Learning Technologies: Design & Applications

UBC Moodle site: drolet

http://moodle.met.ubc.ca/course/view.php?id=164

or: UBC Moodle: drolet

Reflection

The construction of a Moodle site: ETEC 565

Introduction

During this past school year (2009-10), I endeavored to use Moodle in my classes. As a first attempt, I posted some information and the site was used mainly to access instructions and due dates. At the end of the year, I discovered that few students were accessing Moodle regularly because it had become overcrowded with data; the information was redundant (already given in class most of the time); and the LMS offered no incentive to participate.

This course gave me an opportunity to explore the tools offered by Moodle.  During the site construction process, I often referred to the initial course literature, which offered valuable advice.  As mentioned in my flight path, my intention has been to use the resources I have created in moodle to build a Spanish course that I will use for my program this coming September.

The theme that I selected, the environment, is part of the advanced placement Spanish curriculum. My classroom is equipped with a projector and students also have access to a language lab. Therefore, I designed my course with a combined approach: it is meant to be interactive as well as usable by students either during class time or at home.

Course Site Structure

Splash page. The splash page provides a colorful visual introduction and includes images linked with essential course information for students such as theme, objectives and assessment summary.

Modules. I designed two complete content modules.  Each module’s structure consists of an introduction; communication activities; and review & assessment.  In one of my ETEC courses, I found the use of animated objects very useful to distinguish between sections of a module. So I used the globes to help identify the various activities. I also chose a variation on the theme for different Moodle boxes, so as to further differentiate them.

In the introduction section, the objectives of the module are stated; how to approach this module is explained; and a schedule, with time allotted to each step of the process is available.

The communication section is divided in exploration, conversation and integration. The exploration part presents an oral presentation that students will be asked to produce. The conversation area is for forums or chats. The integration component links students to an online Spanish tutor program.

The review section is also linked to online resources, while the evaluation section consists in either a written quiz or a project (including my digital story as a model for their own production). The creation of an e-portfolio in an integral part of this course and counts as a summative assessment.

One module programmed for selective release: I programmed module 2 for selective release. I chose to leave the other sections visible since the information there could be used during the first module.

Two general discussions. The first discussion forum is in the introduction section, as a diagnostic assessment. The other discussion activity is to be found in module one. An optional chat is also available for students in this section of the course.

One group discussion. In the second module, students are presented with a problem: a friend does not want to recycle. They are asked to work in groups in order to find ways to convince her to participate. At the end for this activity, the group will select the three solutions that they find most valuable and post them in their e-portfolios.

Assessment. Educational research often mentions the importance of clear assessment for student motivation. In this LMS, I have made a special effort to provide assessment guidelines for every activity. To start with, the splash page presents a summary of assessment procedures; guidelines (usually in the form of rubrics) are available within an activity (if it is presented in the form of a wiki) and immediately after the instructions pertaining to this activity. In terms of the e-portfolio artifacts, they are clearly reiterated at the end of each module.

E-portfolio. The third visible box in Moodle is the e-portfolio section.  It offers a model in the form of a Google wiki. In this example, prepared to assist students in the production of their final e-portfolio, all the artifacts expected to appear in their final version are presented in a clear modular structure.

Resources; exams and references. The last three boxed of the LMS are dedicated to the resources needed for the course (most of them also available within each module). Links to the Spanish provincial and the AP Spanish language online exam practice are also available. Finally, the references to all images are displayed in a wiki, and an explanation of Fair dealing Canada (including a web link) indicates that all materials do not infringe copyright laws.

In order to compare what I have done with the course requirements, I have also added a document (pdf file) in which the LMS elements are compared with the UBC ETEC Moodle site criteria.

Conclusion

Overall, my experience while completing this assignment has been worthwhile.  Critically designing the overall structure, as well as selecting which elements to include in each module, helped me consider sound pedagogical strategies. 

The result is a course that will be beneficial for my teaching practice and that will offer interactive and motivating language learning opportunities to my students.