Moodle and Other New Technology: Do Teachers Need

It?

Aaron Pohly

Wilmington College

EDU 306

Moodle

• Moodle is an open source course management system that grew out of a PhD research project at Curtin University of Technology in Perth, Australia. Moodle stands for multiuser object-oriented distributed learning environment

• It is a learning management system that allows teachers to provide documents, assignments, quizzes, and many other forms to students students with an easy to learn and use model.

Advantages• Students can personalize their Moodle, allowing them to

power and originality.• Allows students to participate in games and give feedback

through their moodle.• Limits paper usage and allows teachers to have more

control of grading.• Students learn how to be organized!

Laptops• The numbers of laptops are

increasing at a pace of over 60% a year (since 2004) and is only going to keep going up.

Laptop Advantages• Students with laptops are given the opportunity to track

their progress, update their knowledge on technology, an increase in subjects by using online games and work that teachers hand out.

• This also gives teachers a chance to have technology around them and give out progress reports through the laptops more often.

Article questioning technology

• “First, there are conflicting ideas about the value of technology and hence conflicting advice to teachers about how technology should be used in schools.” (Zhao, Frank. 2003. p 809).

One year difference

• From 2003-2004, technology in classrooms went from almost non existent, to being in 60% of classrooms. The % is still rising.

Questions?• Will the continuous updates in technology pose

as a problem in the future?• Will students begin to outsmart the technology

and go to websites and games they are not supposed to?

• Are teachers already struggling with the new technology being as modern as it is?

• Should the money being spend on technology go to other school needs?