ETEC 565A- The Moodle Project
Although I have no intention of using Moodle within my own classroom, through the various course assignments and weekly discourse, I learned an incredible amount about the affordances and limitations of a Learning Management System (LMS). After gaining this new knowledge, I became very interested in using something like an LMS in my classroom and since Moodle did not fit in with my goals and target population, I began to investigate similar online platforms that would allow me to achieve a similar online learning environment for my students. With the help of peer advice and testimonials from some of my MET classmates, coupled with research and some time spent using the SECTIONS model (Bates and Poole, 2003), I decided to move forward with plans to use Edmodo with my students to create a safe, structured and educational ‘digital classroom’ to extend my students’ learning beyond the physical classroom. If it were not for ETEC 565A and this project in particular, I may not have had the drive or confidence to move forward with this endeavour. I have been using Edmodo for just over a year now and it has truly changed my teaching practices. I am able to extend my students’ thinking in ways that I was not easily able to do previously. I am also more readily able to provide my students with prompt and direct feedback on their digital assignments. Both my students and I feel empowered by our use of the Edmodo online learning tool.
I have selected this project as an artifact of my learning because both the e-portfolio reflections and my Moodle unit itself illustrate my progress and the learning successes that I experienced throughout the creative process. My reflective entries substantiate the growth that I made as a result of the Moodle activities, assignments and discourse that unfolded within the term. Having to carefully design the online learning space to fit my students’ needs, the technology that I have available to me and my overall learning goals, taught me the value of using Bates and Poole’s SECTIONS model (2003) when making decisions regarding the mindful incorporation of technology and selecting the right tools for my own personal needs and wants. The SECTIONS model is a tool that I will continue to use as I strive to make sound pedagogical choices in my future. I will also be able to draw on the knowledge that I gained (and can look back on since I have such a comprehensive artifact of my learning) to guide me as I continue to look at ways in which Edmodo and/or other LMS platforms like it can open learning, assessment, media literacy and digital citizenship opportunities for 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.
I have selected this project as an artifact of my learning because both the e-portfolio reflections and my Moodle unit itself illustrate my progress and the learning successes that I experienced throughout the creative process. My reflective entries substantiate the growth that I made as a result of the Moodle activities, assignments and discourse that unfolded within the term. Having to carefully design the online learning space to fit my students’ needs, the technology that I have available to me and my overall learning goals, taught me the value of using Bates and Poole’s SECTIONS model (2003) when making decisions regarding the mindful incorporation of technology and selecting the right tools for my own personal needs and wants. The SECTIONS model is a tool that I will continue to use as I strive to make sound pedagogical choices in my future. I will also be able to draw on the knowledge that I gained (and can look back on since I have such a comprehensive artifact of my learning) to guide me as I continue to look at ways in which Edmodo and/or other LMS platforms like it can open learning, assessment, media literacy and digital citizenship opportunities for 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.