LMS Reflection: Moodle Splash Page and Object Orientation
Moodle has been a sharp learning curve. I am especially grateful for the online community and the MET community which offers support and tips. I realized through a MET colleague that my Splash page was not exactly a Splash page. I thought a Splash page was a welcome page, having never designed an LMS course before. Although I had great feedback in MET forums considering what it should be, I didn’t imagine it correctly until I saw the Splash page of another MET member. Thanks Sean!
I quickly learned to edit Topic 0, decide on the main components of my course, upload images, insert a table and create a Splash page that welcomed students. The most difficult part was imagining which aspects of the course should be on the page. I decided to base my objects on my previous MET experience. My experience helped me decide which objects are essential on a Splash page and which are just taking up precious space. It is important to maintain the “less is more” principle with a new course. Too much information and too many links may frustrate and confuse students. I tried to avoid that by creating a “welcome” message, which is listed after the Splash.
It took a great deal of time to consider how the course will be organized and how the objects will be used in the different modules. The mechanics of uploading the images and creating the links was not difficult, and took about one hour. I used images available from the open source site Wikimedia Commons. I considered my Splash page from the perspective of a student creating a first impression of the course. The SECTIONS model guided my decisions, and “ease of use” is currently my first priority. As I progress with my LMS, “teaching and learning” will guide my design decisions.
For members of the MET community, my Moodle (work in progress) can be found below. Please provide any feedback on my Splash page and feel free to ask me questions. You must login with your own Moodle account information as my LMS is not set for guest access.
3 responses so far ↓
Camille Maydonik // Jun 13th 2009 at 9:29 am
Hi Erin,
Loved your post – set off a light bulb for me! Checked out your splash page (and Sean’s) and realized I need to tweak mine a tad. Thanks! What grade are you preparing your course for? I am preparing mine for Grade One and keep thinking about the usability. I’m not sure if students at that age could independently use a LMS. What do you think? I’m going to have a SMART Board in my classroom next year and was thinking that we could work through the LMS and some of the activities as a class. I’m wondering if there is a market for a super kid-friendly LMS? We could be on to something! 🙂
Have a great Saturday!
Camille
John Egan // Jun 15th 2009 at 3:32 pm
Well you’re already miles ahead of me, Moodle-wise. Nice job!
[this comment does not constitute summative assessment of your work. Actual mileage may vary]
Michele McFarlane // Jul 3rd 2009 at 11:17 pm
Hi John,
I am just trying to get some ideas about splash pages.
Michele
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