The Moodle site I am creating is for Science 10 students as they study the Plate Tectonics component of Earth Science. The LMS is designed to be part of a blended delivery model so that students will be accessing the Moodle both from home and from school. My aim is to include a range of activities to “increase the likelihood that a variety of learner preferences are being met” (Bates & Poole, 2003, p. 86).
A primary component of my site will be communication between students as “good learning, like good work, is collaborative and social not competitive and isolated” (Chickering & Gamson, 1987). Students will begin the online component of the course by watching a video about their instructor, then participating in icebreaker activities to get to know one another better. This will take place during class time, so it will be a synchronous activity. There will be also be opportunities throughout the course to take part in asynchronous communication in discussion forums as students will be working on learning objectives at their own pace outside of class time. At the end of the module, students will demonstrate their understanding of course content by contributing to a wiki about a geological feature or event of their choice. I love the idea of a wiki because students will be able to view what their peers have constructed, rather than a traditional project that students simply do then submit to their teacher without any peer contributions or feedback.
As an instructor, I will be able to monitor student progress within Moodle in a way that I might not be able to do without the use of technology. Moodle’s platform will allow me to track students’ contributions to discussion forums and the wiki. At this point, I am still at the design stage with Moodle, but I am excited for when I eventually try it out with my students!
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.
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.