Two years ago, a student came to my school, entering grade 5. For many reasons, his reading level was that of a grade 2 and his writing was almost non-existent. I remember clearly having a meeting with his parents and himself, discussing the plan we were going to execute to bring his literacy level up to par by the end of the year. At the end of the meeting, I asked him how he felt about the plan. His response after a long heavy sigh was that it sounded like it was going to be a lot of work, that it was going to be really tough but he would do it because he was tired of feeling stupid. Throughout this entire process, I have thought of this student often (he is now in grade 7 and reading and writing at grade level). This course has been an epic mountain to climb, but I am so glad that I just kept going.
Looking over my flight path my three main goals were the following:
- Focus on good teaching that is supported by good technology.
- Be able to use Social Media for educational needs
- Create an original platform to facilitate learning
When I re read my flight path, what strikes me the most about it is that it is very general, even my three goals are not very specific. I see this as the largest indicator of exactly how far I have come, if I were to write a flight path now I know I would be able to have more fine tuned and specific goals. At the time, I simply did not have the information and understanding that I do now. However, I do have a great sense of accomplishment because I do feel that I have accomplished the goals I set out to, and more. I have a better understanding about what Facebook should be used for as well as how Blogs can really enhance a classroom experience. I am very proud of the fact that I was able to make a complete course that could be used to create a blended classroom experience.
As I worked through my site I often went back to Anderson (2008) and Perkins and Pfaffman (2006) to make sure the technology I was using and the choices I was making pedagogically sound. It was especially important to me that my site echoed sound assessment and opportunities for my students to grow throughout the course. This was the main reason why I created in each module similar styled assignments (each module has a selected reading with response). I wanted students to be able to use the feedback in he rubrics provided to improve from module to module.
Outside of my goals I also had the requirements of the course, as well as the design of the site to keep in mind. The toolkit that was provided was a great starting place. For someone like me, with limited knowledge of what is available in the technological world, it was a lifesaver. Google and Youtube were by far my most frequently used resources. The biggest struggle for me was the choice of using a separate design tool, like Dreamweaver. In the end, I decided to create everything within Moodle and I think for me this was the right choice. I am very pleased with how my design turned out and it allowed me to focus on really getting to know the ins and outs of Moodle. That being said, for my next site, I will be using Dreamweaver.
This is not the end of Moodle for me. In fact, I have also looked back at one of out first case studies, Benoit, and am figuring out how much time I would need over the summer to create one if not two more sites for the upcoming year. This was the first LMS that I worked in and I feel confident that I spent the time in learning how to use it well. I would be interested in exploring other LMS options, but the fact that Moodle is free means I most likely will continue to use it as my go to LMS.
Reference:
Anderson, T. (2008).Towards a Theory of Online Learning. In: T. Anderson & F. Elloumi (Eds.), Theory and Practice of Online Learning. Edmonton AB: Athabasca University. Accessed online 3 March 2009 http://www.aupress.ca/books/120146/ebook/02_Anderson_2008_Anderson-Online_Learning.pdf
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. Accessed online 11 Mar 2009 http://www.aahea.org/bulletins/articles/sevenprinciples1987.htm
Perkins, M. & Pfaffman, J. (2006). Using a Course Management System to Improve Classroom Communication. Science Teacher, 73(7), 33-37.