Diffusion of the Innovation called MOODLE

Pamela Eder

Walden University

EDUC-8841

If you are an educator or business trainer, you have probably heard

all the talk about......

21st Century Classrooms

AND

e-Learning & Social Networking

When it's time to do something for your organization or school, what would you want from

an online learning system?

Easy creation of courses from existing resources?

Course content which can be re-used with different learners, including content from other vendors (Blackboard, WebCT etc.)?

Learner involvement?

Enrolment and learner authentication which is simple yet secure?

Intuitive online learner and teacher management features?

An active support community to help solve problems and generate new ideas?

Affordability?

Introducing...... MOODLE!

modular object-oriented dynamic learning environment

What was the problem or need that existed which

gave rise to this innovation called MOODLE?

History

• MOODLE is an active & evolving work in progress

• Development was started by Martin Dougiamas

• Project started in the 90’s

• Webmaster & administrator on WebCT

• Problems & better way

Philosophy

• Open Source & Free• Easy to use; almost

intuitive• Deeply held belief in the

importance of unrestricted education & empowered teaching

• MOODLE is realization of these ideals

What research organization or people developed a solution to this problem or need? What were their findings? Who were the “lead thinkers” for this innovation, and how did they convince a manufacturer to produce it?

• Martin Dougiamas – Innovator & Lead Developer• He saw problems in other Learning Management

Systems (LMS)• Software product for producing Internet-based

courses.• World-wide ongoing development project• Supports social constructionist pedagogy of

education

What problems did the innovation encounter in the

development process? Who was the intended audience for the innovation?

• A number of prototypes were produced & discarded prior to Version 1.0

• Released on August 20, 2002• Originally targeted toward smaller, more

intimate classes at the University level• Subject of research case studies which

closely analyzed the nature of collaboration

Getting Started

The production, manufacturing,

packaging, marketing, and distribution of

the innovation. TheCommercializationof Moodle

Open Source Software

• Provided freely as Open Source software under the GNU Public License

• Copyrighted – but additional freedoms are granted

• Developers can copy, use & modify the software provided they agree to :– Provide the source to others– Not modify or remove the original license & copyrights– Apply the same license to any derivative work

• No packaging necessary

• Can be downloaded from www.moodle.org onto a server computer

• Distribution to anyone with Internet access

• Marketing is done via– Conference presentations on projects completed

using Moodle– Books written by non-Moodle employees (users)– Worldwide news via the web site on Moodle Buzz

Adoption Rate within Society

• Martin Dougiamas & Moodle are at the beginning of a typical S-Curve for technology innovations.

• Changes are consistently imminent• Future release are already in development• Strategy is to keep things simple – very attractive to users• Alternative to proprietary or

commercial online

Learning Management

Solutions

Innovators & Early

Adopters

Key roles within Moodle

• Lead Developer & Innovator - Martin Dougiamas • Knight in Shining Armor - Eloy Lafuente• Translation Coordinator - Koen Roggemans • Security Officer - Petr Škoda• Community Manager - Helen Foster • Themes Manager - Urs Hunkler • Contribution Coordinator - Anthony Borrow

From http://docs.moodle.org/en/Credits

Strategies for Adoption

• Very small learning curve for teachers (just a few short hours)

• No cost for school district

• Class templates

• Classes already on Moodle for learning– Currently, 10,038 sites in operation is the U.S.

• Many resources already available– Alternative high school programs– Free training online programs

Laggards

Rejection Notices

• Are you still using tried-and-true methods of teaching?– Chalk board– Overhead projector– Paper and pencil (*note taking)– Lectures

• Do you have a fear of technology?

• Do you believe that online education cannot be as good as traditional methods?

Perceived Attributes

What can Moodle do to meet critical mass in the education industry?

Over 1,150 organizations in 81 countries had registered Moodle sites by April 2004 (http://moodle.org/sites). This number is growing by about 10% each month as educators and trainers learn the value of implementing open source Moodle.

Moodle is an ideal online learning solution for:

Who is Using Moodle?

K-12 Schools

Colleges

Universities

Governmental Agencies

Businesses

Trade Associations

Hospitals

Libraries

Employment Agencies

Change Agents

A constructivist perspective...

Learner Involvement

Students come to class with an established world-view, formed by years of prior experience and learning

Even as it evolves, a student’s world-view filters all experiences and affects their interpretations of

observations

For students to change their world-view requires work

Students learn from each other as well as the teacher

Students learn better by doing

Allowing and creating opportunities for all to have a voice promotes the construction of new ideas

WELCOME TO MOODLE TUTORIALS EDUCATING EDUCATORS

HTTP://WWW.MOODLETUTORIALS.ORG

To learn more about Moodle, or learn how to use it for no charge at:

References, 1

Barr, H., Gower, B., & Clayton, J. (2007). Faculty response to the implementation of an open source learning management system in three tertiary institutions in New Zeland. Computers in the Schools , 24 (3/4), 125-137.

Brandl, K. (2005). Are you ready to "Moodle"? Lanuage, learning & techology , 9 (2), 16-21.

Brooks-Young, S. (2008). Got Moodle? the free Open Source program enjoys great appeal amoing K-12 teachers, as it allows them to get the upper hand on course management and assessment. T. H. E. Journal , 35 (4), 28-31.

Moodle Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved January 8, 2009, from Moodle: http://moodle.org/stats/

Open university applies Moodle on a grand scale. (2005, December 15). Distance Education Report .

References, 2

Stewart, B., Briton, D., Gismondi, M., Heller, B., Kennepohl, D., McGreal, R., et al. (2007). Chosing MOODLE: An evaluation of learning management systems at Athabasca University. International Journal of Distance Education Technologies , 5 (3), 1--7.

Ware, P. D., & O'Dowd, R. (2008). Peer feedback on language form in tolecollabotation. Language, Learning & Technology , 12 (1), 43-61.

Waters, J. K. (2007). Opening a new door: With the potential for cost savings and a growing number of educational application, open source software is proving to be an effective alternative for schools willing to make the switch. T. H. E. Journal , 34 (8), 30-36.

Williams, J., & Hopfengardner-Warren, S. (2007). E-mentoring: Suppoting first-year educators and rejuvenating veteran teachers. The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin , pp. 9-11, 39.