I may have a teaching position in the fall that will require me to teach two virtual classes in a middle school setting for science. This will require me to design and set up an interactive, live classroom environment and get everything organized and submitted using the technology tools I choose.
I have heard the word Moodle tossed around in the school I teach in but I have never taken the time to explore what it really is. After exploring Moodle I discovered that it is very flexible and easy to use for both teacher and student. It would not require much additional training to use it and it seems very flexible in the way it is set up. Students would have an easy time navigating their way through it and as the teacher, I can set it up on a format that suits my own needs. I did find a great exmple of Moodle use in the following link. It is an excellent example of multi-media applications (video, short response, calendars etc.)using the Moodle format.
http://moodle.clackesd.k12.or.us/course/view.php?id=62
I definitely think that this could be modified to teach science, language arts, math and even social studies. The hardest part would be to incorporate hands on labs in science for the studnets. i do know that you can order lab kits that rae complete for shipping to classrooms all over the world. Of course these are not cheap and the selections are limited.
"Live" teaching with demonstartions and labs may prove to be a little awkward at first but I think I will get used to it.
Deductive and inductive teaching could be utilized very easily through this mode of learning. A teacher would definitely have to be sensitive to incorporating a variety of learning strategies and not get stuck in a rut when utilizing this type of technology.
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WOW!! It looks like you have a fun challenge ahead of you! I took a science class online during my undergrad years. It was rather challenging to keep up, but he shared videos of demonstrations and had live lectures. That really helped. Also, there was a virtual lab with the class. You would actually complete the labs online, and be able to add chemicals together and see reactions. It was really neat. I will try and dig out my course info and get the site name to you. It was really beneficial to my success in the course. :)
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I agree with you that Moodle is very user-friendly and easy to navigate. Plus, it's great that the format/interface is the same for the teacher and the student. I wish you a lot of luck getting your new class set-up with Moodle for the fall.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like it will be a wonderful experience. i am reading Ashlee's post and wow! That sounds really cool that you were able to do virtual labs and see the reactions. I think that students would really love this class!
ReplyDeleteDoes the class have to be 100% online? I'm wondering if it could be offered as a hybrid. The face-2-face meetings could include the hands on lab activities and the online sessions could include discussion forums, blogging, assigned readings, quizzes, etc. We use Blackboard in my district, but I prefer Moodle. The interface is much more user friendly for the course developer and the student.
ReplyDeletewww.latenitelabs.com
ReplyDeleteI would suggest you check out the demo lab. It's really neat. I'm not sure if it will fit the content of your course, but it's worth checking out, I think. : )