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Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

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Page 1: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Virtual Learning Environments

Open Source Software

Page 2: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

What is a Virtual Learning Environment?

An online vehicle for teaching and learning

Controlled access to curriculum ‘modules’

Modules can be separately assessed and recorded

Tracking of student activity and achievement

Activities to facilitate, guide and monitor learning

Access to learning resources and assessments

Communication between the learners and teachers/facilitators, and between peer groups

Page 3: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Virtual Learning Environments

Buy a VLE :

Digital Brain Blackboard WebCT

VTLE (RM) BT Learning Centre Learning Gateway (MS)

‘Free’ VLE’s

ATutor Moodle Claroline COSE

Page 4: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Why bother?

An online vehicle for teaching and learning 24/7 Access to resources and information

Extends the learning environment beyond the school to the home

Encourages parental involvement and home learning

Safe, secure and focused learning environment

Tailored to the needs of your students

Supports individual needs

Encourages group learning activities

Page 5: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Why bother?

An online vehicle for teaching and learning

Develops a community, where information and discussions can be shared.

Storage of work of students and teachers

Students progress can be tracked and needs identified more clearly.

A virtual storage cabinet of resources for all teachers

Provides a global focus for education: resources and support for global issues and global citizenship

Page 6: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Why bother?

Frequently Asked Questions

(FAQ) How can I find the time for all this?

It is not the way I work. Why should I try it?

Will I need specialist knowledge?

Will it raise standards?

How can it save time?

Will I need access to computers for my whole class?

How often will I need access?

Is work secure and safe?

Page 7: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Why bother?

Frequently Asked Questions

(FAQ) Can I integrate this into my ‘normal’ course?

Can I use it as a complete course?

Can I use online assessments and quiz ?

Can I upload any file?

Can I upload past papers?

Can a student access the work of others??

How is feedback provided to students?

What happens if the site goes down?

Why host it on the internet not an intranet?

Page 8: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Are there alternatives to Virtual Learning Environments?

Bloggers! (Web log)

Entries made from home or at work

Point-and-click operation from a browser

Upload files for others to download

‘Open Access’ for all users…

Link to our bloggers

Page 9: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

What is Open Source Software?

Links

Open Source Definition

Open Source Licenses

GNU General Public License

More examples of OS Software

Open source software is software whose source code is open to public review.

It is free to download, free to modify, free to redistribute.

Page 10: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Advantages of using Open Source Software

Software evolves and improvements can happen with far greater speed than proprietary software.

Bugs can be fixed, improvements and new developments can be made available to all..

Freely available, with a global support community.

Free to obtain, modify and redistribute

High quality, stable, secure software available to all

Wonderful gifts for the educational community!

Page 11: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Open Source Software in Education

Total cost of ownership is reduced, Freedom from being tied to particular products Lower costs for home-school communities Customise to fit your needs. Can be used on older computer systems. Allows productivity to increase for small outlay Saves money for cash-strapped schools Flexibility and adaptability to with changing needs

Examples of Open Source Software?

Apache webserver Squirrelmail webmail system sendmail, the most widely used email transport

software Python programming language PHP programming language Abiword word processor Linux: the most used Unix-like operating system Postnuke Content Management System Moodle Virtual Learning Environment

Page 12: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Proceed with caution…

What are our strengths? What do we need? What can a VLE offer? What is available? What are the teaching and learning opportunities? Do they match our requirements? What flexibility is provided? What other issues need to be considered?

Do your homework first!

Page 13: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Information and Guidance?

FERL: Further Education Resources for Learning.

“An Internet based information service for lecturers and other practitioners in Further Education colleges funded by the FEFC and managed by BECTa.”

Links to guidance/help pages:

Why have a VLE? Evaluating Learning Platforms Purchasing a VLEStaff DevelopmentPiloting a VLEMainstreaming a VLEAdministrationCase StudiesHow to Get it all WrongList of Case Studies

Page 14: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Information and Guidance?

JISC : Joint Information Systems Committee.

“An independent advisory body that works with further and higher education by providing strategic guidance, advice and opportunities use to use ICT to support learning, teaching, research and administration.”

Useful documents

MLEs and VLEs explained

Page 15: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Open Source: Case Study 1

A challenge:

What else can we be doing tosupport our students?

Page 16: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Case Study 1 : Providing more support

More Individual support within lessons

Additional support at lunchtimes and after school

Individual programmes of study

Exploring new teaching methods and learning styles

Increase number and range of choices

Home/School links

Parental involvement

Initial Ideas

Page 17: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Case Study 1: Providing more support

Making it all fit into scheduled lessons

Commitments of staff and students outside of scheduled lessons

Mismatch between timetables between teachers and students for additional support.

Constraints

Page 18: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Case Study 1: Providing more support

What are our needs?

What new opportunities for teaching and learning can a VLE provide?

Can we match our requirements with a VLE?

Is it flexible enough to change with us!

What INSET is required?

Is 24/7 access available?

Can a VLE be applied and used in context with our courses?

Do we have the infrastructure to make it accessible to all students

How much will it cost?

VLE: Initial questions

Page 19: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Case Study 1: Providing more support

Open Source No ties Flexible Meets our requirements Easy to install and backup Easy to create, change, modify courses Select range of facilities Ability to save our courses Overall costs are low Provides a range of new teaching opportunities and

learning styles

VLE: Why Open Source?

Page 20: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Case Study 1: An Open Source solution

Moodle it!

MOODLE is an acronym for….

“Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment “

It is also a verb that describes the process of… “lazily meandering through something, doing things as it occurs to you to do them, an enjoyable tinkering that often leads to insight and creativity …..”

Page 21: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Case Study 1: An Open Source solution

Moodle it!

MOODLE is an acronym for….

“Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment “

It is also a verb that describes the process of… “lazily meandering through something, doing things as it occurs to you to do them, an enjoyable tinkering that often leads to insight and creativity …..”

Page 22: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Case Study 1: An Open Source solution

Moodle it!

MOODLE is an acronym for….

“Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment “

It is also a verb that describes the process of… “lazily meandering through something, doing things as it occurs to you to do them, an enjoyable tinkering that often leads to insight and creativity …..”

Page 23: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Case Study 1: An Open Source solution

Moodle it!

MOODLE is an acronym for….

“Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment “

It is also a verb that describes the process of… “lazily meandering through something, doing things as it occurs to you to do them, an enjoyable tinkering that often leads to insight and creativity …..”

Page 24: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Case Study 2: A Teachers’ Support Facility

http://www.scienceblog.org/support/

1. Upload or download your work.

2. Share work with colleagues.

3. Have access to your work on a 24/7 basis,

4. Never lose work again.

5. Share ideas, thoughts with colleagues.

6. Go to the Online Library of resources.

7. Work together, according to your schedule

8. Learn how to develop new learning resources

9. Embark on a global educational adventure!

Page 25: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Case Study 2: A Teachers’ Support Facility

A place to save and share resources. Access from home or at school

Page 26: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

What is Moodle?

A software package –

designed to help educators create quality online courses. A course management system (CMS) –

or Learning Management Systems (LMS) or Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

Supports social constructionist pedagogy

Open Source software

FREE to download it, use it, modify it and distribute it ( GNU General Public License).

Supports a range of platforms

Unix, Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, Netware and any other system that supports PHP, including most webhost providers.

Data is stored in a single database:

such as MySQL and PostgreSQL. Can also be used with Oracle, Access, Interbase, ODBC and others….

Available in 34 languages

Page 27: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Who created Moodle?

Martin Dougiamas created Moodle

Martin is Australian, living in Perth.

Moodle started out as a hobby for Martin,

and grew into the subject of his PhD thesis:

"The use of Open Source software to support a social

constructionist epistemology of teaching and learning

within Internet-based communities of reflective inquiry",

Moodle is now being used in many schools,

universities and other educational

communities.

Martin Dougiamas

More Information is available from

Using Learning Communities to Create an Open Source Course Management System

Moodle’s Home

Page 28: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Who uses Moodle?

There are almost 700 sites which have registered,in over 67 countries! (January 2004)

Albania | Argentina | Australia | Austria | Belgium | Bolivia | Brazil |Canada | Chile | China | Colombia | Costa Rica | Croatia (Hrvatska) |Cyprus | Czech Republic | Denmark | Dominican Republic | Ecuador Finland | France | Germany | Greece | Guatemala | Honduras | HongKong | Hungary | Iceland | India | Indonesia | Iran (Islamic Republic of)| Ireland | Italy | Japan | Korea; Republic of | Lithuania | Malaysia |Mexico | Morocco | Nepal | Netherlands | New Zealand | Nicaragua |Norway | Pakistan | Peru | Philippines | Poland | Portugal | Romania |Russian Federation | Saudi Arabia | Singapore | Slovakia (SlovakRepublic) | South Africa | Spain | Sweden | Switzerland | Taiwan |Thailand | Trinidad and Tobago | Turkey | Ukraine | United ArabEmirates | United Kingdom | United States of America | Uruguay |Venezuela ……………………..

Download your Moodle now!

Page 29: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Who uses Moodle? North Chadderton School

Coolwebschool’s Moodle Openschool’s Moodle

Supporting 21st Century Science

Page 30: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Teacher to Facilitator?

Moodle supports a change of role from ‘teacher’ to a ‘facilitator’ :

A change from ‘source of knowledge' to being an influencer and role model of class culture,

Facilitator connects with students by

- addresses individual learning needs, - moderating discussions and activities - collectively leads students towards the learning goals of the class.

The future developments of Moodle provide more support for this approach

Page 31: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

The Philosophy ?

“Social constructionist pedagogy“

A social group in which the focus is on both group and individual activities :

Constructing Collaborating Creating Sharing

Page 32: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Moodle: Site Management

An administrator

Control of the site is by an administrator user defined during setup

Plug-in "themes"

The administrator can customise the site colours, fonts, layout etc to suit local needs

Plug-in activity modules

These can be added to existing Moodle installations

Plug-in language packs

Currently there are language packs for over 34 languages. These can be edited using a built-in web-based editor.

Page 33: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Moodle: Course Management (1)

A teacher administrator has full control over all settings for a course, including restricting other teachers

Choice of course formats such as by week, by topic or a discussion-focused social format

Flexible array of course activities –

Forums, Journals, Quizzes, Resources, Choices, Surveys, Assignments, Chats, Workshops

Display recent changes to the course since the last login can be displayed on the course home page

Easy editing of text for resources, forum postings, journal entries using an embedded WYSIWYG HTML editor

Page 34: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Moodle: Course Management (2)

Grades for Forums, Journals, Quizzes and Assignments can be viewed on one page (and downloaded as a spreadsheet file)

User logging and tracking – full activity reports for each student are available with graphs and details about each module. Also a detailed review of each student’s involvement including postings, journal entries etc

Mail integration – copies of forum posts, teacher feedback etc can be mailed in HTML or plain text.

Custom scales – teachers can define their own scales to be used for grading forums, assignments and journals

Courses can be packaged –

as a single zip file using the Backup function. These can be restored on any Moodle server.

Page 35: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Moodle: Course structure

Weekly format

Each week consists of activities. Some might have deadlines, others might be open.

Topics format

Presented and organised into topics. A topic is not restricted to any time limit.

Social format

All activities are presented and organised into a single forum. Could also be used as noticeboards

Page 36: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Moodle: Course structure

Weekly format

Each week consists of activities. Some might have deadlines, others might be open.

Topics format

Presented and organised into topics. A topic is not restricted to any time limit.

Social format

All activities are presented and organised into a single forum. Could also be used as noticeboards

Page 37: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Moodle: Modules

Assignment Attendance Chat Choice Dialogue Exercise Forum Glossary Journal

Quiz Resource Survey WebQuest Webwork Workshop

Modules available for Moodle

More details

Page 38: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Moodle: Assignment Module

Can be specified with a due date and a maximum grade.

Students can upload assignments

They are date-stamped. Different file formats are allowed

Late assignments are allowed

The amount of lateness is shown clearly to the teacher

Whole-class assessment

Grades and comments provided for each assignment, on one page in one form. Viewable by assigned teachers

Teacher feedback

This is appended to the assignment page for each student. Notification is sent by e-mail

Resubmission of assignments

This can be allowed by teachers after grading (for re-grading)

Page 39: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Moodle: Forum Module

Different types of forums are available,

teacher-only,course news, open-to-all, one-thread-per-user.

All postings have the authors photo attached.

Discussions can be viewed as nested, flat, threaded, oldest or newest first

Every registered user can join, or the teacher can force subscription for all

The teacher can choose not to allow replies

Discussion threads can be easily moved between forums

Attached images are shown inline

Page 40: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Moodle: Journal Module

Journals are private between student and teacher.

Each journal entry can be directed by an open question.

The whole class can be assessed on one page in one form

Teacher feedback is appended to the journal entry page, and notification is mailed out.

Page 41: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Moodle:Quiz Module (1)

Teachers can define a database of questions for re-use in different quizzes

Questions can be stored in categories for easy access, and these categories can be "published" to make them accessible from any course on the site.

Quizzes are automatically graded, and can be re-graded if questions are modified

Quizzes can have a limited time window outside of which they are not available

At the teacher's option, quizzes can be attempted multiple times, and can show feedback and/or correct answers

Quiz questions and quiz answers can be shuffled (randomised) to reduce cheating

Questions allow HTML and images

Page 42: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Moodle:Quiz Module (2)

Multiple-choice questions :

single or multiple answers

Short Answer questions ~

words or phrases

True-False questions

Matching questions

Random questions

Numerical questions (with allowable ranges)

Embedded-answer questions (cloze style)

Embedded descriptive text and graphics

Administration Panels

Page 43: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Moodle: Assignment Module

.

Assignments can be viewed online, or downloaded

Teacher can attach feedback comments

Notification is sent out by e-mail

Resubmission can be granted for assignments, for re-grading

Page 44: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Moodle: Assignment Module

Assignments can be specified with a due date and a maximum grade.

Students can upload their assignments (any file format) to the server - they are date-stamped.

Late assignments are allowed, but the amount of lateness is shown clearly to the teacher

For each particular assignment, the whole class can be assessed (grade and comment) on one page in one form.

Page 45: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Installing Moodle

Fantastico!http://www.webschool.org.uk/science/powerpoint/moodleinstall.ppt

Page 46: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Installation: requirements

1. Choose a hosting company which provides a MySQL (open source database) and PHP (embedded scripting language)

2. Make sure they offer Fantastico.

3. No special technical knowledge is required for the installation of Moodle

4. It is all controlled using 'point and click' operations.

5. Once installed, you can build your own Virtual Learning Environment, to suit the needs of your school.

Page 47: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Installing Moodle : Using Fantastico

1. Logon to the Control Panel

• Use the username and password

supplied with Welcome Mail!

Fantastico! is usually installed on Linux hosting accounts with CPanel

bse33ugo

**************

Page 48: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Installing Moodle : Using Fantastico

Select Fantastico! From the Control Panel

Page 49: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Installing Moodle : Using Fantastico

Page 50: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Installing Moodle : Using Fantastico

Page 51: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Installing Moodle : Using Fantastico

supportme

Page 52: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Installing Moodle : Using Fantastico

Page 53: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Installing Moodle : Using Fantastico

Page 54: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Installing Moodle : License Information

Agree to the terms of the GPL License……

Page 55: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Installing Moodle : Version Information

Current version of Moodle is displayed…..

Page 56: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Installing Moodle : Release Notes

Notes about the current version

No input required here…

…. just continue with the installation

Page 57: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Installing Moodle : Database Tables

Page 58: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Installing Moodle : Database Upgrade

Page 59: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Installing Moodle :Configuration

Specify the configuration variables

A few are shown here….

The default settings usually work !

They can be changed at any time

by the Administrator

Page 60: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Installing Moodle : Site Format

Configure the site format presented to visitors

Page 61: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Installing Moodle : Admin. Profile

Set the User Profile for the Administrator

A few items are shown here….

They can be changed at any time

Page 62: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Moodle : Ready to go!

Moodle has been installed and configured. Courses can now be added….

Page 63: Virtual Learning Environments Open Source Software

Science Support Websites

North Chadderton School Home www.webschool.org.uk

Community Websites www.mywebschool.org/postnuke/ www.scibase.org/ http://www.scigallery.org/blogger/modules/news http://www.scigallery.org/blogger/modules/news/

Databases ( for KS3 and Science Links)These were originally developed for the ASE

www.scilinks.org.uk/ www.scishop.org

Image Gallerieswww.supportscience.org/cgi-bin/imagefolio/imageFolio.cgiwww.webucation.org/gallery/

Virtual Learning Environment Websiteswww.coolwebschool.org/moodle/www.openschool.org.uk/support/

21st Century Support Sites

www.21stcenturyscience.org.uk/support/www.scienceblog.org/community/index.php

Blogging User Logon

www.webschool.org.uk/cgi-bin/mt/mt.cgi

North Chadderton School Websites : Constructed using Open Source Software