Posts from — May 2009

I did take a look at the features of WebCT/Vista and Claroline as well and I was surprised that there is so little information posted on their respective websites with regard to server requirements. The Moodle site had clearly defined requirements. I wonder if the lack of requirements is an intentional attempt to get you to pay for installation and service, which both LMS’ offer.

The three systems offer pretty similar products, but Vista comes with a huge pricetag, about 50K for 500 users. Since I have a budget of $0, and Claroline seems to have pretty poor documentation online, even though it is also Open Source, I will choose to use Moodle, which will meet my needs well enough.

Since I have used Moodle before, the tasks outlined in the Toolkit activity were not difficult or surprising for me. Actually, they seemed pretty straightforward. I did find it interesting, that on the UBC Moodle server, we all have the ability to edit anyone’s course content. I had a classmate log into my moodle to try it and he did in fact seem to have access. I guess we will have to check the change logs to see if our courses have been altered.

I am wondering if we will have server side access so that we can create custom headers/themes? I am guessing no, since it could be a security nightmare.

About My Edtech Journey

When I graduated from college and moved out, we bought an IBM PC which had a dual floppy drive which we upgraded to a 10mb hard drive.  I can format a drive using the Command line, and know my way around most file systems.  I worked for 2 years as a VAX 780 system manager using VMS and Unix.  In the early 1990’s I bought my first Mac, and have been bilingual since then.  (trilingual if you count running Linux on my Mac now) I have worked in database design and management, and done website design both as a volunteer and paid. I am now a music teacher.

I don’t really understand why we need to teach people how to use software. I pride myself on being able to read instructions, follow them and solve problems. That said, there is very little on the course list that I have not already encountered as part of my MET journey or my life. I have created a moodle, have created a course in WebCT, have been using IM for at least 6 years, have a Skype account, use VOIP at home, run all my music over a server with an internet interface inside our firewall, taught a course on using Wiki’s and Blogs in the classroom, had a Flickr account when they were still a Canadian company, have a Facebook and Twitter account, use iMovie, and GarageBand regularly in my teaching practice. I have played a bit with Audacity as well.

There is not a lot left on the list in terms of software. I am much more  interested in learning effective ways to use technologies than in becoming a “novice professional” in their use.  Assessment is one area that is on the list that could be interesting. I struggle with assessment because of the nature of what I teach, and have started using video and audio recordings and self reflection/evaluation as part of my practice.  I am interested in learning more about assessment, but I am not sure what the focus of an assessment module would be and whether it would work in my context. Bates and Poole’s (2003) SECTIONS framework and Chickering and Gamson’s (1987) 7 Principles framework seem to be a good starting place as they offer guidelines in terms of both pedagogy and practice regarding the use of educational technologies.

What I would love to do is have the time to explore how to create a little sound lab in my classroom.  I have 4 donated MIDI ready synthesizers, I would love to set up some Linux machines (because they are free) and find some OpenSource software to enable my students to create and record their own music.

Other areas I would like to explore in this course:
1. How to set up a Moodle Server (more server side knowledge in general)
2. More depth of knowledge of CSS
3. Screencasting (last time I tried I didn’t have enough memory)

In terms of resources that I might need, I don’t think I need anything other than time, and maybe a shiny new computer :-)

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/bulletins/articles/sevenprinciples1987.htm

1.  A tempo mark directing that a passage is to be played at a walking pace.

2.  The name of my dog.