I chose to create an online version of my Grade 7 Visual Arts class – AVI 7X1. It is a compulsory full year course offered to grade 7 students at my school. I choose this course as the Grade 7 program is part of our 1:1 iPad program and I have spent the better part of the past 2 years developing an arts program which makes use of technology – choosing an online platform for the delivery of the course seemed like the logical next step. While I don’t think I would ever like to see the course offered exclusively online, I am very interested in how the course would function in a blended learning environment where students met in class once every cycle to work in a ‘studio’ environment.
Experiences with Moodle
So far, my overall experience with Moodle has been positive. The platform itself is user-friendly and functions well on different platforms and operating systems (I worked on several computers, using different OS). The iOS experience was natural as well, however I would like to see a program specific app which would make taking a course in Moodle on a tablet more practical. App alerts and notifications would keep users up-to-date in their course, and make the experience more natural. One particular issue I experienced on the iPad was with file upload – this was limited to images in the Camera Roll only – I was unable to access any cloud-based storage device.
In a traditional computer experience adding files, links and images is easy and the simple text editor allows for easy construction of pages that look uniform. I found it very helpful to have two screens running at the same time – one logged in as myself, the other logged in as the student. This way I could make changes to a page or setting and save on one computer and see the results on the other screen without having to log out or ‘change roles’. It would be a nice feature if Moodle incorporated a ‘preview’ function which acted as a quick way to see the page without having to save and leave the editing screen. One of my biggest issues working with Moodle is the speed at which pages load – the slow process was an impediment to the design process.
I was happy to see that Moodle has a Badge system created and I was able to include several tasks that when completed, students are awarded a badge. These tasks fall outside of the course requirements and include such tasks as updating the profile, adding a post, replying to a peer, etc. However, I wish Moodle included a ‘Badge’ page where students were notified when they were awarded a badge – I found it difficult to find where badges were collected and stored – it was only after some research online that I discovered they are part of the user profile.
While the overall experience was positive, I do have some concerns with the Gradebook employed in Moodle. In Ontario, teachers are required to assess learning at various stages of the unit. Reflections, quizzes, exit tickets, peer evaluations are all important forms of assessment, but ones that do not affect the overall average of the student. According to ‘Growing Success’ (a Ministry of Education document) these are called Assessments ‘As’ and ‘For’ learning as they are for the student and teacher to determine progress throughout the unit. Each unit must also include a culminating task (an Assessment ‘Of’ Learning) which addresses all four categories of the achievement chart (Knowledge, Thinking and Inquiry, Communication and Application). In a typical course, the term work makes up 70% of the final grade while a Summative Assessment (usually an exam) makes up the remaining 30%. The 70% term work must be divided into the four achievement chart categories (for example, 15% Knowledge, 15% Thinking, 20% Communication, 20% Application) and each culminating task in a unit must address all four achievement chart categories. So, if at the end of Module 3 I ask my students to complete a painting, my rubric must include Knowledge, Thinking and Inquiry, Communication and Application categories. I was able to create the 4 categories in my Moodle Gradebook, however I am unable to assign them a percentage of my overall course. Additionally, when I create an assessment tool I am unable to direct specific questions to different categories. Currently my online test for Module 2 falls under the Knowledge category – however various sections of my test address different categories of the achievement chart. I researched this and found that this is a short-coming of Moodle and is the key reason it has not been adopted fully in Ontario.
Future Strategies for Communication and Assessment
Looking ahead at my course there are several communication strategies that I would like to include in the upcoming units. The first strategy is video tutorials – an integral part of my teaching is in-class demonstrations and this needs to be addressed in any online version of my course. I have already begun to record some of the instructional demonstrations that I complete in class, using my document camera to capture lessons on painting techniques, shading practices, proper form and technique, etc. I will begin to include these ‘Video Lessons’ into the structure of my units. By demonstrating for my students I provide them with a different learning strategy – one different then the text-heavy nature of traditional eLearning environments. Also, I will look at providing students with examples and links to practicing artists. By looking at the work of actual artists, students will be able to understand the skills they are developing in a real-world context. As Anderson notes, learning is ‘about making connections with ideas, facts, people and communities’ (pg. 49).
I will also ask students to create their own video demonstrations so that I and their peers may see their skill and provide feedback. Art is a discipline that is learned through practice and execution, thus the best strategy for assessment is one that relies on product versus testing. The ability for students to show their skill will provide students with an opportunity to not only display their understanding of the course but the discussion will help to build a sense of community in the course (Anderson, pg. 48).
eLearning experiences can become isolated environments, so I have considered some opportunities for small group learning and for full-class interaction. During Module 5, small groups will be formed and students will be asked to present some content to the class (a presentation on a member of the Group of Seven Painters). Part of the assessment will include a planning session which will include a synchronous video session using an online video platform. Students will then work together to create a learning activity for the entire class. Again, one of the goals of this type of exercise is to create a sense of community within the class, but also to introduce students to new learning platforms and applications available to them.
Anderson, T. (2008a). Towards a theory of online learning. In T. Anderson & F. Elloumi (Eds.), Theory and practice of online learning. Edmonton AB: Athabasca University. Retrieved from http://www.aupress.ca/books/120146/ebook/02_Anderson_2008-Theory_and_Practice_of_Online_Learning.pdf