Introduction
So many schools are now using Moodle. We've certainly come a long way in a short time. However, most pundits would admit that it has taken longer to implement effective elearning strategies in schools than in any other educational sectors, such as higher education or corporate training.
Those of us in the school ICT field certainly have to focus on the victories rather than on the sometimes slow uptake. The fact is, Moodle works well in schools due to low entry costs and willingness of school leaders to get on-board.
Right now there is an opportunity in schools for more innovation. Moodle sites need to add value like never before. Adding value in any context is about engagement. For example, a business adds value to customers by engaging them in some way in their product or community. It could be through product giveaways, like at a product launch or shopping centre, or it could be via viral marketing.
Schools can add value in their Moodle sites through various techniques, some of which could take as little as a few hours of human-power to complete.
Unleash a Mobile Version of Moodle - iPhones, iPod Touch, Blackberry and other smartphones
This idea is a simple one - when a user comes to your Moodle site via a handheld device, such as an iPhone, they should see a stripped down interface. Big, clear buttons and links should replace the full width three column Moodle layout. Activities and resources should be readable and scrolling with the flick of a finger.
From this standard two-column Moodle layout ....
To this smartphone-friendly layout using iphone.css ....
To achieve this, the seasoned web developer in your school needs to apply her css skills to create a new stylesheet. They can take the existing stylesheet and create a new one for the mobile device. Switching off left and right columns will bring the main centre column into view for the mobile user. Increase font sizes. Resize the header. Add a few icons for the list of courses. A few more tweaks and you'll have a stylesheet that can be called up in the mobile browser by a link tag with the media="handheld" attribute.
Add Custom Modules to Provide Individualised Feedback
Careers Advice
The Careers Survey module for Moodle was developed in collaboration with Dr Robert Pryor, author of the paper-based Occupational Search Inventory. Students complete the survey online and have their results displayed to them on screen. Results can be viewed by teachers who can then advise students further on career pathways. This is a very practical activity for Moodle and encourages students to login. When they get rich feedback about their personal aptitudes they will see the value in Moodle.
Leaderboard
The Course Results block has been contributed by a member of the Moodle community, Vlas Voloshin. It is used to display a list of the best results in a given graded task. This is similar to the Quiz Results block, which comes standard with Moodle. Students love seeing themselves on a 'leader board' and this block makes that possible.
Grade Me Please!
Feedback to the teacher is also important, so why not add the recently updated GradeMe block. Teachers will see instantly what tasks have not been graded. They can click on the tasks to be taken straight to the grading process. A huge timesaver which eliminates teachers having to dig around for work recently submitted by students.
Theme Moodle Differently
Break the Grid Layout
Moodle has been called ugly one too many times to keep track. This is arguably due to the columns and boxes found in most themes. But it doesn't have to be that way.
With css flexibility, famously demonstrated through the CSS Zen Garden (
www.csszengarden.com/), we can turn Moodle into a creative space for any age group or audience type. Breaking the grid will create a less structured layout and young students will find it refreshing and interesting. If you combine this with a rich and vivid design concept, your site will be so scrumptious that students may even bookmark your site.
While not a Moodle site, the Studio Rocket website (
studioracket.org/work) and specifically the menu system in the header, is a great example of non-structured design. This same outcome can be achieved in Moodle using a custom image map in the header to represent the various faculties in your school or areas of the site.
Spice up your Video Player
Using the FLV Player module (
www.moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=13&rid=2222) you can skin your player with a more visually appealing look for students. Have a look at the collection of skins freely available for the JW Player on which the Moodle module is based (
www.longtailvideo.com/addons/skins). The FLV Player module comes with 27 skins but you may find a more appropriate skin that will appeal to your users and match your theme design.
Custom Cursor
Add a customised, colourful, larger and more interesting cursor for users in primary schools. Check out the example on the Discovery Kids website (
kids.discovery.com). This example uses Flash but if you use Javascript then compatibility will virtually be guaranteed across browsers and on mobile devices (remember, the iPhone doesn't support Flash). You can make the cursor a large arrow or even crocodile teeth for that matter, using the tutorial found on the Web Toolkit website (
www.webtoolkit.info/javascript-custom-cursor.html). This idea is more appropriate for younger users such as K-6.
Vibrant Colours
If it's good enough for cereal manufacturers like Kellogs it's good enough for Primary Schools. Add splashes of colour and break away from the three colour palette. Don't be afraid of breaking from the corporate styling of most school websites. The end result will be students with eyes wide open and a desire to come back! Check out the vibrancy of sites like Crossbow Preschool (
www.crossbowpreschool.co.uk) and the CBC Kids website (
www.cbc.ca/kids/).
Thousands of schools around Australia are now using Moodle and they're on the path to engaged students and individualised curriculum. Now is the time to ramp up the innovation, adding some 'x factor' elements that take the concept of school websites beyond the ordinary.
Jason Hando is a digital learning designer, consultant and trainer based in Sydney. He is known in education circles around the world for his expert knowledge of Moodle and Joomla. He has worked with schools, universities and corporate clients over the past 10 years. His focus is on productive and attractive learning systems that empower teachers and engage students. For assistance in achieving a great Moodle site for your school or organisation, please contact Jason via email:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
