Course creation is tremendously rewarding and actually quite fun. Courses we create at IT4Educators always have the characteristics of being professionally engaging to us and relevant to best practice in teaching and learning.
The course I am working on right now is a Google Search course. Ryan already offers a Google Integration course which is a terrific survey course allowing exploration of a myriad of Google tools. My new course will be specifically related to all (or most) of the Google search tools.
I’m not talking about your grandmother’s Google. I’m talking about cool, relevant tools specifically designed for classroom use.
When I was in Boulder last summer at the Google Teacher Academy, I was overwhelmed with new learning regarding all that is Google. What really hit home for me was Google Custom Search, a solution I’ve been longing for. Google Custom Search is a great tool for directed, intentional, safe web searches for students.
With Google Custom Search you can give your students authentic search experiences in a safe environment. You determine the sites that students are searching, and you can also scaffold student learning by adding key word suggestions to the search page.
Google Custom Search is one of many Google search tools you will integrate into teaching and learning with the new course.
Watch for it to appear in our IT4Educators course listings in May or June. Also coming soon, is a Google Docs course developed by Ryan.
So your district has Moodle and you’re about to start creating a Moodle course – but where do you start? What’s a Moodle course supposed to look like? I need help. I need ideas on how to use Moodle in my classroom.
These are frequently asked questions for any Moodle newbie and many of the same questions I was asked when training staff on Moodle.
One great place to start is the newly created resource on Moodle.org “Teaching and Learning with Moodle” created by Tomaz Lasic, who works as an Education Researcher at Moodle Headquarters in Australia.
The “Teaching and Learning with Moodle” course is by educators for educators and aims to serve the follow purposes
- Provide a clear, synthesised and relatively gentle ‘intro to Moodle’ to new users in education and training environments
- Become a generator and repository of Moodle-related (in)formal research in the use and design of Moodle
- Serve as an organised point for great ideas and resources for new and experienced users alike
One of the best parts in the course is the Moodle Recipes for Educators
This is a growing collection of teaching and learning ‘recipes’ of using Moodle in a range of educational settings. The recipes are contributed by educators for educators.
A few examples of “recipes” already in the community cookbook include
- English learners collaboratively complete and modify stories to improve their writing skills [source]
- High school, language students, glossary tool to learn correct use of new words in sentences [source]
- Students upload photos from the field trip to a class gallery and comment on photos to learn about the importance of zoo care [source]
Other materials in the course include 5 Myths about teaching with Moodle, Moodle Dos and Donts, Blooms taxonomy and Moodle, 5 Basic steps of using Moodle and much more.
The “Teaching and Learning with Moodle” course is not only for Moodle newbies, but for more advanced users as well. It’s a great place to see what other educators are doing in their district and to get ideas to use with your own class. You can also share your ideas and experiences and be a part of the great Moodle Community.
Enroll in the course today! (it’s free but you have to have a free Moodle.org account first)
Related Links
Today, I held an iPad in my hands. I realize for some people this may be old news. But for me, this was a BIG deal. I was awed by the beauty and simplicity of the iPad.
With my library media background, I was drawn to the iBook app. After I downloaded a book I was able to turn the pages, put in a bookmark, highlight text, and look at the pictures. Just like having the real book in my hands! In my mesmerized state, I thought this was the greatest thing ever! That is, until a colleague asked a similar question the editors of the New York Time have been asking, “Does the iPad offer users a new medium or is it merely an iPod Touch on steroids?”
What will be the impact of the iPad on education?
This is what I believe…
One, I found the iPad is highly engaging, motivating, and fun! Students would also.
Two, this is just the beginning. Apple will keep improving the iPad to include more and more features (eg. Flash, camera, etc).
Only time will tell and I cannot wait to see.
