Moodle+lesson

1. Look at an overview of Moodle with "Moodle Explained with Legos" and "Using Moodle in the Classroom" 2. Get a feel for Moodle with a look at a sample unit (with Evan) 3. Read about the Degrees of Moodle Use in the Classroom or Moodle Uses for Professional Development 4. Log in to your practice course 5. Complete the Moodle Practice Lesson (Below) 6. Individual Work Time: Practice building your own course and/or check out the additional resources on Moodle

Here are the steps we'll look at during the lesson: 1. NAVIGATING: Look at the beginning home screen. Click on the news forum in the middle to go to the forum. Use the breadcrumbs to navigate back to your course (it will be second from the left... after the word moodle)

2. EDITING: Click the "turn editing on" button. That will bring up the editing icons. [|Here is a pdf] that explains what each button means. Above the News Forum, click on the editing button to bring up the editing screen. On this screen, write a quick description for your "course", using any of the formatting buttons to format your text (such as bold, italics, etc.) and click the save changes button.

3. ADDING RESOURCES: We'll start by adding another page. [|Here is a pdf] that explains the general process of adding resources (and in addition, you can click on the question marks by "add a resource" and "add an activity").

We'll add a web page entitled "Grading scale" (feel free to improvise or create a fictional grading scale if your classroom's grading scale isn't conducive to typing up... we are just creating it for the practice at this point). Go under "add a resource" to "compose a web page". In the next screen, give it the name "Grading Scale". You can skip summary for now. Then where it says compose a web page, type your classroom's grading scale. Be sure to format it the way you would like, including fonts, color, and alignment. When you are finished, click "save and display" to take a look at it.

When you look at the file, click on the button in the upper right that says "update this resource". This takes you back to the editing screen. Edit if you would like, or go back to the "save and display" button. This time, use your breadcrumbs and go back to your course's home page.

4. ADDING RESOURCES (Con't): Next we will add a link to the district/agency home page. Go under "add a resource" down to "link to a file or website". In the screen that comes up, name it "Our Home Page". Skip the summary. Where it says link to a file, go ahead and type in the district home page address. Down below, where it says window, you can change that to "new window" if you want your students to automatically open a new window when they click on the link. Click "save and display" to look at it, then navigate back to your course's home.

5. ADDING RESOURCES (Con't): Next we will add a MS Word document. [|Here is a sample one] (click to download to your desktop). If you have your own word document (say a course syllabus or an assignment), you can use it instead.

Go under "add a resource" down to "link to a file or website". In the screen that comes up, name it "Bloggers Contract" (or whatever else applies). Skip the summary. Where it says link to a file, click the "choose or upload a file button".

In the window that pops up, click on the "upload a file" button. Then click the "browse" button.

In the next window that pops up, navigate to your file that you downloaded (or are using). Click the "open" button. Then in the previous screen, click the "upload this file" button.

Now when you are back at the first popup screen, click the word choose to the right of the file you uploaded. That will put it in the field where you typed the home page address for #4. Go to the bottom and click "save and return to course".

6. EDITING RESOURCES: Once the resources are added, you can move, hide, or delete them (check the PDF from step 2 for a reminder about the buttons). Move the home page address up to the top of your list (above the grading scale). Then, hide the bloggers contract.

7. SEEING IT AS A STUDENT: To see what a student would see, go up to the drop down menu in the upper right corner of your home page and change it to "student". Now you will not see the hidden blogger contract. Click the "return to my normal role" button to go back to being a teacher (and click the turn editing on button again).

8. CHANGING BLOCKS: You can add, move, or delete the course blocks that are on the left and right columns of your course. Since there is an administration block on the right, delete the one on the left by clicking the X in it. Try moving the "upcoming events" block to the left side and all the way to the top (this will take several steps).

Next, go to the Add blocks drop down menu (lower right corner) and add a calendar block. Then, under upcoming events, click on the "new event" link. Create a "course event". Call the event "Unit Test" and give it a description if you would like. Set the due date for this Friday and make sure there is no repeats or duration, since it is a one time event. Click the save changes button. Then use your breadcrumbs to navigate back to your course's home page. Now you will see the event listed under upcoming events and under your calendar.

9. REPORTS: You can see a report of all the activity on your site. Under the Administration block, click on reports. This brings up a screen that allows you to select all the parameters you would like for your report. For now, leave them all where they are and click on "Get these logs". This will list all the actions you have done and pages you have looked at so far.