My personal educational upbringing was in a traditional classroom setting, which definitely was a challenge for my learning as I was a very on-the-go type of student. The decision to become an educator really didn’t come until my early 20’s and when I had made the decision, my past schooling years had finally caught up with me and I was told I had to upgrade many of my high school courses by attending an adult learning facility. This definitely didn’t hinder the process, but rather fueled the desire further and I vowed never to be a teacher who teachers learners in a traditional stand-up and deliver classroom setting.
I have entered my sixth year of teaching in a elementary school, where I teach grade 4/5 students in a blended learning environment filled with multiple purposeful technology. Alongside teaching, I am also one of two in-house technology-learning leaders who provide supports for teachers to integrate technology into lesson design and use technology in a more purposeful and meaningful way.
In a previous MET course, Moodle was first introduced in my learning as new LMS tool and although it was tricky at first to become familiar with the ins-and-outs of creating content, I really saw the value and benefit this open-source tool LMS tool could have in the elementary classroom. Last year our students began blogging using the Kidblog platform and this was an instant success! Students enjoyed being able to use the tool at home and within the school to create content and comment on others blogs. I envision a Moodle LMS to have that same effect with the students and parent community. We currently use the course management system D2L within our board but it isn’t really a kid-friendly/student-oriented tool to use. From my initial steps into Moodle, it seems to be an LMS tool that is very flexible in how the content is interacted with.
The NETS for teachers recommends that teachers “engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources” and “promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning.” One of the goals for this course is to challenge myself with creating a Moodle LMS space for my learners to actively engage and have authentic discussions around curricular content. Alongside with engaging the learners using digital tools, Chickering and Gamson also suggest that “good practices gives prompt feedback.” Feedback can occur in multiple ways when using an LMS tool. Whether feedback occurs using formative assessment tools such as concept webs, forum discussions, and collaborative documents. When summative assessment is needed, tools such as online tests or quizzes and can implemented.
To coincide with the goal of creating a Moodle LMS, I have also been determined to utilize YouTube to share and showcase student works. This is another purposeful use of technology that allows students to upload his/her work to the domain and allow the external community to witness the learning that is occurring in the classroom. Students of all ages already access YouTube for a variety of reasons. If the students knew that their work was being uploaded to this web 2.0 tool for all to see, I would think they would all be eager to share what they have done to family and friends.
Overall, my goal for ETEC 565 is to become more of a proficient user of the Moodle LMS platform and to create a useable, functional and collaborative workspace for my students.
Chickering, A.W. and Gamson, Z.F. (1987). Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, 39 (7), p. 3-7.
National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers
http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/nets-for-teachers-2008_en.pdf?sfvrsn=2