Learning Management Systems

A school’s best friendCharlie Smith

“It’s all about the learning”

Me and the LMS

Context – eLearning tools

Context - BYOD

Students in class• Starting is hard• Many barriers• Differing competencies• Pacing is tough• Cognitive overhead• Splintered classroom experiences

Students at home• Getting over the hump

(procrastination monkey)• Home learning• Exam preparation• Resourceful students• Non-resourceful students

• Power to act – “learner agency”

http://waitbutwhy.com/2013/10/why-procrastinators-procrastinate.html

Removing Barriers – for students• No password or account hassles• Skills from one subject transfer to others• “One stop shop”• Real time results• Notices• Exam timetables etc etc• LEARNING!

• Making connections - simply

Removing barriers for teachers• Not for everyone –

resourceful teachers need freedom to do more• Controlled environment• Learn once, use everywhere• Low overhead• Develop competence in safe

environment• Making connections - simply

wfm – my experiences• Maths and Digital technologies• LOTS of videos (screencast-o-matic)• JIT – Just In Time resources• Click-along-with-me not fun in DTC• Glossaries great for collating knowledge• Links• Files• Power users – MANY tools!• Connecting

Some Moodle specificsCon• Needs managing• Designed by programmers• University centric• Can be daunting

Pro• Huge active community• Getting easier to use• Getting prettier• Plenty of e-Learning tools• Scope for power users

Staff training - tricky• Whole staff • Faculty based • Use “champions”• LOTS of JIT resources (knowledge base)

Takeaways• Big schools need structure• LMS is a part of that structure• LMS is not the whole answer• The LMS removes barriers• LMS makes the easy stuff easy• “Removing barriers” is the sell to your staff

Moodle demo – if timehttp://moodle.pakuranga.school.nz