Super Moodle

Knowledge-building, communities of practice, learning networks, collaborative learning, cognitive apprenticeships, situated/problem/inquiry/thematic/case-based learning; whatever constructivist learning model you subscribe to, the mild-mannered Moodle has the tools within to unleash power of the super e-learning environment.

For those of you new to Moodle, a moodle is a learning management system used to create, deliver and manage online instructional content. Traditionally, using online tools made the integration of instructional models and methods a managerial nightmare. Tools such as Filimentality and Edheads made it easier for student to explore content; while social tools such as PBwiki, Gaggle, and Edublogs made it possible for students to carry discussions and collaborate beyond the classroom. But the dawn of the LMS has now made it possible to integrate these these kinds of tools (blogs, wikis, chat, forums, email, RSS, etc) into a single learning environment. To help illustrate this point, I've set up a demonstration site to showcase of some of the capabilities of Moodle.

Theories and models aside, most of us spend our time in the realm of instructional strategies, while these theories and models inhabit the shadowy recesses of our brains, unconsciously guiding the actions and strategies we choose. So what kinds of instructional strategies would be appropriate to Moodle? Big question. I've been toying with some ideas lately and here are some things I've come up with so far:

• Role Play- Using the blogging tool to have students create diary entries of historical figures as part of a social studies unit on American history


• Reflection- using the discussion forum to facilitate interclassroom bookclubs


• Articulation- creating wiki encyclopedia entires to share new knowledge and link ideas across the course


• Exploration- using a links directory to let student explore content as part of a webquest


• Collaboration- using the workshop module to allow student to peer assess writing pieces using a rubric

Those are just a few general ideas I've come up with so far. Feel free to add to the list if you have any bright ideas that I can steal borrow.

Flush! The Scoop on Poop

Who could resist such a terribly tempting tale on the topic of toiletry? (Or a lengthy alliteration for that matter?) In the grown-up world, books on how everyday household edibles like salt, soda, chocolate, potatoes and even the olive have shaped cultures and civilizations throughout the ages are as common as single-ply toilet paper. So why not a book about the final destination of all of these digestible goodies? And who better to appreciate such a history than kids?!!

"Flush" spirals children through the ages from the time before toilet paper to today's self flushing potties. Along the way kids will discover some downright disgusting dirt on the the story behind doody. They'll learn why kings and queen avoid castle moats, why umbrellas were good on a medieval sunny day, and how differently the business is done depending on where you live.

As you might have already guessed, this scoop on poop is filled with some very amusing and colorful illustrations that please the eye if not the senses. Told entirely in verse, the clever rhymes and rhythmic pace will make the contents of this history a little easier to digest. There is just this one caveat to parents though, "Flush" might make an excellent bathroom reader but should probably steer clear of the other coffee table books to avoid contamination.

Finally, as a sample of just how enjoyable this book can be, my friend and I put together this song from the book on the "Uses of Urine". Enjoy!!

A Tale of Two Models

"It was the best of designs, it was the worst of designs." As if instructional design isn't already as mind-boggling as a Dicken's novel, there exists yet another acronym in the world of ID to add to the all popular ADDIE model for developing and implementing instruction. The ILDF, or Integrative Learning Design Framework, is supposedly "a systematic yet flexible process for designing and developing online learning." In reality, it's merely an ADDIE with a numerical twist.

Savage Inequalities

"Savage" is the only word that can begin to describe the system of education portrayed in Jonathon Kozol's 1991 ground breaking work, Savage Inequalities. Often compared to Upton Sinclair's infamous exposé on the dehumanizing and substandard working conditions of the meat packing industry, Kozol's work takes us deep inside many of America's urban school districts and shows us conditions that are equally dehumanizing and substandard. As we listen to individual voices of America's students and begin to see the miserable conditions many have learned to accept unconditionally, Kozol forces us to question some of the fundamental principles of equality and justice upon which our country was founded and our system of education depends.

In the land of plenty, it seems improbable that so many schools throughout our country could go without the basic necessities required for even an "adequate" education. And yet, as Kozol takes us on a field trip to urban classrooms across America, we find children forced to share discarded textbooks, perform schoolwork with non-existent materials, use dilapidated and often dangerous facilities, and learn from a merry-go-round of substitute teachers with little or no investment in their students' futures. Contrasted against the bleak and miserable conditions are the schools within elite city pockets or neighboring suburbs, schools in many cases just a stone throw away, where resources abound and the quality of education is considerably higher. These savage inequalities are sad reminders that not only can such disparity exist, but that separate and unequal public school systems can be found co-existing side by side.

Beyond simply describing material inequities, Kozol explores issues such as federal court rulings, state funding, and local administrative decisions that have either indirectly impacted school equality or have been directly responsible for creating an uneven playing field for millions of students. What surprises and often enrages the reader throughout this book are some of the arguments made for refusing to take action to raise the level of education in these neglected school districts; arguments such as those made by business leaders in the community who consider children of urban schools as poor "economic investments," arguments made by political leaders against providing urban schools with equitable resources, or an argument made by a Supreme Court Justice who states that education "is not among the rights afforded explicit protection under our Federal Constitution."

Despite Kozol's fluid writing and engaging subject matter, his work is a difficult read because of the emotions his material stirs and the feeling that to continue reading is to accept a social responsibility that would simply be easier to ignore. And yet, this is all the more reason that a book like Savage Inequalities needs to be read, for it is one of those rare books that harshly awakens the conscience from its peaceful slumber and refuses to let it sleep again.

Hypertext Bad for Learning?

I came across some interesting and even surprising research findings today in a review of the literature from Dabbagh's Online Learning citing a number of studies related to hypertext and hypermedia. Among other things, they found that depending on the order, amount, and support, hyperrtext can have a negative impact on student learning.

eLearning: Intrinsically Constructivist?

Wow, "intrinsically constructivist", that's a phrase I've never used before, and perhaps even a Google stumper. I've been reading in Online Learning this week about the "roles and competencies" of learners and instructors in traditional vs. eLearning settings. Hence the mind map above I've adapted from Dabbagh's adaptation of McLoughlin and Oliver's table on the "contrasting roles and discourse" in T vs. eLearning. And as these roles in chapter 2 unfolded, so did the pedagogical models that followed. Which led to an interesting question: is there something intrinsic in traditional face-to-face and eLearning environments that naturally leads the former to an objectivist approach and the latter to a more constructivist approach?

Blink*

What's faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a quad-core processor, and able to leap to conclusions in a single bound? Your brain, apparently. Malcolm Gladwell's foray into the region of the brain and it's superhuman capacity to judge, reason, decide, and identify, all in the Blink of an eye, make for a compelling narrative that's able to sustain the brain's attention throughout the length of the book.

Gladwell's journalistic prowess is readily apparent as he assembles a variety of sources ranging from pop culture to empirically based research that demonstrate the power of thinking without thinking, and in some cases the danger of thinking too much. Some startling illustrations from the book are a researcher who can accurately predict a couple's likelihood of divorce based on just minutes of conversation, a high-tech billion dollar military machine defeated by a Vietnam vet, and a whole category of musicians judged solely on their gender. Gladwell also introduces us the concept of "thin slicing", or our ability to sift through a massive amount of past experience in a split second, to reach conclusions that seem like irrational intuition but can prove to be as effective as that rational methods of science.

So is it just intuition or is it really thinking without thinking? Everyday we make split second decisions; whether we're deciding between hard shell or soft, sizing up our best friend's new date, or navigating a baffling network web links for information on obscure movie trivia, our brains are actively analyzing information that has been finely tuned from the vast database of our personal knowledge. And all so quickly that we're frequently unaware that we've even had time to think, as if it's some thoughtless reflex. However, Gladwell's examples from the world of cognitive psychology, market research and neuroscience have helped reveal the inner thinker inside us all and develop an appreciation for the hunches we so often rely on.

Rural Librarians Can 2.0?

Can today's small town libraries keep up to date with today's increasingly tech savvy patrons? Bill Gates seems to think so. I recently had the opportunity to attend the Gates foundation funded Rural Librarians Conference in the beautifully cherry-blossomed town of Traverse City, Michigan. This was the final conference among the 50 states that brought together hundreds of rural librarians to share, brainstorm, discuss and workshop there way into updating their libraries to version 2.0.

eLearning: The Great Equalizer?

"Yeah, but what about the face-to-face interaction? E-learning is too impersonal!"

This is perhaps one of the most common responses I hear when I've eavesdropped on educators discussing online learning. And it's true. Despite the potential for incorporating live video (face-to-face), or even voice over Internet protocols (ear-to-ear), my own experience in the Ed. Tech online Master's Program and with online environments in public schools has shown that these tools are rarely incorporated as part of the learning experience. The result can often be an impersonal and isolating experience.