Deconstructing Moodle for better Learning Design Helen M. Lynch Senior 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), 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 1 Orientation Subject outline Introduce yourself forum Assignment 2 Assignment 3 Music task forum Music theory resources Integrated 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) 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