Its August, and that means back to school and a return to an irregular schedule of blog posts about stuff I am trying in class, and I started the year with a tech-based Google Maps activity to get the kids' "feet wet" with Google Maps and share their wide-ranging summer experiences. They enjoyed it, and I used the lab day to get interest surveys completed in a Google Docs form and enroll classes into the moodle class, too!
One of the directives from our administration this year was to seek feedback from students about our performance. I have tried a few different methods, including paper surveys and Google Docs Forms. I really liked the last survey I used, called pollanywhere.com. Students can submit feedback via mobile devices, an internet link, or an embedded widget.
Wow, its been less than a week since I started playing with the Moodle application, and I really like it. I can't wait to get the netbooks out Monday morning and jump in! I have been playing with the different types quizzes, forums, questions, and display functions. It isn't perfect (for beginners) but it is highly versatile and easy enough to navigate. I'm sold!
Our school ITS has been using Moodle this school year to get teachers to collaborate and share ideas about using technology in the classroom. I thought I might give the Course Management System a shot, as it is supported by the district servers. After setting up a class through the district point man, I found it really easy to upload documents and loaded with lots of features.
I thought I would benefit from a CMS like Moodle for a few reasons. I can set up online and extension assignments without requiring students to navigate the blog, scrolling down, etc. I can move appropriate assignments to the top, instead the obvious limitations of a traditional blog website. Also, the password protection helps protect identities and copyright infringement when I supply the class with resources. One feature I really liked as I set up the class was unzipping folders of documents within Moodle.
So I love love wordle, but have not had the opportunity for kids to make their own with laptops, so I decided to give the kids some Wordles and have them figure out from, which primary source document the Wordle was created.
As I continue to encourage students to utilize their mobile devices for information gathering, school and study, as well as communication, I decided to give QR barcodes out on a handout to increase interest and engagement.
I started with a simple 2 step project: go to the website and recreate a historical flag including an explanation. http://bit.ly/ gives QR barcodes on its "info page" option when you shorten a link. Students may need to download a scanner/reader, but most phones that feature cameras can scan the image.
It is the last week before holiday, so I may have to try again in January.
