1. What is Moodle
Can it help me?
Can it help my learners?
Richard Goddard
Learning Objectivity
VLE Middleware
2. Moodle is..
• An e-learning platform
• A software package designed to help
educators and trainers create, deliver,
support and enhance online and
online/offline courses.
• Such e-learning systems are sometimes
also called Virtual Learning Environments
(VLEs).
3. Moodle helps you and your learners…
• Create an organisational intranet
• Support and administer learners and courses
• Communicate with learners and colleagues
• Publish documentation (“handouts” etc)
• Personalise learning
• Revise and reinforce learning
• Evaluate and assess teaching and learning
• Encourage and enable active
collaborative learning
• Reflect and plan
..and more
12. Moodle for active learning…
Moodle was designed to encourage and enable socially
constructive learning:
• People actively construct new knowledge as they
interact with their environment.
• Everything you read, see, hear, feel, and touch is
tested against your prior knowledge
• Knowledge is strengthened if you can use it
successfully in your wider environment.
• You are not just a memory bank passively absorbing
information, nor can knowledge be "transmitted" to
you just by reading something or listening to
someone.
• Learning is particularly effective when constructing
something for others to experience
• Social Constructivism extends the above ideas into a
social group constructing things for one another,
collaboratively creating a small culture of shared
artifacts with shared meanings.
(Ken Ronkowitz)
15. Moodle for more and more and more a nd mor e
A random selection from the moodle.org list
of available add-ons…
Just over 500 listed as at July 2009
16. Before we go any further…
• How much will it cost?!
“Moodle is provided freely as Open Source
software. Basically this means Moodle is
copyrighted, but that you are allowed to copy,
use and modify Moodle provided that you agree
to:
provide the source to others
not modify or remove the original license and
copyrights
apply this same license to any derivative
work”
17. So does that mean it’s free?
• Well, yes and no! You don’t pay for
the software, but in financial terms
you’ll need to take into account the
following:
• Hosting costs
• Training costs
• Development costs
• Support or staff costs
• Administration costs
• Materials costs
18. Plus…
• You and your trainers will need to
make time for:
• Planning
• Implementation
• Online content design
• Creating materials
• Uploading
• Monitoring
• Maintaining
19. But you avoid…
• Software and licence costs
• Printing and postage costs
• Administration overheads
• Communication costs
• Separate website
• Delays
• Trainer frustration
• Missed deadlines
• Confusion
20. Where can I get help?
• Talk to Moodle users – there’s a list of
hundreds of UK Moodle sites at
http://moodle.org
• In the UK, get advice from your JISC RSC
• Find a Moodle hosting, training or support
company
• Or contact me:
Richard (at) learningobjectivity.com
