I think, therefore I Moodle...

For the Moodlebots, OTLO, EDUC8, and Dexter E2T2 groups I work with...

This week’s RETA Webinar!

Blogs in the Classroom I by Cissy Lujan-Pincomb and Miley Grandjean
Tuesday, March 4, 2008 – 4:30 pm-5:30 pm
Register at: http://webinars.nmsu.edu/

You hear about blogs everyday from students or co-workers, but have you thought about using them in your classroom? In this webinar session you will be introduced to the refreshing world of blogging where you will begin generating ideas on how you might use blogs within your own classroom. In this first session we will introduce you to: what a blog is, what a blog can be used for, help you set up your own blogging account, and then send you on your way with resources, so that you will make an informed and enjoyable push into the “blogging world.”

This week’s Show me the Moodle Webclass!

Show me the Moodle Blocks by Holly Rae Bemis-Schurtz
Thursday, March 6, 2008 - 5 – 6 pm
Register at: http://moodlebots.pbwiki.com/register+here

How do you add RSS feeds to the sidebar of your course? What if you want an interactive calendar for students? These are only a couple of the Blocks available in Moodle. In this one hour session, we will demonstrate implementation of these popular blocks and show you how you can add Widgets to incorporate other dynamic content into your course.

This session is for Moodlers who have already had an introduction to Moodle Course Design.

This session will be recorded for on demand viewing. Details will be shared after the session.

Attending these sessions

A simple computer microphone and/or chat headset is ideal for participation. A web cam is also nice, but not required. Please plan to join the session at least 20 minutes prior to the start time to configure your computer.


Tech Assistance

Support will be available 30 minutes prior to the start of session for tech assistance.

More great eLearning webinars and webclass sessions coming up every week! For more information, see
http://moodlebots.pbwiki.com/Synchronous+Learning+Events

For more information on Moodle

Our ancillary resource for this session is the Moodle 1.8 Handbook at our site at http://reta.nmsu.edu/moodle. After attending, you should be able to practice the ‘hands on’ component in your own Moodle classroom (contact me if you would like a course environment for your use at RETAMoodle - http://reta.nmsu.edu/moodle).

Can’t make it?

Sessions will be recorded. A link for a session recording will be available. Contact me for more information.

My Mobile Home...Page

So I read about Mofuse on Mashable and had to try it out. A bit of a bug in the Mowser plugin but the support crew fixed it almost immediately after receiving the email I sent. My goal was to make a marvelous Mobile Home Page for Moi. Tre cutiemust!

http://hollyrae.mofuse.mobi

Upcoming Show me the Moodle Sessions

Hi Everyone ~ Happy Leap Year to all from RETA Moodle!

I have some information I'd like for you to know. Feel free to share this with friends. In addition to the wonderful RETA Webinars coming up in the next couple of months, I have scheduled some 'Show me the Moodle' webclass sessions on specific topics. These topics are designed to help you with specific parts of Moodle course design. You will find more information at the Moodlebot Wiki - http://moodlebots.pbwiki.com/Synchronous+Learning+Events

Show me the Moodle - Blocks - March 6 - 5 pm MST [register here]

How do you add RSS feeds to the sidebar of your course? What if you want an interactive calendar for students? These are only a couple of the Blocks available in Moodle. In this one hour session, we will demonstrate implementation of these popular blocks and show you how you can add Widgets to incorporate other dynamic content into your course.

Show me the Moodle - Adding Resources - March 13 - 5 pm MST[register here]

Adding content to your course is a breeze with Moodle. Find out how to add websites, HTML, PowerPoints and other types of files in this one hour on Moodle Resources.

Show me the Moodle - Assignments - March 16 - 11 am MST[register here]

There are four main ways to use the Assignment activity in Moodle. In this one hour session we will demonstrate each of these and give examples of how they can be used in online teaching and blended instruction.

Show me the Moodle - Choice and Journal Activities - April 6 - 11 am MST [register here]

Moodle Choice and Journal Activities are some of the easiest Moodle activities to implement. In this hour long webclass we will demonstrate how to implement these activities and discuss how we can use them in our online and blended classrooms.

Moodle Administration Professional Learning Community [register here]

March 11 - 4:30 pm MST and April 8 - 4:30 pm MST

This is an open learning community of educators who are currently or planning to administer a Moodle site. Topics of discussion may include security, course management, user management, troubleshooting, etc. Participants in this group are invited to return on a monthy basis to share ideas and discuss how they can support Moodle in their schools and districts.

Moodle@Picacho: Transforming Teaching with Interactive Online Course Management Tools

I dig action research. I was very lucky in my graduate experience to be invited to the Center for Teaching Excellence Action Research conference in Taos in 2006 to present my study on a strategy I used in my classroom.

During the 2006-2007 school year, I lead an action research study using CTE grant funding with a wonderful team of teachers at my site. We studied Moodle in our own professional learning and we used it with our students - collecting data and reflecting on our work along the way.

The result is the lengthy Action Research Report that I will post today. It's been in Google Docs for a long time now and it's time to put it on record. This report will be included in the CTE Action Research report which will come out in June at this year's conference.

The report is located here: http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dg2jjhbv_45dndxn5

As Moodle has changed, so has the relevance of the technical discussion of Moodle within the report. The highlights, however, reveal that customized professional development and access to a professional learning community supports teachers in their adoption and implementation of Moodle. By working together, educators mediate the challenges of implementing new tools with students. There is also some interesting data on the attitudes of the students who participated.

Almost a year out from the busy time when I wrote this final report, I view it more as a comprehensive snapshot of what we worked on and what we learned, rather than something which informs other educators from a research standpoint. Don't get me wrong~ It could very much be useful, but I am learning every day how the little things about technology change rapidly and the conversation is more about reflective practice than analysis of the tool.

I look forward to future writings on my work with educators and Moodle, now that I can see the study from different angles. I would enjoy engaging in a discussion about the report and the question of how it could inform what teachers are doing today with online tools.

Theme of the Day: Help people learn more in better ways!

I received some excellent news updates today on the topic of differentiation and assistive technology. What it all boils down to is that the edtech leaders and evangelists among us have much to do with special education and assistive technnology, or rather all of us, in all of those fields, have work to do, together.

Then TechCrunch served up this story about Howcast. What a perfect opportunity to break down a task analysis in the spirit of Dr. Poel at NMSU.

Here's an example of the helpfulness and straight up 'how to ness' of Howcast. How do we get these clever ex-Googlers to work for the Force? Of course, by force I mean, the good side....aren't all of us ed-vangelists on that side?

Free books on Digital Media and Learning for download

Here's the description from the website at http://www.mitpressjournals.org/loi/dmal?cookieSet=1

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning examines the effect of digital media tools on how people learn, network, communicate, and play, and how growing up with these tools may affect a person's sense of self, how they express themselves, and their ability to learn, exercise judgment, and think systematically. The full text of each volume in the Series is provided for free and open access thanks to the generous support of the MacArthur Foundation. The full text of these chapters is openly available below. We ask that you complete a brief site registration process, or log in if you are already registered at MIT Press Journals. Registration is entirely optional, but we hope you will register because the information that we gather helps us learn more about open access publishing. If you're experiencing access problems or have questions about e-access registration, please email journals-access@mit.edu.

Civic Life Online: Learning How Digital Media Can Engage Youth

Digital Media, Youth, and Credibility

The Ecology of Games: Connecting Youth, Games, and Learning

Digital Young, Innovation, and the Unexpected

Learning Race and Ethnicity: Youth and Digital Media

Youth, Identity, and Digital Media

Collaborative writing with Twitter

I just learned about Twittories from @willrich45 of http://weblogg-ed.com/ and I'm really excited because this is the first time I've learned about a collaborative writing structure facilitated by Twitter. Please take some time and check it out in this example of a twittorie, The Darkness Inside...Too cool.

I must tell you, they say you learn something new everyday. With Twitter (especially on the @edtechtalk's friend list) it's more like you learn something new every second.

Dear Santa, can I please sync my Google Calendar with my Palm?

Apparently, yes. Based on the demo version and the default settings, I now have some seriously air synced gCal. Thinking of upgrading....Claims to work with many phones and mobile devices...Ahhh, I love the holiday season. You should also know I really also love my Centro after retiring my nearly two year old Treo 650. I absolutely love the mobile content and speed I'm getting now, plus the Sprint Mobile Email, Streaming Radio, Mobile You Tube, SprintTV...all are working very well.

Give it a goo, I mean, go @ http://www.goosync.com

P.S. Already tried Companion Sync. No luck...kept wanting .Net passport and my machine resisted...

Just in Time Learning

Put something out there and be amazed. I had my own snackbyte moment today. A couple of weeks ago I posted the previously mentioned slideshow to Slideshare. Within a couple of days I received messages back from the site that the slideshow was added to a supercool effective practices of Web 2.0 teaching group. I also got word from a teacher who claimed to have had a moment with fellow teachers when they were talking about Moodle and the slideshow popped up in the group at the same moment.

I realize it's my own trade in attention economy, but I have to blog about this!

So did this teacher, who is called maggiev on Slideshare. Please read her post here.

The best part is the chat log included. You can read the whole thing at Maggie's blog post and the conversation begins about different tools, including Moodle...

Scroll to the bottom of the transcript for the 'just in time' moment.

The force is out there....and it's pretty strong.

Free, like Free Kittens!

In my experiences with sharing the good news of Moodle, I find I am often trying to explain the concept of something being free of licensing fees, but still requiring a certain infrastructure and level of support to be successful. Today on WizIQ, I received a message from a fellow Moodler which let me to this slideshow by Sandeep. Promoting Moodle as 'Free (like Free Kittens)' really captured this idea. I share that slideshow with you now. What I like the most is the slide which shoes the different types of support you need. For my own slideshow attempt at the same topic, please see this on Slideshare.

This is my 1st official utterance! -Syd staged this with her flashlight & a toy.

Holly Rae

Mobile post sent by hollyrae using Utterz.  Replies.

Silent 'Film'

I found this on Slideshare (which I really enjoy, btw) and it has no sound. I really don't know what Alan Levine would narrate...but there are some nice visual moments here as relates to Web x.0 and education. I also like it when slideshows are dominated by visuals rather than text. Anyhow, enough with the intro...

| View | Upload your own

P.S. Must pick up the CogDogBlog feed.

Social Networks create Distance Learning possibilities

Professionals gather at conferences to network with experts, learn about state of the art practice, and share what they are learning. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the value of this professional networking could be extended online?

Of course. And it is.

Congratulations, NACOL, on your Western Conference social network on Ning. Delightfully designed by Glenn Moses.

Visit NACOL Western Conference


What a way to celebrate National Distance Learning Week - joining a social network of professionals interested in networking about online learning. In the words of pbwiki, YUM! that was easy. Ning is actually ad-free for education now (thanks, Julz for the info). Join a professional social network this week, or create your own!

To the beat of a 'distance' drum

Online learning tools are used in many different ways. Educators often play their distance learning drums to a unique beat, playing up their strengths, improvising at times, but always listening for subtle changes in tempo and mood. When distance learning jams come together, the community can be a powerful source of inspiration - harmonious collaboration. This week, NMSU is celebrating National Distance Learning Week with a number of different distance learning events and RETAMoodle Open House. Please extend our invitation to all of the distance learning drummers you know.

Kickin' Curriki

Julz has been promoting the idea of wikified curriculum for, gee, ever? "Why must we reinvent the wheel?" Well, someone finally put the words and ideas together and so voila:

Curriki (http://www.curriki.org/)

Browse and smile. Become a member...hey, while you're at it, apply for a grant ($500-$5,000) to create master content and make the world a better place!

A great widget for teachers, learners & just about everyone...

There is always some amount of excitement that comes with finding a new cool little tool or widget. Of course, as soon as you think you've seen what's out there you come across a list like that at:

Learning Activities

And then you just find something new (to you) ...and the ideas flow... Check out Voice Thread...widgets for your blogs, MySpace, Facebook...How fun!

Go meditate @ church of the customer

Jackie Huba rocks - check her out. She has brought the message of customer evangelism to the VSS conversation. The way that social media is changing marketing must inform educators or we risk making some major mistakes. My concern? When Jackie asked who knew the term social media, there were really only a small group of hands raised. No doubt people know the tools, but it is Julz & I who (as we co-mo-blog) have relected throughout our work on how there is no social network to connect all of these people who are supporting the vision of NACOL! Where is our online evangelist community?

Keynote with Susan Patrick

The future is now - virtual schools are transforming education worldwide. It is our job now to get it done here.

NM eLearning Roundtable

Our VSS experience begins with the New Mexico eLearning Roundtable.

Dr. Carmen Gonzales introduced us to a variety of advocates to eLearning from Kentucky, New Mexico, Hawaii and other areas.

Our introduction to NACOL was provided by Bruce Friend, who shared with us an overview of the national learning trends in online learning. His background with what became Florida Virtual School began in 1996! Bruce expressed that he is pleased to see the work in New Mexico and the parterships, sharing, and collaboration that develops through events like the Virtual School Symposium. He reminded us that we are going to have to take innovative leaps toward transformational development. If you were to paraphrase his final message, you might say "If all we are going to do is replicate what already exists, we shouldn't even waste our time." Transform the system!

John Watson explained to us an overview of data from all states about the spread and growth of online programs. Right now it seems that reporting is an area where all states and districts need improvement. Overall there is so much diversity in types of programs that it complexifies the overall reporting process. Along with this was a discussion of Colorado's experiences and lessons learned through the Trujillo Commission.

Dr. Kemi Jona brought to our meeting an up to date overview of science labs and online learning. WOW. As a person with a science content teaching background I can honestly say I am amazed by the possibilities. The rapid development of remote experimentation, science data networks, and internet connected science devices. The partnerships in place at Northwestetrn in Chicago involve global parterships. He pointed out the relationships within NM that support this type of science instruction development (LANL, NASA, SNL and the universities). My own reflections on this connect to the ability for teachers to connect their students to authentic, real world science with a collaborative and global focus. Students must be able to practice the processes of science. This speaks volumes about the need for professional development in online learning which is content specific.

Jennifer Carroll from Kentucky Virtual Schools offered an overview of the statewide learning network development and where the network is now. Kentucky has extended their network from K20 into lifelong learning and established important professional networks to allow for communities of eLearning practice. She highlighted the importance of a common ground CMS as a way share resources, training, and resources. It also supports the dual-credit options and blended course development.

Wow. Great start to the conference & the conversations that must continue!

Wake up, you're in Louisville!

Killer hotel, amazing city, great food & incredible NM contingent! More live from NACOL 07 tomorrow.