Blog Archives
Moodling in March
Sioux Hudson Literacy Council (SHLC) and the Good Learning Anywhere (GLA) project recently opened 2 Moodle courses in February 2011 – Essential Skills Investigation and Canadian History. Moodle is an independent online platform where learners can take online course at their own pace according to their own schedule. Moodle courses assist in developing independent learning skills for Native stream adult learners.
There is not a LIVE instructor in Moodle courses as there are with e-Channel Centra courses that learners are most familiar with. Warren Butler was assigned as the Moodle mentor to assist learners in getting logged in, answering questions, responding to posts, providing feedback, providing activities, resources and keeping learners motivated. In the 2 courses, there were 46 learners registered with a 76% participation rate.
GLA recognizes that Native stream adult literacy learners can learn in different ways. Some learners are intuitive (visual), while others are emotional and relate to discussions, some are mental learners who are objective and logical and some are physical learners who are hands on. The Moodle course addressed these needs in a balanced format that brought learners full circle in their learning experience.
The courses included several activities and resources such as: discussion forums, YouTube videos, writing assignments, traditional style quizzes, cartoons, pictures, word searches, screen cast presentations, videos, matching games, surveys, documents for download, using databases and a self-direction and self-management activity for learners to create their own Tree of Life.
These 2 courses are finishing up in the end of March 2011. The results have been fantastic. Learners are forming their own opinions and discussions within the courses. Learners are networking and commenting on each other’s posts. Learners have shared personal hobbies that reflect the application of Essential Skills. They have identified which skills they need to continuously improve upon. They are learning how to share resources among each other to enhance their learning experience. They are supporting and communicating with each other. Learners have successfully adapted what they have learned to other aspects in their life at home, work and school.
GLA also realizes that Moodle is not for every learner. These courses are designed for the adult learner who wants to explore independent learning and acquire the skills to do so. We also encourage learners to try a Moodle course and see for themselves what it’s all about.
A big thank you needs to go to Nancy Friday and the team at AlphaPlus. Many of the GLA staff has participated in the Moodle training offered by AlphaPlus. We certainly would not have been able to put this together without their assistance, guidance and encouragement. Due to the success of these courses, GLA has future plans to incorporate more Moodle courses in to the GLA curriculum. Stay tuned!
Good Learning Anywhere – NEW Moodle courses
Sioux Hudson Literacy Council (SHLC) and Good Learning Anywhere (GLA) are excited to announce the release of 2 new Moodle courses:
- Canadian History
- Essential Skills Investigation (ESI)
So if you are new to Moodle as a learner, you might be confused, feeling stressed and unsure if this type of online course is for you. But at the same time we hope you are excited and curious…maybe just a little!
So what is Moodle? Some people like technical definitions. If that’s you, Moodle is an acronym where each letter of the word Moodle means: Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment. It’s a software package for developing online courses and websites. No offense to Moodle but that description doesn’t catch my interest.
If you live in the real world, like I do, this definition might make more sense. Moodle is a place where you can take courses at your own pace according to your own schedule. Courses in Moodle are designed for the learner who wants to explore independent learning. There is no live instructor but there is a mentor working behind the scenes to ensure your questions are being answered, encouraging you along the way and providing feedback on the work you complete. Moodle is very dynamic and as you will see with our courses there are several activities, several resources, different options to chat, interactive websites to explore, videos to watch and voice recordings to listen to. We recognize that people learn in different ways and we want to give everyone those options to try something different. Is Moodle sounding more interesting? If so, continue reading.
Sneak Preview
The following are 2 short previews to give you a glimpse of the Moodle courses. The videos are short but hopefully interesting enough for you to consider registering for the courses. Click on the picture below and then click the Play button.
Start Dates
Both courses will start Monday February 14, 2011 and will be running for a period of 5 weeks.
Login instructions will be emailed to you prior to the start date.
Warren will be your Moodle Mentor guiding you through the courses – warren@siouxhudsonliteracy.com
How to Register
If you like what you saw, please feel free to register for the courses at www.siouxhudsonliteracy.com. Click on our website link and that will take you directly to our registration page. Please fill in the required information at the top of the page and then scroll down to the very bottom where you will see the 2 Moodle courses in the bottom left hand corner. Select the dates, provide any comments in the box on the right hand side and then click on the Submit button.
If you do have any questions about Moodle and the courses we are offering please email Warren – warren@siouxhudsonliteracy.com
After you enroll and login to the course, you will officially become a Moodler!
Happy Moodling!
Good Learning Anywhere hits the books, online
How good does it feel to be acknowledged?
It doesn’t matter if it’s an official award or even a tagged-on “way to go” in an email. It feels darn good.
Good Learning Anywhere was acknowledged in a very big way this week by The Sioux Bulletin.
Read the full article below:
Good Learning Anywhere Hits the Books, Online
Thank you Shayla from The Sioux Bulletin. Job well done!
