1. Integrating Moodle into your School
Please go to and take a pre-class survey while we wait to start.
Brian Pool
Technology Coordinator
National Trail LSD

2. My Background Systems Analysis Degree from Miami University
Programmed for NCR Corporation and Dayton Power and Light
USAF
T-37 Instructor
MH-53 Special Ops Pilot
C-141 Aircraft Commander
IT Director
NTLS Tech Coordinator & Teacher
Since 2003

3. Our Moodle Path Original Installation in 2006 with version 1.6
Teachers were included simply by word of mouth in the High School (Tech Saavy Teachers)
Upgrade to 1.7 in 2007
Upgrade to 1.8 in 2008
5-12 Gradewide adoption in 2008
Started after schoolyear with Board Directive
Upgrade to 1.9 in 2010
Inclusion of K-4 With indicator gradecards

4. Our Moodle Path Smooth until Board Directed 5-12 implementation
Then came the directive…2 weeks into the school year.
Moodle seemed daunting to our less tech saavy teachers
We could not manually enroll every student in every class…so they had to.
“Small things” like adding students to a class totally turned new teachers off to Moodle
The vocabulary was also very new and different.

5. Hurdles!
Teachers with limited technology experience may “shut down” on you completely.
Parents will come to expect a level of online class material that not all teachers will commit to.
It is always Moodles fault when something doesn’t work. Accept it!

6. Modifications to Overcome…
I learned PHP as fast as I could
Made a “automatic enrollment” of courses
Automatic to teachers…not me!
I manually downloaded enrollments, created a CSV, and uploaded to Moodle daily
Eventually (months later) got extract going from A Site that was truly automatic

7. Modifications to Overcome…
Language file Changes
Make vocabulary more familiar by changing Moodle
Assign Roles vs Add/Remove Students
Groups vs Course Sections
Anything you can “normalize” for non-techie teachers.
Gradebook vocabulary is especially confusing to some staff.
Consider limiting choices of calculations.

8. Modifications to Overcome…
Limit Available Modules
Moodle may provide enormous opportunity and diversity, but too much can shutdown some staff members.
Don’t even allow modules that you deem unnecessary to be seen.
Teacher team anyone?
Install best mods by testing beforehand but don’t go crazy! (There are 700+)
These things made training infinitely easier!

9. Train beforehand! Although this seems fairly obvious… Training
Going completely online before actually training was a bit crazy
(even though the first semester was optional.)
Training
Use subs to relieve teachers for ½ day
Use after school sessions (Tech Tuesdays)
Use in-services
Use Moodle! - online lessons
Subject of another class entirely

10. Ways to Smoothen Out Upgrades
Upgrade for features, not just to upgrade.
(2.x may look cooler, but what does it add?)
Keep upgrades looking similar to previous installs.
Vocab!
Make sure you can justify the upgrade to your staff.
Don’t just do it without talking to anyone!
Let a teacher team decide on “optional” upgrades.

11. Usage 5-12 Traditional Moodle
Middle and High School Teachers all use Moodle in similar fashion.
Same myriad of resources and activities are used throughout these grade levels.
Traditional Gradebook
(which uploads to DASL for reportcards)
eDays will be “old hat” for all of these students when we implement this year.

12. Resources Links to other websites Internal Moodle webpages
Documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoints, pdf…)
Pictures
Videos
Online File Directories
RSS Feeds

13. Activities Assignments Audio Recorder Blogs* Podcasts* Chat* Surveys
Choice
Database
Forum*
Hot Potatoes*
Journals
Quizzes (Tests)
Wiki*
Audio Recorder
Podcasts*
Surveys
VodCasts*
Webquest*

14. Usage K-4 Limited Moodle
Elementary Teachers only Post Limited Resources
Activity (Assignments) are put in to track Indicators (Moodle Outcomes)
Limited Training required for 2 items!
Report Cards are all Moodle Generated Indicator Reportcards
eDays will require training for all of these students when we implement this year.

15. Ongoing/Future Projects
eDay Calamity Day Makeup Program
100% Moodle
Continuing to Train new and progressing teachers.
Save 3 days of transportation costs for the district as a minumum!

16. Ongoing/Future Projects
Testing to Go Paperless and ALL Moodle
Social Studies Teacher agreed to not buy textbooks and instead got an android tablet lab to try online textbooks in class.
Looking to go 100% in the HS school year.
Projected to cost most students $0 and save the district $10000 annually.

17. Paperless Numbers Students District All buy TI-83 for $80
All pay $5 yearly for student handbook. = $100 total
We would add $25 yearly to fees = $100
District
We spend $25000 annually on textbook replacements
Supplementing tablets would be $7000 annually after initial year (which would be ~ $40000)
We would collect $8000 annually on fees and “sell” them to students that did not pay 4 years of fees.

18. Paperless Advantages Students District/Class
All books on 1 device, downloaded from Moodle
eBooks Dictionary Usage
Calculator, Notes, voice recorder, Kindle App…
District/Class
$20/year per class for online ResponseWare (Turning Point Clicker Software)
Cost Savings
Interactive lesson and research possibilities in ANY classroom

19. Paperless Disadvantages
Students
Off Task
District/Class
Teacher involvement and management a MUST!

20. Questions??

21. Useful links National Trail Home Moodle page Moodle home page
Moodle home page
Moodle.org

22. Thanks for coming! Brian Pool National Trail LSD
6940 Oxford Gettysburg Road
New Paris, OH 45320
x 1235