Creator: Wendi South Diffusion and Integration of Technology in Education

 Wendi South  7 th and 8 th grade Language Arts teacher at Batchelor Middle School  Currently pursuing PhD. in Educational Technology

 Have you ever wished that there was a place where students could gather to review work and ideas before submitting?  Have you ever wished that you could have a flexible enough class schedule so you could attend when it was convenient for you?  Have you ever wished to provide for your students and educators a platform for collaboration and interaction outside of a bricks and mortar classroom?

If you answered YES to any of these questions then Moodle might be just what you need.

 Creator: Martin Dougiamas  When: 2002  How: Dougiamas started a Ph.D. to examine "The use of Open Source software to support a social constructionist epistemology of teaching and learning within Internet-based communities of reflective inquiry". *  Purpose: to help educators create online courses with a focus on interaction and collaborative construction of content  *

The five key principles about learning on which Moodle has been and will continue to be developed. 1 We are all potential teachers as well as learners. 2 We learn well by creating and expressing for others. 3 We learn a lot by watching others. 4 Understanding others transforms us. 5 We learn well when the learning environment is flexible and adaptable to suit our needs. * *

 Problems faced during development  The need to de-emphasize individualization and emphasize collaboration  The need for more interactive input from the educator

 Some problems that were experienced during development were overcome by Allowing users to help create the code Providing a community for users to discuss benefits and bugs Emphasizing strong security Being a translucent and open process

 The initial audience for Moodle was educators who wanted collaboration, interaction, and a depository for material.  Today all facets of education use Moodle: colleges, middle schools, high schools, and individuals.

 There is no “thing” that has to be marketed.  There must be change agents that are willing to put their ideas into practice to prove that Moodle can be a profitable innovation.

Innovation- Decision Process

 Features of Moodle: Assignment module Chat module Choice module Forum module Glossary module Lesson module Quiz module Resource module Survey module Wiki module Workshop module

 According to  The design and development of Moodle has been guided by a social constructionist theory and practice of teaching and learning.  “You are allowed to copy, use and modify Moodle provided that you agree to: provide the source to others; not modify or remove the original license and copyrights, and apply this same license to any derivative work.” * *

possibilities: Online courses Hybrid courses Individual and group activities

 Innovators and Early Adopters  Technology Director  Technology educators  Content Area educators Strategies to Encourage Adoption Provide research to support its use to increase performance Provide practical yet creative ways that Moodle can be utilized inside and outside the classroom. Provide technical support for problems and questions

 Laggards  Teachers close to retirement  Teachers who enter education late in life Strategies to Encourage Adoption Provide one on one or small group training Pair up laggards with someone who is eager to use technology.

 Relative Advantage  Provide data that Moodle is just as, if not more, effective in interacting and collaborating in the virtual world.  Determine if it has longevity  Determine if it is rational

 Complexity  Easy to create and navigate  Early adopters can be “pilot-ers” for later adopters  Early adopters can provide support to guide later adopters  Supports individual and group activities  Upgrades and innovations available without costly fees  Ability to create and customize themes

 Observability  Must demonstrate observable advantages for implementation  With performance being measured, degree of student engagement, collaboration, and participant interaction need to be observable

 Why  Innovators of Moodle could be trained and placed at various schools to spread the knowledge faster.  Who Teachers who are knowledgeable about technology and are eager to learn the different ways to implement technology in the classroom. Administrators at the school level could be in on who would be able to assist in choosing the best change agent for each school.

 Role of Change Agent  Persuading peers that Moodle would make their job easier and streamlined at a time when more responsibility is being added.  Provide support for early adopters so they can support late adopters of Moodle.  Providing examples that will increase student engagement and learning.  Aid in problems or questions that may arise in the early stages of adoption. A manual should be created based on problems encountered and how they were resolved.

 Instill a desire to adopt Moodle based on benefits that are demonstrated during training.  Post examples of new Moodle courses that are being created to keep the interest of Moodle in the forefront of change agents’ minds.  Provide follow up training and sharing sessions for change agents.  Foster collaboration of Moodle users to support one another so that adoption will not be for a short period but a sustained adoption to last.

 How can critical mass be reached?  In education to have universal adoption of a new technology it is best to get leaders in the schools on board that will use their influence to persuade others to adopt new ways of doing tasks.  Implying that Moodle will eventually be required would persuade some to adopt faster so that they will be ready and knowledgeable when wide spread adoption is not an option.