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Blended Learning using Moodle at Ysgol Dyffryn Ogwen Contents / Index (page 1) 1. Introduction (pages 2-7) 2. Moodle Development Plan (pages 8-10) 3. Screen Shots of the Moodle course a) Moodle Activities (pages 11-12) b) Enrolment Keys (Course and Group) (pages 13-14) c) Activity Report (page 15) d) Plagiarism and Copyright (page 16) 4. Additional Support Materials for pupils and teachers – Handouts, Interactive White Board Resources, Sunflower Science Scorm etc (pages 17-20) 5. Screen Shots of Pupil Participation (page 21) 6. Screen Shots of feedback to pupils (pages 22-25) Page 1 of 25 How to create and manage a Moodle course - Applying appropriate pedagogies and technical skills to develop a blended learning approach to teaching and learning. 1.1 Constructing a scheme of work which clearly relates the content of taught classroom sessions to resources and activities provided online. The first part of the work was to adapt the current “Living Things” scheme of work for Year 7 pupils and create a Moodle Development Plan (MDP). The MDP can be seen on pages 8-10 and follows directly after this introduction (Section 2). The MDP will certainly be further adapted with regards to my own perception of how successful various tasks were and, more importantly, on how engaging the pupils themselves found the various tasks. 1.2 Customising a range of resources and activity tools within Moodle. As the original “Living Things” unit had been already created I tried to find Moodle based activities and resources that would complement or replace the original classroom based resources and activities. These Moodle based activities included Assignments, Glossary, Personal Wiki, Quizzes and Forums. The evidence for these resources and activities can be seen in the MDP and in the Screen Shots of the Moodle course 1.3 Recognising the security issues when employing a blended learning delivery, including Moodle tracking system. To make the course secure for pupils I used Enrolment Keys. Even though there’s a Course Enrolment key the pupils of 7 Glyder accessed the Moodle course by using a Group Enrolment key. Security was the main reason for using a Group Enrolment key but some pupils had swapped form classes and this was an easy way to make sure that our class lists were up to date. The main method of tracking pupil’s activity was to use Activity Reports for the whole class and individual pupils. Class tracking was often used in conjunction with Homework tasks. The class activity report could be shown on the White Board as a method of praising the keen pupils who had uploaded their homework well before the deadline. This also had the benefit of motivating the pupils who weren’t as keen. To enable pupils to track their own progress I added a Progress Bar to the site (see Screen Shot of Activity 3) 1.4 Implementing effective practices to safeguard against copyright issues. Before starting on Activity 3 (Creating an Information Sheet on plant and animal cells) the pupils were reminded about Copyright, Plagiarism and Referencing work. There are web links on the Moodle Course to each of these topics. I’ve been reminded that using links to Wikipedia is not recommended as it’s not a true educational resource and can be edited by anyone. Unfortunately this is the only website I can find that’s available in both English and Welsh. The web links will be updated to allow access to more reliable websites once I’ve found some. Page 2 of 25 Online assessments using Moodle - Applying appropriate pedagogies and technical skills to construct online assessments and to promote meaningful learning. 2.1 Creating on-line assessments with clear objectives, relating to schemes of work The main online-assessments used during this Moodle course were: a) Individual assignment uploads such as Activity 3 (Creating an Information Sheet on plant and animal cells) and Activity 7 (Animal Cell Homework Assignment) b) Quizzes such as the Cell Quiz and the Evaluation Quiz 2.2 Providing students with clear guidelines on plagiarism. As stated in 1.4 the pupils are reminded about Copyright, Plagiarism and Referencing work before starting on Activity 3 and giving references to websites can be seen in pupils’ work. The battle against plagiarism and the dreaded “copy and paste” was again reinforced when the pupils were working on their individual Wikis. For this activity only I gave all the pupils a Non-Editing Teacher role. This allowed pupils to see examples of their fellow pupils’ wikis and facilitated the sharing of best practise. Pupils seemed to be much more reticent to plagiarise their fellow pupil’s work. 2.3 Exploiting Moodle tools, providing instant feedback with direction, to extend learning and correct errors. The main Moodle tools used to provide feedback were Assignments (Activity 3 and 7), Quizzes (Activity 8 and 9) and Forums (Activity 6 and 9) Page 3 of 25 2.4 Evaluating the effectiveness of all on-line assessments used. The methods of providing instant feedback depended upon the type of pupil activity. Not one specific method of providing feedback stood out from the rest and I think that the way forward is to use a combination of all methods. I will try to mention the pros and cons of each method I used. a) Individual assignment uploads Pros: When I marked the individual assignments I could give specific direction to pupils to extend learning and also correct errors. The pupils could use these comments, found in their Grade Book, as a basis to improve future assignments. I found this to be the most effective way to give constructive feedback to the pupils. Cons: As with all individual marking it’s very time consuming but clicking on fast marking does help. Hopefully this aspect will be improved by upgrading to Moodle 2 and the use of the Red Pen Tool. b) Quizzes Pros: These were marked instantly by Moodle and gave instant feedback via a mark and a motivational comment. I had originally set the quiz so that it could only be tried once but found that pupils could not try to improve their marks by trying the quiz again. I changed the quiz setting so as to allow the pupils to try the quiz up to 3 times. This of course motivated the pupils to improve on their marks. The pupils found out for themselves that their marks only improved by looking over their work again and also by spending more time on the quiz itself. A perfect example of this was Jasmine. Jasmine is one of the most able pupils in the class but her first mark for the Cells Quiz was 9/26. She achieved this grade after spending 9 minutes and 21 seconds on the Cells Quiz. She tried the Cells Quiz for a second time and had obviously looked over her work again as her mark improved to 14/26. Unfortunately she rushed her answers taking only 4 minutes and 44 seconds to answer the questions. Her final effort scored 21/26, not only had Jasmine learnt for herself that she had to revise thoroughly for any test/quiz, she also learnt that she had to take her time to understand exactly what the question was asking. In my opinion this was one of the major successes of the Moodle Course. Quizzes can be a great motivational tool. Cons: Creating a Quiz is very time consuming but once the questions are created you’ve got a bank of questions you can use over and over again. The use of specific software such as quiz maker and hot potatoes does help. c) Forums Pros: I, and other pupils, could give specific support to pupils who asked for help. I could also praise pupils for their comments and their work. Cons: When working in the classroom the majority of pupils found it easier to verbally ask their peers or myself for help without using the forum. As you can see in the Wiki Forum there are no posts by pupils. Page 4 of 25 2.5 Collecting and analysing learner feedback. The main learner feedback was the quality of the work the pupil produced and their results/grades. Collecting direct learner feedback was mainly done through Activity 9 which gave the pupils a chance to state their opinions on how the Moodle course helped them to learn. The Evaluation Quiz The Evaluation Quiz asked the pupils to give marks for certain activities ranging from 5 to 1 (5 = enjoyed the task and 1 = didn’t enjoy the task). The group average on all activities was 4/5 which showed that all activities were enjoyed. Of course there were some who pupils who detested certain activities because they found the actual activity itself difficult. Carys didn’t like creating a Wiki as she found it “confusing” but Cieran and Megan absolutely loved this activity, especially when other pupils started to ask them for their help. They felt that they were valued members of the class and also “Wiki experts”. Of course with “Wiki experts” like Cieran and Megan easily on hand the pupils found it easier to ask for their help verbally instead of using the Wiki Forum. The last two questions in the quiz gave the most insight as these were individual extended answers unseen by other pupils. Question 6 asked what the best thing about using Moodle was - the answers were in two categories. a) Answers relating to specific activities pupils enjoyed – “I enjoyed doing the wiki”, “the best thing was doing the information sheet”, “doing the quiz” b) Answers giving a reason – “you don’t have to do much writing”, “it’s easier to type than write”, “you can use the information on the Moodle course to help you with your homework” and the classic response from Chloe “it’s better than school” !! Question 7 asked what the worst thing about using Moodle was The main complaint here wasn’t to do with the activities themselves but with technological problems associated with Moodle - “couldn’t access the homework at home”, “couldn’t upload the homework” and “couldn’t send the homework”. What I also found here was a complaint by Shane that made the whole Moodle experience worth while. The worst thing about Moodle, according to Shane, was that “you have to do a lot more research and a lot more work”. When the pupils know that their rate of work can be tracked so efficiently by the teacher via Moodle there is no escape! The Evaluation Forum The Evaluation Forum gave the pupils an opportunity to share their experiences with their fellow pupils. Whilst the majority engaged in constructive conversation, a small minority declined to participate. This might be something to do with the age of the pupils (11-12 years old) as I’ve found the use of Forums with older pupils much more constructive. Older pupils seem to find it easier to ask their fellow pupils for help online, probably because they’re used to using MSN or social networking sites such as Facebook. Page 5 of 25 Student centred learning using Moodle - Applying appropriate pedagogies and technical skills to develop a learner-centred approach to teaching and learning 3.1 Making contributions using a range of communication tools using Moodle. The main communication tools used by the pupils were the Forums, e-mail and personal messages to fellow students. The main reason for communication was for clarification of work, constructive criticism of each other’s work and general chit-chat. 3.2 Constructing a unit of study to create a collaborative learning environment which meets the learning outcomes in a scheme of work. The main collaborative learning environments were the Forums and the Wiki (Activity 6). The Forums were created as a support mechanism for the pupils and the Wiki activity supported a particular learning outcome (defining scientific terms) 3.3 Providing learners with the opportunities to engage appropriately in dialogue and provide opportunity for peer feedback. The Forums Even though the majority of pupils enjoyed using the Evaluation Forum I don’t think the Wiki Forum was such a great success. With a classroom activity such as creating a Wiki it’s easier for a pupil to ask a friend or a “Wiki expert” for support, rather than use the Forum. There were definitely examples of collaborative learning but some pupils did opt out from taking part in the Forums. The Evaluation Forum was used by the pupils far more than the Wiki Forum as this wasn’t wholly a classroom activity and there was also an opportunity for the pupils to rate each other’s contributions. The rating system improved the standard of contributions in my opinion. Because the pupils knew that their contributions were going to be evaluated by their fellow pupils the contributions were of a higher standard and pupils seem to engage more in lengthier conversations. The Wiki (Activity 6) A far more successful collaborative activity was the Wiki. By giving the pupils NonEditing Teacher Roles they could check each other’s work and share best practise by using either the self proclaimed “Wiki experts” such as Megan or Cieran, or use the school’s internal e-mail system to send each other messages on how to improve their work. Unfortunately, because the pupils used the school’s internal e-mail system, the Wiki Forum I created for the pupils to ask each other for help, remained empty! Page 6 of 25 3.4 Utilising qualitative and quantitative methods for evaluating the effectiveness of learners' on-line participation. The Wiki activity (Activity 6) supported a particular learning outcome. In this case it was to help the pupils become more accustomed to using, and understanding, the main scientific terms used in this unit: (plant cell, animal cell, cytoplasm, nucleus, cell membrane, cell wall, vacuole and chloroplast). By creating a personal wiki the pupils had to find a scientific definition for the organelle. They also had to understand the definition when describing the organelle in their own words but more importantly they had to use the terms in context. This gave them a firm grounding of the scientific definitions when completing the homework sheet (Activity 7) and also in understanding the questions seen in the Cells Quiz. (Activity 8) Normally the more able pupils succeed in this type of task just by learning the definitions by rote. The Moodle task gave the able pupils the opportunity to use the terms in context and consolidate their learning. Learning scientific terms by rote is usually the downfall of less able pupils, but the wiki task also gave sufficient grounding for these pupils to use the definitions confidently during lessons. I found that even the weakest pupils were happy to contribute verbally during lessons. Some pupils, for the very first time, were now more than happy for me to show their homework to the rest of the class and to participate in front of class white board activities such as using the NGfL Wales resource “Animal Cells” (Activity 8) The pupils’ firmer grasp of the scientific definitions was also reflected in the marks gained in the Cells Quiz. Able pupils, who revised and took their time, easily gained full marks. The main difference between normal written test results and the Moodle quiz results was seen in the marks gained by less motivated pupils and also less able pupils. These marks were much higher than expected – no books could be used during the Quiz and I made sure that only the Quiz window could be opened during the quiz by choosing the correct Browser Security option. The improvement was made simply by the pupil taking ownership of their learning via Moodle, usually without them even noticing. The only problem was with a pupil who was persistently absent and who was also totally unmotivated. He could easily sit in front of his computer and “act” as though he was working. This was easily overcome by connecting the pupil’s computer to the overhead projector which meant the support staff and I could keep an eye on his work rate whilst still helping other pupils. Moodle and modern technology to the rescue once again! 3.5 Modelling the appropriate on-line tutoring techniques. As well as marking pupil’s assignments (see 2.4) I participated in the Evaluation Forum. I praised the pupils’ comments and asked questions which would extend the conversation. This method of interaction was emulated by the pupils themselves. Both I and the pupils had the opportunity to evaluate each other’s contributions by rating the posts. Dewi Gwyn Page 7 of 25 Cynllun Datblygu Cwrs Moodle Course Development Plan Blwyddyn 7 Gwyddoniaeth Ysgol Dyffryn Ogwen Year 7 Science Enw’r Cwrs / Name of Course: Dŵr 7.3 Water Enw’r uned / Name of unit: Pethau Byw (celloedd) 7.3B Living Things (cells) Deilliannau dysgu Gweithgaredd Dosbarth Gweithgraedd Ar-lein Adnoddau Ar-lein Meini prawf llwyddiant / asesu Learning Outcome(s) (wyneb yn wyneb, traddodiadol) Online activity Online resources Assessment criterion Classroom activity (face-to-face, traditional) 1. Bydd y disgybl yn dysgu sut i Gweithgaredd ddefnyddio microsgop yn hyderus ac yn daflen 1: Gan ddefnyddio’r ddiogel drwy creu sleid o gelloedd disgyblion yn mynd ati i greu sleid o Medru creu sleid o gelloedd nionyn. nionyn. gelloedd nionyn. Medru creu diagram o gelloedd cyfarwyddiadau Gweithgaredd 2: Ar bydd ôl trafod Medru y defnyddio microsgop yn hyderus ac yn ddiogel. eu nionyn ar chwyddiad isel. canfyddiadau bydd y disgyblion yn Medru creu diagram o gell unigol darlunio nionyn ar chwyddiad uchel. diagramau chwyddiad isel a o gelloedd chell unigol ar ar chwyddiad uwch 1. Pupils will learn how to use a Activity 1: Using the instruction leaflet Can use a microscope confidently microscope confidently and safely by the pupils will prepare a slide of onion and safely. creating a slide of onion cells. cells. Can create a slide of onion cells. Activity 2: Afte discussing their findings Can draw a diagram of onion cells the pupils will draw diagrams of cells at at low magnification. low magnification and an individual cell Can draw a diagram of an individual at higher magnification. onion cell at higher magnification. 2. darganfod Gweithgaredd 3: Darganfod mwy o Gweithgaredd 4: Bydd y disgyblion yn Peiriant chwilio. Medru dod o hyd i wybodaeth gwybodaeth am gelloedd planhigion ac Bydd y disgybl yn wybodaeth am gelloedd. Y disgyblion i uwchlwytho’r Sunflower Science (Bioleg / PERTHNASOL am gelloedd anifeiliaid a chreu taflen wybodaeth. fynd ati i greu Taflen Wybodaeth am Moodle Daflen Wybodaeth i gell planhigion a chell anifail. Atgoffa’r disgyblion o Celloedd) Cysylltiadau i’r we ar gyfer Hawlfraint, gwybodaeth am Hawlfraint, Llenladrad a gosod Chyfeirnodau Llen-ladrad a Chyfeirnodau 2. Pupils will create an information Activity 3: Finding more information Activity 4: The pupils will upload their Search engine. Can find PERTINENT information sheet on plant and animal cells. about cells. The pupils will create an Information Sheet to Moodle. Sunflower Science (Biology / about cells Page 8 of 25 Information Sheet on plant and animal Cells) cells. about Web links for information Copyright, Plagiarism and Referencing about Copyright, Plagiarism work. and Referencing work. Remind the pupils Deilliannau dysgu Gweithgaredd Dosbarth Gweithgraedd Ar-lein Adnoddau Ar-lein Meini prawf llwyddiant / Learning Outcome(s) (wyneb yn wyneb, traddodiadol) Online activity Online resources asesu Classroom activity Assessment criterion (face-to-face, traditional) 3. Bydd y disgyblion yn labelu Gweithgaredd 5: Enwi prif gydrannau cell Gweithgaredd diagram cell ac yn darganfod beth planhigyn a nodi eu swyddogaethau. Bydd yw swyddogaeth y prif cydrannau. y Adnodd GCaD Cymru “Cell Planhigyn” – Medru ar disgyblion yn creu Wiki unigol gweler Adnoddau i Athrawon. disgrifiadau addas. o’r prif dermau ar gyfer yr uned Taflen Weithgaredd Cynwhynnol adnodd “Cell yma: cell planhigyn, cell anifail, disgyblion oedd yn ansennol yn ystod Planhigyn” cytoplasm, cnewyllyn, cellbilen, Gweithgaredd 3, neu’n is eu gallu, mae cellfur, gwagolyn, (cloroplast) taflen waith Cell planhigion ar gael i’w wers yn cychwyn GCaD gan Cymru edrych gan symud ymlaen at y Brif Weithgaredd (Rhan 1 a 2) 6: Bydd y er mwyn i’r disgyblion ail ymweld â phrif yn cael ei gloi I’r disgyblion fel “Non-editing Teachers” ar ar Weithgaredd 6 wers disgybl. y weithgaredd yma. gan Fforwm – Cymorth gyda Wici (os oes ddefnyddio’r Sesiwn Gloi o’r adnodd “Cell angen) Planhigyn” GCaD Cymru 3. Pupils will label cell diagrams and Activity 5: Naming the main components of Activity 6: The pupils will create The find out the function of each main a plant cell and note their functions. The individual Student Wikis of the Cells” – see Teacher resources components lesson will begin by looking at the Starter main terms for this unit: plant Activity in the NGFL Wales resource “Plant cell, animal cell, cytoplasm, Pupil Information Sheet. For pupils who Cells” and then moving on to the Main nucleus, cell membrane, cell Session (Parts 1 and 2) so that the pupils wall, vacuole, (chloroplast) can revisit the main components of the cell descriptions. were absent during Activity 3, or who are of lower ability, there is a Plant Cell Worksheet available for either online activity. NGFL Wales resource Forum – Help with Wiki (if needed) “Plant Cells” Page 9 of 25 Can create a Wiki with suitable pupils as non-editing Teachers on this The lesson will finish by using the Plenary 4 Homework “Plant Other pupil’s Wikis – remember to place thepupils will start on Activity 6 4 Gwaith Cartref NGFL Wales resource completion or for printing. and their function. After a class discussion section of the gyda Wikis disgyblion eraill – cofiwch osod y cyd-drafod bydd y disgyblion yn cychwyn y y Wiki gwblhau ar-lein neu ei argraffu. gydfrannau’r gell a’u swyddogaeth. Ar ôl Bydd Wybodaeth creu Gweithgaredd 7: Cwblhau taflen Taflen Gwaith Cartref “Cell Anifail”. gwaith cartref “Cell Anifail” a’i Wiki uwchlwytho i Moodle (dadguddio’r adnodd yma). swyddogaethau gyda chymorth Activity 7: Complete homework Homework sheet “Animal Cell”. Can sheet “Animal Cell” and upload Student Wiki and Teacher Glossary components of an animal cell to Moodle (unhide this resource). and note their functions with y myfyriwr a Geirfa’r Medru enwi prif gydrannau cell Athro anifail support a name nodi the eu main Deilliannau dysgu Gweithgaredd Dosbarth Gweithgraedd Ar-lein Adnoddau Ar-lein Meini prawf llwyddiant / asesu Learning Outcome(s) (wyneb yn wyneb, traddodiadol) Online activity Online resources Assessment criterion Classroom activity (face-to-face, traditional) 4. Bydd y gwahaniaethu disgyblion rhwng cell yn medru anifail a Gweithgaredd 8: Edrych ar waith cartref Edrych y disgyblion. gwaith cartref a’i addasu os oes Atgyfnerthu hyn drwy phlanhigyn gan enwi’r cydrannau a nodi ddefnyddio Gweithgaredd Cychwynnol eu defnydd. yr adnodd “Cell anifail GCaD Cymru” gan symud ymlaen yn syth at y Brif ar uwchlwythiad eu angen. Gwaith Cartref y disgybl. Medru enwi prif gydrannau cell anifail a nodi eu swyddogaethau Adnodd “Cell anifail GCaD Cymru” – heb gymorth gweler Adnoddau i Athrawon. Cwblhau’r Cwis Celloedd Weithgaredd (Rhan 1,2 a 3) a’r Sesiwn Gloi. 4. Pupils will be able to differentiate Activity 8: Looking at pupil homework. Look at their Homework upload between animal and plant cells by Reinforce this by using the Starter and correct if necessary. naming the main components of each Activity in the NGFL Wales resource cell and note their function. “Animal Cells” and then moving on to Pupil’s Homework of an animal cell and note their The NGFL Wales resource “Animal Complete the Cells Quiz Cells” – see Teacher resources Mae’r gwerthuso mewn 3 rhan Cwis Arfaniad the Main Session (Parts 1, 2 and 3) and the Plenary 5. Gwerthuso Gweithgaredd 9: Dyma gyfle i’r disgyblion fynegi barn am sut mae’r (1) Ateb y cwis arfarniad. cwrs Moodle wedi bod o gymorth iddynt (2) Cyfrannu at y fforwm arfarnu ddysgu. (3) Ymateb i Fforwm Arfarniad sylwadau disgyblion eraill yn y fforwm drwy unai raddio sylwadau eu cyfoedion neu ychwanegu sylwadau eraill.. 5. Evaluation Activity 9: This is a chance for the pupils The evaluation is in 3 parts. to state their opinions on how the (1) Answer the Evaluation Quiz Moodle course helped them to learn. (2) Participate in the Evaluation Forum. (3) Respond to other pupil’s comments by either grading or adding a reply. Page 10 of 25 Can name the main components Evaluation Quiz Evaluation Forum functions without support Screen Shots of the Moodle course a) Moodle Activities Activity Activity Activity Activity Activity Activity 3: Creating an Information Sheet 4: Uploading the Information Sheet Assignment to Moodle 6: Creating a personal Wiki and Wiki Forum 7: Completing the Homework and uploading the assignment to Moodle 8: Cells Quiz 9: Evaluation Quiz and Evaluation Forum Activity 3: Creating an Information Sheet Page 11 of 25 Activity 4: Uploading the Information Sheet Assignment to Moodle Activity 6: Creating a personal Wiki and Wiki Forum Activity 7: Completing the Homework and uploading the assignment to Moodle Activity 8: Cells Quiz Activity 9: Evaluation Quiz and Evaluation Forum Page 12 of 25 b) Enrolment Keys (Course and Group) Course Enrolment Keys (masked and unmasked) Page 13 of 25 Group Enrolment Keys (masked and unmasked) Page 14 of 25 c) Activity Reports Pupil Activity Report Page 15 of 25 Class Activity Report d) Plagiarism and Copyright The words in red font link to web pages containing the relevant information about that word. An example of a referenced piece of work “(bitesize bbc.co.uk)” Page 16 of 25 Additional Online Support Materials for Teachers and Pupils Sunflower Science Scorm Page 17 of 25 NGfL Wales online resources Page 18 of 25 Homework Sheet Name: Date: The animal cell Fill in the labels on this animal cell. Complete the table below. Organelle Description Controls the cell's activities. A jelly-like substance where the cell's chemical reactions take place. A covering that holds the cell together and controls what substances enter and leave the cell. Page 19 of 25 Support Worksheet (for less able pupils) Name: Date: The plant cell Fill in the labels on this plant cell. Complete the table below. Organelle Nucleus Cytoplasm Cell membrane Cell wall Vacuole Chloroplasts Page 20 of 25 Description Screen Shots of Pupil Participation Assigning pupils as Non-editing teachers for the Wiki assignment An example of a pupil’s Wiki with access to other Wikis Page 21 of 25 Screen Shots of feedback to pupils Individual assignment uploads Gradebook showing individual feedback on “mouse over” Page 22 of 25 User reports Page 23 of 25 Instant feedback via Quizzes Jasmine’s quiz results Page 24 of 25 Forum feedback including rating opportunity Page 25 of 25