For the purpose of this assignment, the decision maker I have selected is a fictitious name but actual individual who works within the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) Innovation and Leaning Commons (ILC) Web 2.0 Guidelines Department. The last several months, the CBE has gone to great lengths to work closely with the legal services and FOIP’s Privacy and Access Officer to launch the Web 2.0 Guidelines. This has made it easier to propose potential web 2.0 tools and software to utilize in the classroom.
To:
Mr. Iam Tupointo
ILC Web 2.0 Guidelines
Calgary Board of Education
1221 – 8 Street SW
Calgary, AB T2R 0L4
From:
Mr. Jon Patry
Erin Woods School
October 7, 2012
Dear Mr. Tupointo,
Please consider the following proposal to implement the following Learning Management System (LMS), MOODLE (Modular Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) into current Calgary Board of Education classroom practice. MOODLE will allow students, teachers, and staff to continue down the path of utilizing 21st century technology offerings within the Calgary Board of Education.
Educating Today’s Citizens for Tomorrow is the CBE’s current motto and during my 5-year employment I have seen and participated in the progression and implementation the CBE has undertaken in embracing 21st century learning.
Within the CBE, teachers and students currently use the LMS Desire2Learn (D2L) and you might be asking yourself; why should we use another LMS system when we already have one in place? The proposal to use MOODLE in the classroom isn’t to replace D2L but to provide an alternative online learning space for teaching and learning to occur. The National Educational Standards for Teachers are “standards for evaluating the skills and knowledge educators need to teach, work, and learn in an increasingly connected global and digital society” (ISTE, 2012, “NETS for Teachers”). MOODLE would allow teachers to effectively incorporate and design an online learning experience to engage the learners.
Rationale and Selection
MOODLE is an open-source LMS that is used to plan, deliver, and manage content in a virtual classroom setting which is facilitated by the teacher. Similar to any web-based applications, pilot designs are first tested to insure that the tool or software will be effective for teachers and learners. This proposed pilot will involve two classrooms using MOODLE to deliver online content focusing around Digital Citizenship for learners in Grades four and five.
Perkins and Pfaffman (2006) researched and stated that MOODLE “improved and enhanced student performance by promoting and organizing communication among parents, students, teachers, administrators, and the community” (p. 34). The National Educational Standards for Teachers and Bates and Poole’s (2003) Framework for Selecting and Using Technology, was used to rationalize MOODLE’s potential implementation.
National Educational Standards for Teachers
Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
Using an open-source platform such as MOODLE in the classroom will provide an opportunity for students to collaborate and share information and knowledge learned, using a variety of digital tools available within the MOODLE platform. This platform for learning will not only allow students to communicate digitally with their peers, but also parents can become more involved in the learning experience.
Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
MOODLE will be an integral part to providing a digital learning experience for the students. It will not just be a platform to receive information passively, but also allow students to engage, participate in groups, collaborate with one another, receive feedback, and have the ability to connect digitally to real-world experts.
Model Digital-Age Work and Learning
MOODLE will support learning not only within the school environment, but also at home and mobile locations. MyMOODLE (iTunes App Store) is an application available on Apple devices which allows users to view content offline, upload video/images to the course and take part in the learning while on the go.
Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility
With the focus of this particular MOODLE course design, the promotion and modeling of digital citizenship and responsibility will be in the forefront of the the overall course design.
Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership
MOODLE will not just be for my students and own personal learning, but will allow me to become a more confident and a reliable source for other educators and teachers within my own school community and the CBE.
Bates and Poole’s SECTIONS
S (Students) To insure that students have ample time and access to understanding MOODLE, time will be allocated during the school days to familiarize with the LMS. Communication is essential when introducing new tools to the learner and the more opportunity to share and explore in the classroom, the more success students will have.
E (Ease of use) To insure that my learners will be comfortable with this platform, I must first be comfortable. The MOODLE community of users is vast and diverse and if troubleshooting is required I can easily turn to this community of practice for support.
C (Cost) MOODLE is a free open-source download and can be easily managed by myself initially. If MOODLE becomes an LMS desired by more schools within the CBE, an external hosting company such as Lambda Solutions may be considered.
T (Teaching & Learning) The design of MOODLE is constructivist in nature which will support the teaching and learning experience as students work his/her way through the course to develop knowledge and understanding.
I (Interactivity) Learning isn’t a passive experience and users will work collaboratively and gain new knowledge in formal and informal ways. Digital tools such as wikis and blogs will be used in the experience.
O (Organizational issues) The CBE encourages teachers to use web 2.0 tools and classroom implementation. MOODLE is currently not an approved tool, but is pending approval. A Privacy Impact Assessment form has been submitted adhering to the CBE’s Web 2.0 Guidelines. When a decision is made, the IT department will be contacted to install the software on the local school server.
N (Novelty) MOODLE isn’t a new open-source software, but it has been gaining more attention as it is a free open-source LMS to create a dynamic learning experience.
S (Speed) Once MOODLE is approved and installed on the school server, the speed for online implementation will depend on myself. Once up and running, students will have access to the various communication tools.
Educators within the CBE are encouraged to embrace digital technologies to assist in lesson design and delivery. I believe MOODLE provides another opportunity to fulfill this purpose.
Thank you for your consideration of my proposal for MOODLE as an alternative LMS for teachers and students within the Calgary Board of Education.
Sincerely,
Jon Patry
References:
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.
National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers. Retrieved September 5, 2012, from:http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers
Perkins, M. & Pfaffman, J. (2006). Using a Course Management System to Improve Classroom Communication. Science Teacher, 73(7), 33-37.