Toolkit Reflections – Initial Moodle Tasks
I’ve used Moodle since 2005 (although we use the latest version (Moodle 1.9.5+ and we will be moving to version 2, as soon as it is stable.).
So, I did not find the initial tasks of adding an ice-breaker discussion forum for introductions, nor adding a single web-page welcome, very difficulty nor time consuming.
Adding a Welcome Page
Since 2005, I have developed some shortcuts and some blank templates that are already set up in Dreamweaver with some templates that include a css and a gui folder. So I can quickly create a new html page, based on a preferred colour scheme, with icons and fonts I’ve predefined. All I have to do is add my text, apply some styles, spell check it, insert any desired media, save it, upload it and link it in Moodle. This takes only as long as it takes me to write the content.
Adding a Discussion Page
The longest part of adding a discussion, is deciding which of the four formats is best suited to the type of communication and interaction desired.
Moodle discussion forums have several types from which you can choose:
- Standard Forum for General Use – (two-way communication) for Introductions and General Discussion
- Q & A format – (two-way communication) during each module – anyone can post a question and any one can post answers to the questions
- Single Post Per Participant – (one-way communication) for posting Learning Goals during week 1, the for Reflection on Learning during the last week, posting reports for discussion as in Module 7
- Group Discussions – with any of the above three discussions for topic-level and module-level group activities, such as group summarization of chapters
- Single Simple Discussion – (two-way communication) – single topic discussion developed on one page, which is useful for short focused discussions
Only negative for me was – wish we were using the latest version of Moodle, with all of the blocks and modules I’m used to having available, i.e., like spell check and quickmail, etc.