Variety of Ideas for Using Moodle

In a previous blog entry, I talked about Moodle… what it is, its capabilities, learning how to use it, and a small bit about actually using Moodle in the classroom. Today I’m sharing web sites which include information useful to both users and administrators of Moodle and which give some ideas about how to use Moodle.

If you currently use Moodle or if you’re thinking about using it, I think you’ll find some interesting ideas here.


Moodlebug: Josie Fraser’s Moodle blog: Moodle and Learning Communities
http://fraser.typepad.com/moodle/
Josie Frazer, a consultant based in the United Kingdom, operates a blog dedicated to Moodle and learning communities. Periodic posts discuss Moodle, including its various versions, and customizing it to serve an individual or a school or district’s needs.

Moodle Journal
http://moodletraining.blogspot.com/
Bromley College uses Moodle. Their web site discusses using Moodle and training to use it. Topics may include

"using podcasts, streaming, downloads, training, metadata, scorm, lessons, quizzes, forums, chat, journals and assignments."

Some of their experiments are quite interesting (e.g., combining Second Life with Moodle).

The site polled readers as to which Moodle features they found most useful. The results for 54 persons—when I reviewed them recently—were:

• Forums 38.9%
• Assignments 20.4%
• Quizzes 16.7%
• Lessons 14.8%
• Journals 3.7%
• Workshops 3.7%
• Chat rooms 1.9%
• Choice polls 0%

Shambles
http://www.shambles.net/pages/learning/ict/moodle/
This Moodle section is one part of a web site which supports schools in 17 countries in South East Asia. Several interviews discussing Moodle are quite interesting. Check these:

• Gareth Davies / Moodlestick
• Drew Buddie / Moodle user
• Ray Lawrence / Moodle training, and
• Michelle Moore / introduction to Moodle.

Gareth Davies: Moodlestick
http://www.blip.tv/file/135552/
Gareth Davies discusses the Moodlestick in a video interview. His company produces a USB jump drive on which Moodle has been installed. With this you can learn about Moodle at home or practice using it where and when best suits you. A web site (http://www.moodlestick.co.uk) for teachers provides support.

Drew Buddie: Long-time Moodle User
http://www.blip.tv/file/135687/
Another video interview—this one with Drew Buddie—allows you to hear someone who has been using Moodle for several years talk about it. You can visit his school site (http://www.merapolis.co.uk/moodle/).

Ray Lawrence: Moodle Training
http://www.blip.tv/file/135605/
Ray Lawrence is an official Moodle partner. His business, HowToMoodle, helps schools as they install and implement Moodle. In this video interview, he explains how Moodle is developed.

Michelle Moore: An Introduction to Moodle
http://educationbridges.net/k12opensource/?p=9
Michelle Moore describes, in an audio interview, Moodle, how it is used, and how this affects education. The interview is long, but contains information useful to both users and administrators of Moodle.

Moodle E-Learning Course Development: A complete guide to successful learning using Moodle
http://www.packtpub.com/moodle/book
This web site describes a book (also available as a PDF) which covers:

• installing Moodle
• using Moodle
• designing Moodle courses and
• best educational practices for using Moodle.

The emphasis goes beyond using the technology and focuses on

“better teaching, more motivated students, and more successful courses.”

You can learn how to create courses

“where the group works through the classes with a shared schedule, or where individual students work through at their own pace, or courses where students are free to explore the different topics in their own time.”

e-subjects.co.uk
http://e-subjects.co.uk/
This site has a variety of courses that you can download to use in your Moodle… free of charge. The courses are designed for the UK; however, many could be used anywhere.

Moodle Statistics
http://moodle.org/stats/
If statistics sound boring, check out this site about Moodle and its users anyway! You'll be glad you did.

The Edu Techno Revolution: A Classroom Without Walls
http://edutechnologyrevolution.blogspot.com/2007/04/rss-and-moodle-or-your-website-blog-etc.html
Moodle is one of several topics discussed in this blog. The blog entries which cover Moodle topics could be called “tech tips for Moodle”… a variety of useful ideas and techniques are explained. One interesting idea involves posting an RSS feed in Moodle.

Techlearning blog: Wiki, Blog or Moodle?
http://www.techlearning.com/blog/2006/10/wiki_blog_or_moodle.php
Moodle is similar to Blackboard. Courses can be organized by topic or by date. Students can use wikis, blogs, and threaded discussions in addition to many other resources. Moodle is easy to use. You can start with just one or two resources and add others as need and/or time suggests.

eduspaces: e-learning 2.0
http://eduspaces.net/moodlenews/weblog/
This blog includes postings from http://moodletraining.blogspot.com, interesting comments from an individual at Bromley College as he experiments with Moodle, experiments include Second Life and a vlog from an avatar. Interesting reading!

opensource classroom: I know what the title says, but don’t box me in man!
http://opensource.christophercraft.com/?p=58
The author shares how he succeeded in getting Slideshare to work with Moodle.

Blog Juice for Educational Technology: A Moodle Keynote Conversation
http://www.schwoebel.net/wpjoe/index.php/2007/04/23/a-moodle-keynote-conversation/
Teachers list their favorite Moodle features… with comments.

From where I hover… Information and Community for Educators using M.U.V.E.’s
http://www.simteach.com/blog/?cat=11
Another educator experiments with Moodle and Second Life.

Mr. Fjelstrom’s Geometry Blog
http://mrfsgeometry.wordpress.com/2007/02/26/moodle/
Whether you’re into geometry or not, check out this site and follow some of the links. You’ll find lots of good ideas for any course.

anne marie’s ls590 blog: some firm ground in the metaflow…
http://blogs.slis.ua.edu/slis/courses/ls590/spring2007/maccall/01/03/wordpress/?cat=18
This educator examines growth in Moodle course content over a two-year period. She shares some very good ideas.

Classroom Meets Technology: Kraemer’s Tech Blog
http://www.wayzata.k12.mn.us/sunsethill/kraemer/?p=41
I think I found a really good Moodle training blog! The links at this site should help to provide a sound foundation for an educator who cares about pedagogy and who wants to learn how to use Moodle well.

moodlicio.us: Support site for K-12 educators who use Moodle
http://moodlicio.us/
This is two sites in one… a blog about using Moodle and a link to a web site where you can find tips for using Moodle in the classroom.

MACUL Conference Blog: WebQuest and Moodle: The Perfect Pair!
http://macul.edublogs.org/archives/100
This educator talks about using webquests with Moodle. Excellent idea!