Social studies teacher Brian Powell switched this year from using the SharePoint teacher websites to experimenting with Moodle, a course management system designed specifically for education.
Powell, along with 30 classes and five other teachers started testing Moodle (Modular Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) software.
Powell began using Moodle during the fourth quarter of last year with his AP Government and Western Civilization classes. “I spoke to Mr. Scholl and Mr. Barker and asked them for permission, basically, to experiment. They didn’t object,” said Powell.
“[Moodle is] designed for educators, for academic environments.,” said Powell.
Powell prefers Moodle because its features are easier to use. “It’s more than a document sharing software. SharePoint has blogs and wikis and things like that, but the way I use Moodle, I can get those blogs and wikis and things up faster. I can get them into a format that I can grade easier and even look better if I want to,” said Powell.
Powell also believes that Moodle software simplifies student-teacher communication. The site also has its own grade book. “With all of that, I had to make the switch,” said Powell.
Other teachers have found additional advantages to using the Moodle website. Social studies teacher James Fendryk said, “The advantages from my end are pretty complex. Moodle gives activity logs from each student in my classes. I can see exactly what my students are doing in my classes on the website. My class becomes an open course. Everything we do in class is projected through the website,” said Fendryk.
Fendryk and Powell cite the Moodle due date calendar as a key advantage. When teachers attach a due date to an assignment, this immediately links to the calendar. On Sharepoint, adding an assignment requires the additional step of adding a date to the calendar.
“Teachers do a lot, and SharePoint for us seems a little unmanageable,” said Fendryk.
Moodle is an open source program, which means that teachers can have more freedom in designing, changing, and maintaining their websites.
For now, Powell runs Moodle on a server that costs $100 a year for unlimited storage, bandwidth, and hosting, which he pays for himself. Powell had to purchase some hosting space last year when he started using Moodle, but the website itself is free. The Moodle site is hosting student work off-campus.
“There’s some concern about hosting student work outside of the building, but I have not encountered any problems,” said Powell.
Other concerns presented by the new program pertain to the speed of the website. “We have had speed issues, where there was a lot of lag. [Now] it works faster than SharePoint,” said Powell.
Moodle has over 31 million users working out the kinks in the system every day. Colleges such as Bucknell University and the University of Minnesota use Moodle exclusively.
Other teachers may experiment with Moodle in the future. “I’m waiting until they perfect [Moodle], then I’ll be interested in it,” said Social Studies Department Chair Jake Hollin.
The students currently using Moodle have opportunity to compare the software with SharePoint. Freshman Dale Harris said, “I like Moodle better because it’s easier to get the handouts and comprehend the tasks. I use it mostly every day.”
Seniors who have been using the SharePoint technology for the past three years present mixed feelings about the Moodle site. “Moodle is a cool changeup. It’s much more organized, but it’s harder to find [the ways] to upload documents,” said senior Scott McIntire.
Senior Bri Reese said, “For me, [Moodle’s] easier to find assignments and find directions for projects. It’s a better setup overall.”
Powell will continue to use Moodle software this year as he experiments and analyzes how a switch from SharePoint to Moodle could benefit the community.
“I’m not about making my job harder. Moodle makes my life easy when running a website,” said Powell.
Katie Clarke can be reached for comment at [email protected].