Moodle+Level+1




 * ==**Workshop Overview:**==

This hands-on workshop will introduce participants to the Moodle virtual learning environment. Participants will learn how to add resources and create activities in Moodle as preparation for participating in professional learning activities, creating online lessons and/or getting involved in online projects.

[|Class Handout]

[|Workshop Agenda]

[|Moodle Reference Guide]

Objectives:
In this workshop, you will: ||||^  || This workshop will help teachers accomplish the following standards: > B. demonstrate continual growth in technology knowledge and skills to stay abreast of current and emerging technologies. > B. apply current research on teaching and learning with technology when planning learning environments and experiences. > C. identify and locate technology resources and evaluate them for accuracy and suitability. > D. plan for the management of technology resources within the context of learning activities. > E. plan strategies to manage student learning in a technology-enhanced environment. > A. facilitate technology-enhanced experiences that address content standards and student technology standards > C. manage student learning activities in a technology-enhanced environment. > B. use technology resources to collect and analyze data, interpret results, and communicate findings to improve instructional practice and maximize student learning. > B. continually evaluate and reflect on professional practice to make informed decisions regarding the use of technology in support of student learning. > C. apply technology to increase productivity. > D. use technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, parents, and the larger community in order to nurture student learning. || || ||
 * 1) Define Moodle
 * 2) Evaluate Moodle for your classroom
 * 3) Login to Moodle with your account
 * 4) Edit your personal Moodle account
 * 5) Identify parts in a Moodle course layout
 * 6) Create Moodle content
 * 7) Add at least one forum, file, link, activity to a Moodle course ||||   || == **Workshop Components** ==
 * [|Overview]
 * [|About Moodle]
 * [|Articles & Videos]
 * [|Classroom Examples]
 * [|Logging into Moodle]
 * [|Navigating Moodle]
 * [|Adding Resources & Activities]
 * Resources
 * [|Add a Lightbox Gallery]
 * [|Compose a Webpage]
 * [|Link to a File or Website]
 * Activities
 * [|Assignment]
 * [|Discussion Forums]
 * [|Glossary]
 * [|Questionnaire]
 * [|Assessment]
 * [|Reflect and Discuss]
 * [|Useful Links] ||  ||
 * ==ISTE Standards:==
 * 1) Technology Operations and Concepts - Teachers demonstrate a sound understanding of technology operations and concepts. Teachers:
 * 1) Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences - Teachers plan and design effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology. Teachers:
 * 1) Teaching, Learning, and the Curriculum - Teachers implement curriculum plans, that include methods and strategies for applying technology to maximize student learning. Teachers:
 * 1) Assessment and Evaluation - Teachers apply technology to facilitate a variety of effective assessment and evaluation strategies. Teachers:
 * 1) Productivity and Professional Practice - Teachers use technology to enhance their productivity and professional practice. Teachers:
 * ==Common Moodle Terms:==
 * 1) **Moodle** (Acronym for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment//) -// An open source course management system (CMS) software package designed using sound pedogogical principals, to help educators create effective online learning communities.
 * 2) **Block** **-** An area of the Moodle screen that groups related functions. Blocks are usually placed in the right-hand column of the Moodle screen. Commonly used blocks may include People, Latest News, Administration, New InternalMail, Messages, Online Users, and Activities.
 * 3) **Book** - Books are used to present content that is usually more than a page or two of text. Books have their own internal navigation and may be used to print single pages, multiple pages, or entire sections of the content.
 * 4) **Breadcrumbs** - Text-based Web site navigation tools for Moodle
 * 5) **Classroom Management System (CMS)** - a software system designed to help teachers by facilitating the management of educational courses for their students, especially by helping teachers and learners with course administration. Also refered to as a Virtual Learning Enviroment (VLE).
 * 6) **Discussion Forum** - A discussion forum is where you can participate in threaded discussions with your tutor and/or other participants around course-specific topics. Discussion forums are asynchronous. That is, students may post or reply to messages any time. Posting is not dependent on other users being online at the time of posting. Your course may or may not use discussion forums.
 * 7) **Enrol** - In moodle terminology, a user is "enrolled" for a course either by their tutor/school or in some cases a user can enrol them self onto a course. An enrolled user may fully participate in a course, such as join in with any forums discussions, submit exercises, and generally participate in any of the interactive moodle tools.
 * 8) **Module** - The //M// in Moodle stands for //modular//. Moodle is constructed, and is being constantly revised, by a community of developers around the world. Building Moodle in modules allows for this sort of development, and it allows individual developers like Athabasca University to add functionality to Moodle by contributing or editing a particular module. Use of the Assignment Drop Box is a good example.
 * 9) **Open-Source Software** - Open source software is developed by a community of users who contribute functionality to a core program based on their own needs. Development costs are then spread out across the community of users. Moodle is an example of open-source software.
 * 10) **Wiki** - Some courses will include a wiki, which allows learners to collaborate on writing projects by all writing and editing in a single online document ||


 * ==**What is Moodle?**==

The name Moodle is an acronym that stands for //modular object-oriented dynamic learning environment //. It is an open source course management system (CMS) designed to help educators create effective online learning communities.

**How do I get to an SAISD Moodle?**
Course sites in Moodle are accessed through the Instructional Technology & Learning Services Website. Clicking on one of the links below will take you there:

As you can see, the Moodle screen is divided into columns. Generally, the left and/or right columns of each screen might contain blocks that allow you to access Moodle functions, such as administrative functions, course participants, your profile, grades, etc. In general, courses will have a list of topics that correspond to units of study. A typical screen layout might look like:
 * [|Open Campus]
 * [|Technology Center Moodle (iTech)]
 * [|Professional Learning Center Moodle (plc)] ||||  ||
 * ==What does Moodle look like?==
 * ==What does Moodle look like?==

||

To gain a better understanding of Moodle and it's philosophy read the following articles. While reading think how Moodle could be used by the classroom teacher or at a district level. How do you see Moodle benefiting education? What issues would need to be addressed before implementing Moodle in your classroom? |||| --- ||
 * ==**Articles & Videos**==
 * ==Articles:==
 * 1) [|Moodle Philosophy] Explains the four concepts of Moodles "social constructionist pedagogy"
 * 2) [|Moodle Techsoup Article] Article on Overview of Moodle
 * 3) [|The Good Teacher] Story about using Moodle in the classroom
 * 4) [|Doing the Moodle Mambo:Facilitating New Literacies]
 * 5) [|Moodle Habitudes-Constructing Online Learning Environments]
 * 6) Moodle Habitudes A central repository for using Moodle in K-16 teaching ||   ||||   ||
 * ==Books:==
 * 1) [|Using Moodle] by Jason Cole
 * 2) [|Moodle 1.9 E-Learning Course Development] by William Rice
 * 3) [|Moodle 1.9 for Teaching 7-14 Year Olds] - Beginner's Guide by Mary Cooch
 * 4) [|Moodle 1.9 Multimedia] by Joao Soares Fernandes ||
 * ==Videos:==
 * ==Videos:==
 * ==Videos:==

GooMoodlei kiog media type="youtube" key="FOKJk-7K9gY" height="360" width="480"

How Moodle Can Change a School - Part 1 (Tomaz Lasic) media type="youtube" key="XjLukDNtf3k" height="360" width="480"

How Moodle Can Change a School - Part 2 (Tomaz Lasic) media type="youtube" key="d8RuxnXeBos" height="360" width="480"

Moodle How-To


 * [|Moodle Tutorials]
 * [|2 Minute Moodle Tutorials] (Tomaz Lasic) ||

__[|Moodle Basics Slideshow] __ ||||||||  ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||||||||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * * SAISD Moodle Tutorials
 * [|Edit your Profile and Upload your Picture]
 * [|Adding a Journal]
 * [|Adding a Calendar]
 * [|Adding a Resources]
 * [|Adding a Survey]
 * [|Viewing Survey Results]
 * [|Exporting ExamView Questions, Import into Moodle Quiz] ||
 * ==Moodle Basics Slideshow:==
 * ==Moodle Basics Slideshow:==

**Classroom Examples:**
Explore the following examples to see how Moodle is being used in the classroom.

Indicates a course that allows guest access

> Login in as the following > username-baguest > password-baguest
 * 1) [|Sample SAISD Moodles]
 * 2) [|AP U.S. History-Centerville Ohio High School] Login as guest
 * 3) [|UK History Moodle for Y7, Y8, and Y9] Login as guest
 * 4) [|Shawnee Mission Schools Book Discussion]
 * 1) [|U.S. History-Centerville Ohio High School] Login as guest


 * ==**Logging into Moodle:**==


 * 1) Go to the location of your Moodle
 * 2) Login using your SAISD Username (email) and Password.

|| > >
 * ==Editing your Profile==
 * 1) The Profile page is where you tell Moodle about yourself. It is important to think about what you want to include in the Profile page. A picture of yourself can be included as well.
 * 2) To access your Profile page, click on Participants in the People block then click on your user name in the list of all participants. Click on the Edit profile tab.
 * 3) When you click the Edit profile link, a number of fields are displayed, some of which are required and some of which are optional.
 * 1) When you click the Edit profile link, a number of fields are displayed, some of which are required and some of which are optional.
 * 1) Some required fields include First name, Last name, Email address, and City/town fields. You are asked to add a short description of yourself in the **Description ** box.
 * 2) To add a picture of yourself, you will be navigating to upload a file from your own computer. First, make sure the file for the image you want to use is less than 8 MB in size. You can do this by looking at the detailed list of your files, which includes size. The smaller the file, the better. ||
 * ==Video Tutorial==
 * ==Video Tutorial==

||

Getting around in Moodle is very straightforward, and there are a number of different features to help you navigate. Try them out and see what happens.
 * ==**Navigating Moodle:**==

The Basics
 1. **Bread Crumbs** - Just below the banner with the course title, you should see a line with various links such as

2. **Jump to** - Inside the book and other Moodle activities, you will see a drop-down menu on the upper or lower right that allows you to jump to various parts of the course.
 * The first element **PLC** refers to the whole moodle site. Selecting this will take you back to the moodle home page which contains the complete list of moodle course sites.
 * The second element **DS101** is a short name that refers to the current course site. Selecting this will take you to the homepage of your course.
 * The third element **Books** refers to the type of resource or activity you are viewing. Selecting this will display a list of all the Resources for the course.
 * The final part **About Digital Storytelling** is the title of the resource or activity //currently// being viewed and has a different colour to indicate this. ||

3. Logging Out - There are two easy ways to log out of the course site. Near the top of the screen you will see and at the bottom of the screen you will see a logout link. In both cases, clicking on (Logout) will log you out of Moodle. ||
 * ==Roles in Moodle==
 * ==Roles in Moodle==

In Moodle, there are six default levels of access:
 * 1) The **Administrator**, who has access to all courses and determines the look of the entire site. The admin can also put messages of general interest on the Moodle login page. All Moodle users receive these messages in their email. The admin creates courses and user IDs.
 * 2) The **Course Creator** is a kind of super teacher who has the right to create courses.
 * 3) The **Teacher** has full control within his/her course(s) for course building, management and for teaching, but cannot create student IDs.
 * 4) The **Nonediting Teacher** has no editing rights. This means they can teach using the course and its tools, but they cannot change the tools or course materials.
 * 5) The **Students** can use Moodle for learning purposes only, most of the options open to teachers remain hidden to them.
 * 6) **Guest** access is limited to seeing, but not touching.

To elaborate, the Teacher’s access includes: Below are some icons that you will see in Moodle.
 * Controlling the course settings, including the enrollment key
 * Adding and removing tools or activities in the course
 * Enrolling or removing students
 * Adapting the deadlines and grading scales for the different activities
 * Supervising and evaluating student activities and coaching the students
 * Posting group and course events in the calendar ||
 * ==Icons in Moodle==
 * ==Icons in Moodle==


 * Editing Icons**

**Other Icons**
The face in profile means that Guests may enter a course or The key means that users will have to know an enrollment key to enter a course. || The rectangles on the right and left sides offer many different kinds of information. Your instructor is in control of which blocks appear on your course page, and can add, remove, or reorganize blocks at any time.
 * **Blocks **
 * **Blocks **

 1. **People** block contains a list of all the Participants in the course. It also has Edit Profile, where you can edit your description and picture.

 2. **Activities** block contains all the forums, assignments, quizzes, and other activities within the course, organized by type instead of by topic or week as on the content column.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> 3. **Search Forums** block allows you to search all forums in the course. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">4. **Administration**block contains links to Grades and Edit Profile. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">5. **Latest News**block shows the messages posted in the News Forum. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">6. **Upcoming Events**block shows the next few events listed in the calendar. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">7. **Recent Activity**block shows any changes, including assignments added, forum posts, and resources, virtually anything an instructor has added to the course, listed from most recent. ||


 * ==**Resources & Activities:**==

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> Adding any tool in a Moodle course starts with clicking the **Turn editing on** button at the top of the course page. Furthermore, in each topic or week in the middle column of your course, the below drop down menus appear that allow you to add resources or activity tools to that topic or week.

Available Resources: ||
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Adding Resources **
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Adding Resources **

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">There are different resource types that can be added to your course. If you click the drop down menu, it will show you the Options, which will be covered in the Moodle Level 1 class:

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">1. **Insert a label** will allow you to add running text into the topic or week (so this text will display directly on the course page, not as a link). This is done with the Moodle text editor, so pictures etc., can be added too. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">2. **Add a lighbox gallery** will allow you to upload a group of pictures that acts as a slide show when activated by students. It is a useful tool for instructors who use a lot of images to supplement their lessons and/or class discussions. **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">3. Compose a text page ** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">will open a simple text editor (without button bar), which is suitable only for plain text, but written links will automatically be activated. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">4. **Compose a web page** will open the Moodle text editor with button bar that allows you to create rich text materials, <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">including pictures, Flash, sound and video. Pages created are easy to edit or update. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">5. **Link to a file or web site** allows you to link either to an uploaded file in the course Files folder or to an external <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Internet page. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">4. **Display a directory** gives you the opportunity to display a subfolder from the course Files to your students. The students can open and download the files in that subfolder, but they cannot edit or upload files in the folder. This option is useful if you wish to display a resource with many different files without creating a long list on your course page. ||
 * Available Activities:
 * Available Activities:

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">There are numerous activities available to help you tailor your course. In Moodle Level 1, we will explore the following activities:
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Adding Activities **

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> 1. The **Assignment** is one of the most basic evaluation tools in the Moodle environment. An assignment gives the students a task, which is normally subject to a deadline. Typically, an assignment requires students to carry out a task (write a text online, or write offline and upload it, or another offline task) for the teacher to scrutinize and comment on.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> 2.The **Choice** activity allows the teacher to ask a question and provides a choice of multiple responses. This is useful to poll understanding of the class after a lesson or to encourage thinking about a topice.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">3.The **Forum** can contribute significantly to successful communication and community building in an online environment. You can use forums for many innovative purposes in educational settings, but teaching forums and student forums are arguably the two more significant distinctions.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> 4. The **Glossary** is a dictionary type tool to create definitions or examples of terms incorporated into a lesson.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> 5. The **Learning Diary** activity is used to combine the many Reflections into one ongoing diary. There are so many individual activities in each section.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">6. The **Questionnaire** activity is used to create surveys or polls using short answer, rating scales, multiple choice, yes/no and other options.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> 7. The **Quiz** activity allows you to create short quizzes that consist of multiple-choice, true-false, short answer questions. Questions are kept in a database and can be reused. Quizzes can allow for multiple attemps, can be automatically grades with or without user feedback for each question.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> 8. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">The **Survey** activity module is a course activity that provides a number of verified survey instruments, which have been found useful in assessing and stimulating learning in online environments. Teachers can use these to gather data from their students that will help them learn about their class and reflect on their own teaching. ||

Create a Lightbox Image Gallery

 * < Another activity that Moodle allows users to create is the Lightbox Gallery. A lightbox gallery is a group of pictures uploaded by an instructor that acts as a slide show when activated by students. It is a useful tool for instructors who use a lot of images to supplement their lessons and/or class discussions. This article will show users how to create a Lightbox Gallery in Moodle.

1. Log in to Moodle and select the course.

2. At the **Course Outline** screen, turn editing on by clicking on the button marked **Turn Editing** On.



3. Select a week or topic number to post the lightbox gallery in. Then, select **Add a lightbox gallery** from the **Add an resource...** drop down list.



4. Name the lightbox gallery by filling in the **Name** field. Next, fill in the **Description** field. This is the description that students will see when they click on the lightbox gallery link in the course outline page of Moodle.



5. Select the **Image directory** from which to pull pictures from for the lightbox gallery.




 * Note**: It is recommended that users create a specific directory with pictures in it before creating the lightbox gallery. This is done by clicking on the **Files** link under **Administration** in the **Course Outline** page, making a folder and adding pictures to it. After creating a new directory, it will appear in the drop down list of the **Image directory**.



6. Moodle will then show users what pictures and in what order they will appear to students upon clicking on the lightbox gallery link in the **Course Outline** screen.



7. At this point, users have the option of updating the gallery by clicking the **Update this Gallery** button in the top right corner of the current page or returning to the **Course Outline** screen by clicking the course name in the top left corner.



8. When done, the link will appear under the week or topic number originally selected.

||<  ||


 * ==**Compose a Webpage:**==

This tool allows you to create a web page quickly, formatting using the standard editing tools.

Creating a Web Page
7. Window: This option allows you to select if they want the webpage to show within the same browser window or a new window. 8. Visible to Members: This option allows you to Show or Hide the web page from the view of Group Member. This option is useful when creating a web page for future use by the Group Members or when working on an incomplete web page. 9. Click on Save and Display. ||
 * 1) Turn the editing on.
 * 2) Select the centre section where you wish the link for the web page to appear.
 * 3) In the Add a resource drop down menu, select the Compose a web page option. This will take you through to the Adding a new Resource to topic X screen.
 * 4) Name: Type the name of your web page into this text field.
 * 5) Summary: In the first text editor, write a brief description or summary of the content of the web page.
 * 6) Full text: The second text editor is where the content for the web page itself is to be written ||
 * ==[[image:introtomoodle/webpage_1_border.png]]==
 * ==Video Tutorial==
 * ==Video Tutorial==

||



**Link to a File or Website:**
Although it's easy to generate content directly in Moodle, you can also upload any type of electronic file you like. You can also browse for a website, copy the url and make it available as a resource in Moodle.

Linking to a Website

 * 1) Turn the editing on.
 * 2) Select the section where you wish to display the external web page link.
 * 3) From the Add a resource drop down menu, select the Link to a file or website option. This will take you through to the Adding a new Resource screen.
 * 4) Name: In this text field, write the name that you wish to use as the link to the web page within your page.
 * 5) Summary: In the first text editor, write a brief decription about the content of the web page.
 * 6) Location: Click on the Search for web page button. This will bring up a new web browser. Go to the web page and copy the URL, then paste the URL into the Location text field. ||
 * [[image:introtomoodle/link_to_file_1_border.png align="center"]]
 * [[image:introtomoodle/link_to_file_1_border.png align="center"]]

7. Window: This option allows you to select if they want the web page to show within the same browser window or a new window. 8. Parameters: The parameter settings are completely optional, and are only useful when you need to pass some information to the resource file or web site. If you define any parameters they will be passed to the resource as part of the URL. The left column allows you to choose information to send, and the right column allows you to give it a name. Note that the user information will be from the user who is looking at this resource, and the course information is from the course that this resource is part of. 9. Visible to Members: This option allows you to Show or Hide the web page link from the view of the Group Member. This option is useful when linking to a web page for future use by the Group Members. 10. Click on the Save and Display button to display the web page. ||
 * ==Linking to a File==
 * 1) Follow the steps above, except select Choose or upload a file button. This will bring up the Files Administration area.
 * 2) At the bottom of the Files Administration screen, click on the Upload a file button.
 * 3) Click on the Browse button. This will bring up the File Upload screen for your computer. Select the file you wish to upload and click the Open button. This will insert the file location into the Browse text field for uploading into your area.
 * 4) Click on the Upload this file button. This will upload your chosen file into your File Administration area.
 * 5) To select the file for uploading onto your page, click on the Choose option for that file within the Files Administration area. This will place the file location with your Files Administration area into the Location text field. ||
 * 1) To select the file for uploading onto your page, click on the Choose option for that file within the Files Administration area. This will place the file location with your Files Administration area into the Location text field. ||

=Activities=

Assignments


 * ==**Discussion Forums:**==

Forums can contribute significantly to successful communication and community building in an online environment. It is here that most if the discussions and collaboration between you and your Group members will occur.

Types of Forums
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12px;">The basic setup is a reply-only forum in which your instructor posts a message and you're asked to reply. When you open a reply-only forum, your only option is to click **//Reply//** in the lower right hand corner of the block containing your instructor's question.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12px;">If you've been given the ability to create new discussion topics, as well as reply to previously posted discussion topics, then the forum will look different when you open it. There will be several different topics in a stack.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12px;">Each topic in the stack contains its own conversation. By clicking on the text label of the topic, you are able to see the conversation.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12px;">Using the nested format, replies appear indented from the message to which they reply. The list grows, creating a record of discussion about the topic. || > *A single simple discussion > *Each person can create one discussion > *Q and A forum > *Standard forum for general use > *Optional:Group members are able to turn the tracking on or off at their discretion. > *On: The tracking is always on, the Group members are unable to turn it off. > *Off: The tracking is always off, the Group members are unable to turn it on. > > *Discussion: This option will generate a feed from every new discussion added to the forum. > *Posts: This option will generate a feed from every new post to the forum. > *No Ratings > *Average of Ratings > *Count of Ratings > *Maximum Ratings > *Minimum Ratings > *Sum of Ratings > *No groups: There are no sub groups, everyone is part of one big community. > *Separate Groups: Each group can only see their own group, others are invisible. > *Visible groups: Each group works in their own group, but can also see other groups. In the online learning enviroment, the discussion takes on a new level of importance for the physically dispersed learners to build a sense of community. It is where they connect with other learners; share their personal experience, opinions, and thoughts; explore new concepts; and deepen their understanding of the material. The instructor is a facilitator in the discussion. They serve to monitor the responses and ensure that the discussion is a safe place for all students to share. Facilitators should keep the discussion on track and help those that tend to stray, focus on the material being discussed. Facilitators should help to advance the discussion if it happens to become "stuck." But facilitators should not be so heavily involved that they impede the process or the flow of discussion.
 * ==Creating a Forum==
 * 1) Turn editing on.
 * 2) Select the section where you wish the forum to appear on your page.
 * 3) Click on the Add an Activity drop down menu and select Forum. This will take you to the Addin a new Forum screen.
 * 4) Forum Name: Choose and type the name for the forum in this text field.
 * 5) Forum Type: This option gives you four choices for the format of the forum. These choices are:
 * 1) Forum Type: This option gives you four choices for the format of the forum. These choices are:
 * 1) Leave Standard forum for general use selected.
 * 2) Forum Introduction: Type the question or discussion you want to begin in this text field.
 * 3) Force everyone to be subscribed? With this option, you have the ability to force subscription to a forum upon the Group members. If you wish to do this, click on the drop down menu and choose the YES option. If you do not wish to force subscription, leave this option set as NO.
 * 4) For our purposes, leave No selected.
 * 5) Read tracking for this forum? If this option is enabled Group members will be able to track both the read and unread messages for the forum. You have the option to assign a tracking type for the forum. The options for this setting are:
 * 1) Maximum attachment size: This option allows you to set a limit to the size of any attachments uploaded to the forum by themselves and the Group members.
 * 2) RSS feed for this activity: This option allows Group members with an RSS aggregator program to be notified of any new forum discussions or posts.To enable this option, click the drop down menu and choose:
 * 1) Number of RSS recent articles: Use the drop down menu to select the number of items you wish to display in the RSS feed.
 * 2) Grade - You have the option . The options are:
 * 1) For our puposes, leave No Ratings selected.
 * 2) Post threshold for blocking: This option blocks any postings made by an individual Group member once the set limit has been exceeded by that Group member.
 * 3) For our purposes, leave Don't Block selected.
 * 4) Group Mode: The group mode can be one of three levels:
 * 1) For our puposes, leave No groups selected.
 * 2) Click on Save and Display. ||
 * ==Video Tutorial== ||
 * ==Tips for Facilitating Discussion Forums==
 * ==Tips for Facilitating Discussion Forums==
 * ==Tips for Facilitating Discussion Forums==

Here are discussion forum strategies instructors should employ to enhance students’ online experience:
 * 1) Post the rules of netiquette and behavior expectations at the start.
 * 2) Encourage students to introduce themselves and meet one another to form a learning community where they will feel safe to share and discuss.
 * 3) Develop discussion questions that allow the student to critically reflect on the material and synthesize it with their own experiences.
 * 4) Encourage students to participate early and often.
 * 5) Intervene when the discussion is veering off in the wrong direction and help move the discussion back on track.
 * 6) Ensure that the discussion forum is a safe learning environment.
 * 7) Promote further thinking and reflection by posing more thoughtful and engaging questions within any given discussion. ||

=ASSESSMENT=

Check your understanding of Moodle
 * ==**Assessment:**==
 * The Moodle Check-As-You-Go Assessment Checklist**

Check off each task (objective) when you feel that you know it well enough to teach it to your peers.
 * 1) I can explain Moodle to my peers.
 * 2) I have described to a classmate how I could use Moodle in my classroom.
 * 3) I know how to correctly set up a Moodle login account (including: creating a username, ­­­
 * 4) I have created a new topic in our "classroom" Moodle.
 * 5) I can tell a peer how to compose a web page.
 * 6) I created a web page on the classroom Moodle under a new topic.
 * 7) I posted a link to a file or web page on the classroom Moodle under a new topic.
 * 8) I created a communication and/or assignment activity and posted it to the classroom Moodle under my topic.
 * 9) I know how to effectively facilitate forum discussion in Moodle. ||


 * ==**Reflect and Discuss:**==

Discuss how you would incorporate a classroom management system into your own classroom. Use the following questions as guidelines to discuss what you have learned for this module.

1. What are some ways in which Moodle can help you in your specific classroom?

2. What is a topic that you would like to incorporate into Moodle for your classroom?

3. If you had to incorporate Moodle into your lesson plans, how would you do it? || ||
 * ==Forum:==
 * ==Forum:==

Below are some additional websites that you may find of interest.
 * ==**Useful Links:**==

> [] > [] > [] > [] > [] > [] > [] > [] ||
 * 1) Request a Moodle
 * 1) Flash Tutorials
 * 1) Printable Manuals
 * 1) Moodle Features-good overview of activities
 * 1) Iterasi-Lots of Moodle info for faculty
 * 1) Two Minute Video Tutorials
 * 1) Moodle Tips
 * 1) Moodle Standard Demo