Deconstructing Moodle for better Learning Design

Helen M. LynchSenior E-learning Consultant

Australia’s National VET E-learning Strategy

Webinar, March 2012

What’s this all about?

Based on the work of Stern & Willits from the edited book Educating Educators with Social Media.

Central problem:

“top down hierarchy” assumed by the typical LMS structure

discourages a learning space which is egalitarian and

organic where learners and educators are active and equal

participants.Solution:An LMS based on social media

Open source LMS software in particular (Moodle and Sakai) have taken up social media features such as forums, blogs and wikis but they haven’t kept pace with the “modes of interaction” fostered by much more contemporary social media such as Twitter and Facebook.

Do we have an LMS based on social media yet ?

No…but we can work in our existing LMS to try and achieve it…

What subjects, what students, what levels of study would benefit from a social media based “egalitarian” course design?

Students?

Subject area

Level of study

Moodle’s key elements and their intended use:

Labels: these supply context- an instructional voice, a description of the content

Sections/topics: sequenced to create learning pathways, space where content is presented and context provided – Moodle’s design encourages this approach

Content…these are resources and activities – documents videos, forum, assignments, quizz

Blocks: Additional resources and activities or supports that exist independently of learning pathway – aggregates information…

Instructional approaches/strategies

Learning designs

The nature of the activity that allows students to achieve learning objectives

• Direct instruction• Indirect instruction • Experiential learning• Independent study• Interactive instruction

Creating a sequence of types of activities and interactions

Based on Oliver, R. (1999). Exploring strategies for online teaching and learning. Distance Education, 20(2), 240-254.

• Collaborative focus: jointly construct knowledge

• Concept procedure development ; understand/ consolidilate learning of concepts and procedures

• Problem based learning: solve real world problems

• Project / case study: create product or artefact – learn by doing

• Role play emphasis on subrogration – walk in my shoes

The learning design implemented in this exemplar focuses on extending opportunities for peer interaction amongst students via the provision of a subject/unit web site that provides access to synchronous and asynchronous discussion tools.

Trainee primary teaching students learning about visual arts and music

1

Orientation

Subject outline

Introduce yourself forum

Assignment 2Assignment 3Music task forum Music theory resourcesIntegrated Arts curriculum resources

Assignments

Getting started with assignment 1

The Artist in me

Join and access the NING Community to post artwork and share and encourage the process of critique

RSS feed on Great

Australian Artists

Live chat or Instant

messaging

Introduction and

orientation from the

teacher – vod or podcast

Lets abandon this for a instructional strategy and learning design that is interactive and and expects equal participation between facilitators and learners?

Can Moodle or any LMS help me out?

Moodle has Social Format

Have you seen examples of something similar in other learning Management Systems? Did they have the power to carry a learning design and instructional strategy based on interaction and equal participation?

Leave these out as they can be done elsewhere outside the course interface

Teachers blog RSS

Class twitter feed

Participants(see who is

online)

Calendar of events

Class wiggio community

Label: to introduce course: independent study plus interaction as instructional strategies

Class Youtube channel

Assessment items in

HTML block