Proposal for:
Moodle Server

 

Dear District Technology Committee, SD71;

Please accept the following proposal to request implementation of a new Learning Management System (LMS), Moodle Server, at Miracle Beach Elementary School.

In our district we strive to stay on the forefront of technology and innovative teaching techniques. We have initiated several pilot projects within the last several years, utilizing technology and teaching our students to not only work with technology, but learn responsible digital citizenship etiquette. In always wanting to create a more dynamic, robust and engaging classroom situations for our students, I feel that blended learning should be the next step at our school. This online presence is best served utilizing a comprehensive Learning Management System (LMS). Our district already has a site licence with D2L but after doing research, comparisons and evaluations, I feel that the best LMS for our school is the Open Source Software program, Moodle.

Following Chickering and Gamson’s “Seven Principles” (1987) theory for good teaching practices, we find that student activity and active participation, interaction with the subject matter and diversity of teaching and learning styles are key ingredients for student engagement and learning success. Through this end there are several LMS’ to choose from, but using Bates and Poole’s “SECTIONS” (2003) framework for selecting technology, allows for critical analysis of a variety of technological programs, finding that which is most suitable or a best fit for our school.

Moodle and Project Goals:
Moodle (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) is one of the most widely utilized LMS’. Since its launch, it has since gained popularity and growth due to its advantages over other programs. Teachers and administration are fully aware of the shift towards providing an online classroom presence. It allows students to access information, lessons, coursework and assignments, and find applicable resources both supporting classroom lessons as well as options for when students are unable to physically attend. However, creating a class website is not only time consuming, it often requires a special skill set to setup and maintain, as well as possibly certain skills or navigational understanding in order to access the content. This doesn’t even account for special interactive features and capabilities which are often found in an LMS. Utilizing a web-based application therefore is a suitable and often preferable solution. (Jensen, 2010; Momani, 2010)

Clearly when compared to other LMS’, using the following categories presented by Bates and Poole (2003) and Perkins and Pfaffman (2006) when considering the best technology for the situation, Moodle is the clear-cut best option for our school. It not only provides similar features of a costly commercial system, but is free and easy to use. For an online demonstration see Moodle Demo.

Ease of Use – An important aspect of any program is the ease in which to use the program for both students and teachers. Moodle is a user-friendly, student-centered system which allows easy navigation, excellent documentation and tracking of progress for both students and teacher, and allows teacher to supplement classroom instruction and tasks in a digital form. Accessible by parents, Moodle also provides another form of communication as well. (Jensen, 2010)

Cost – Although cost of programs and technology is often a deciding factor, Moodle is free to install, works via the internet and is supported by most web browsers. No special equipment is required and can be set up and supported via the school district servers and personnel.

Teaching and learning / Interactivity – Moodle is multi-functional and helps educators create quality online courses by providing an easy-to-use framework with a multitude of available synchronous and asynchronous tools including but not limited to calendars, quizzes/tests, chats, blogs, file exchange, and forums. External resources and web-links can be added to create a unique and dynamic classroom site. Special web-design skills are not necessary and teachers have the ability to reuse content. Assignments can be both downloaded and uploaded to avoid ‘lost’ papers. (Jensen, 2010; Perkins and Pfaffman, 2010).

Organization – Supported by major web browsers, the Moodle system requires only one server for multiple users and provides technical support and online instruction. Moodle is already utilized within our district, so down-loading and configuring it to our school server would be easily doable by our district Tech team and then subsequently accessible by teachers and students at our school. With more than 130,000 registered users world-wide and growing (online statistic taken from https://moodle.org/community/), the Moodle peer support system continues to expand quickly.

Novelty – Moodle is easy and fun to use which promotes student willingness to explore and use. As it is accessible via the internet, students can review and work on their courses from the comfort of their home.

Speed – Time needed to implement – Although it is possible to implement Moodle very quickly, (only a matter of hours, depending on the desired content to upload and organization desired) it is suggested that sufficient prior planning time be allowed in order to ensure that it meets the needs of each teacher. Once planning is complete, Moodle is quick and easy to set up and use. Additional professional development and collaboration is not necessary but highly recommended in order to fully learn the capabilities of this tool. Technology support from District IT personal is helpful, but online support and instruction are available. One consideration is bandwidth at the school or usage site, but from my experience this was only problematic when large numbers of users were accessing the site or a dial-up connection was being used.

The underlying goal for any technology is to help teachers communicate and teach more effectively and to enhance students’ learning. Offering a secure learning site, Moodle does both and requires very little in terms of money or training to implement and use. I have personally used Moodle as a teacher, as well as used and accessed the demo of many applications available to this system. This LMS is simple and effective to build and use.

Keeping all of the above in mind, I believe our school is ready for this next step towards enhanced learning and digital technology and I believe Moodle is the LMS suitable for our school to do this.

If you have any further questions, comments or concerns please feel free to contact me.

Thank you for your consideration,

Eileen Monks

 

 

References:

Bates, A. W., & Poole, G. (2003). Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education: Foundations for Success. (pp. 75 – 105) Jossey-Bass, An Imprint of Wiley.

Chickering, A. W., Gamson, Z. F., & American Association for Higher Education, W. C. (1987). Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. AAHE Bulletin, 3-7.

Jensen, L. A. (2010). Extend Instruction outside the Classroom: Take Advantage of Your Learning Management System. Computers In Libraries, 30(6), 76-78.

Moodle statistic: Taken from: https://moodle.org/community/

Momani, A. M. (2010). Comparison between Two Learning Management Systems: Moodle and Blackboard. Online Submission,

Nozawa, K. To Moodle or not to Moodle: Can It Be an Ideal e-Learning Environment? Taken from: http://www.ps.ritsumei.ac.jp/assoc/policy_science/183/183_19_nozawa.pdf

Perkins, M., & Pfaffman, J. (2006). Using a Course Management System to Improve Classroom Communication. Science Teacher, 73(7), 33-37.