahea.org/articles/sevenprinciples.htm
International Society for Technology in Education (2012) National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from:
http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_for_Teachers_2008.htm
Premier’s Technology Council (2010). A vision for 21st century education. Victoria, B.C. Retrieved June 10, 2013 from http://www.gov.bc.ca/premier/attachments/PTC_vision%20for_education.pdf
Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher mental processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.