Moodle Reflection:
The Moodle course I am designing is geared towards Grade 3 students with the purpose of meeting the instructional goals for the Grade 3 Science unit “Watch it Grow”. This course is meant to be part of a blended approach. Students will be expected to work online to read/view text, diagrams, video and images, contribute to discussions, reflect on learning, collaboratively build a Plant glossary and take part in online assessments and assignments. Students will also work collaboratively in the classroom to explore and experiment with plants using the scientific process. I feel that a blended approach will work well for this unit as students will have opportunities to build knowledge through interaction with the course online and explore, verify and consolidate new knowledge with classroom experiments and experiences.
When I started building my course I felt totally overwhelmed and a little anxious. I began slowly by exploring the Moodle resources in the toolkit which in the beginning were unfamiliar. During this initial exploration I was also planning modules to meet the instructional goals and storyboarding the course, a very important step in the design process. Through my explorations of Moodle components and HTML I was able to begin constructing my Moodle course. The learning curve was steep but satisfying. Through trial and error I was able to slowly build the first 3 of 6 modules to deliver the science topic. Once I realized that nothing devastating would happen if I made a mistake I was more daring in my experimentation. Reading the discussion posts and interacting with my peers online helped immensely as I quickly realized we were all in the same boat.
The assignment contained a number of criteria for the Moodle course. The requirements included:
• Splash page with a graphic user interface (GUI)
• Two (or more) complete learning modules (module shells or placeholder pages not acceptable)
• One (or more) module programmed for selective release
• Two general discussion forum topics
• One group discussion forum for (at least) 2 groups (must set up groups; they need not be populated)
Some of the requirements were much more difficult than others but they all required problem solving to achieve. Through many hours of trial and error I was able to meet all requirements. Creating a Splash page, using HTML to create web pages and setting modules for selective release were the most difficult to understand and I am still unsure if the approach I took was the most effective but I am pleased with the results. It was important to keep the design simple so that students didn’t get lost in special effects but engaging enough to hold their attention.
To learn the HTML needed to create pages I searched the internet for code examples to make the text wrap around images and videos, align left, right, make table borders invisible, increase white space around pictures, add color to the page etc. Every time I got something to do what I wanted I was pleased with the results! I am quite proud of the pages I created.
To meet the requirement for selective release I used the topics format for the course and made 2 of the modules invisible to students using the “eye”. The instructor will then have to make the modules visible by opening the “eye” when necessary.
Throughout the course development it was necessary to keep the age and reading levels of the students in mind to make the course accessible to them. Therefore I included age appropriate images, diagrams to support understanding of text and video to support students reading below grade level. It was also important to make the course easy to navigate so I included an image of a plant scientist throughout the modules to help them navigate through the course. Because this is a blended course students will have ready access to the teacher. However fostering independence is important.
The last step in my course design was verification. Did the course I created meet the instructional goals, do all the links work, images load in a timely manner and will my students be able to navigate the course? This was a lengthy process, one which I first did through the eyes of a designer and then through the eyes of my students.
In the end I think I have designed modules that will facilitate knowledge building, engage and excite my grade 3 students and satisfy instructional goals.