A discussion of the application of Moodle Groups and Groupings in a Middle School Cross Curriculum project.

1. Moodle to Mars
FETC 2010 - Mark McCall
Odyssey Academy
SFA Middle School
801 S. Ennis Bryan, TX
(979) 209-6700 Class of 2016
odyssey@bryanisd.org
http://www.ci.bryanisd.org/odyssey

2. Impacts of 1:1
Classroom
• Digital Classroom
• “Tearing the Down the Walls”
• Using the classroom technology to expand
and to manage the learning experience.

3. What do student’s
want?
• Student’s design the ultimate classroom.
• Teacher excited about Science
• Use animations and simulations
• Conduct real research
• Work on Group Projects
• Use tech tool for investigation
• Use standard lab tools
Source: 21st Century Science Education and Technology, NetDay Speak up 2007 Survey

4. Odyssey Academy

5. Authenticate Education
Students learn
Leadership,
Problem Solving,
Value of Teams,
and Academics while
solving real world
problems.
Best Robotics, 2008
Where the
experience is real.

6. Connecting Students
to the World
USDA
NASA -
Johnson Space Center
Apple Computers
Where the world
comes to your
classroom.

7. Connecting Students
to the World
Polar Palooza
2008
Polar Scientist
provided primary
source information.
Where the world
comes to your
classroom.

8. Connecting Students
to the World
News from below
the Equator
Moodle Updates
from Ms. Mullins.
Where the world
comes to your
classroom.

9. Connecting Students
to the World
Life in Space
Dr. Joseph Kerwin
visits Odyssey.
Where the world
comes to your
classroom.

10. Authenticate Education
Students learn
Leadership,
Problem Solving,
Value of Teams,
and Academics while
solving real world
problems.
Best Robotics, 2008
Where the
experience is real.

11. Project Overview

12. Science and Math

13. Social Studies and
Language Arts

14. Grouping

15. Ability Grouping
(Alpha Grouping)
High
Middle
Alpha Group
Low
76 Students = 23 Teams of 3, 2 Teams of 4

16. Auto Create Groups

17. Management Teams
Teacher 1 Teacher 2 Teacher 3 Teacher 4
T1 T6 T10 T15
T2 T7 T11 T16
Tn Tn Tn Tn

18. Task Teams
Presentation
Scale Model
Website

19. Group Review
Alpha Management Task
Website
Team
Team Teacher Model
01 A Team
Presentation
Team

20. Moodle Groups

21. Moodle Alpha Groups

22. Teacher Teams

23. Task Teams

24. Task Team Grouping

25. Creating a Grouping

26. Groups in Action

27. Forum vs. Blog
FORUMS Blogs
Interactive Personal
Conversation Written Reflective
Groups Web 2.0 Log/Diary
Reverse
Threaded Chronology

28. Learning Orientation Versus Cognitive
Achievement in Two Course Formats
(Overgaugh, Lin 205-223)

29. Forums & Blogs &
Moodle
• Forums are Activities that you add to a
course.
• Blogs are attached to a user not a course.

30. Moodle Forum Types
• A single simple discussion- A single topic, all on one page. Useful for
short, focussed discussions.
• Standard Forum for general use - an open forum where anyone can
start a new topic at any time.
• Each person posts one discussion - Each student can post exactly
one new discussion topic (everyone can reply).
• Q and A Forum - Requires student to post their perspective before
viewing other postings.

31. Forums and
Group Mode
• Teachers can control each forum with various group settings.
• Visible - Can see other groups responses but may not respond.
• Separate - Invisible to all other groups.
• No Groups - Every student participates in one forum.
• Teachers may also assign specific groupings to the forum.
• Only student groups within that grouping may participate in the forum.
• Used to control multiple group visibility.

32. Forum Group Settings
Forum: Teacher (Cunha) Support Forum
Group Setting: Separate Groups
Grouping: Teacher Group
Interactions:
Mr. Cunha can interact with all Cunha
groups.
Students in G1 can only see and G1 G2 Gn
respond to postings in the G1
forum.

33. Separate Groups
Teacher View Student View

34. Forums in the Mars
Colony Project
Forum Setting Purpose
Common
News Forum Standard
Announcements
Groups: Separate Group
Project Teams
Grouping: Teams Communication
Groups: Separate Q&A with other
Task Teams
Grouping: Tasks experts
Ask an Expert Groups: None Outside Experts

35. Other Uses of Groups
• Assignment Management
• Grade Management
• One-to-One Reporting

36. Expert Forums
• NASA
• Individual Contact - Deborah Hutchings
• User Account
• Would get emails when there was a new
post.

37. NASA Questions

38. NASA Questions

39. NASA Questions

40. NASA Questions

41. NASA Questions

42. NASA Questions

43. NASA Questions

44. Apple Question

45. Apple Questions

46. Impacts of 1:1
Classroom
• Digital Classroom
• “Tearing the Down the Walls”
• Using the classroom technology to expand
and to manage the learning experience.

47. What do student’s
want?
• Student’s design the ultimate classroom.
• Teacher excited about Science
• Use animations and simulations
• Conduct real research
• Work on Group Projects
• Use tech tool for investigation
• Use standard lab tools
Source: 21st Century Science Education and Technology, NetDay Speak up 2007 Survey

48. Questions
• Mark McCall
• Director of Training Services
• mark.mccall@remote-learner.net