Presentation for the TEAM10WA meeting in Perth, 19th November 2010

1. Martin Dougiamas
Lead Moodler
Executive Director, Moodle Pty Ltd
Improving
our practice

2. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
Open Source Software
Free to download
Free to use
Free to explore, modify and extend
Free to distribute (under GPL)
Free to help with development
Free to choose your service supplier
Free to run a business using it
Free to use something else!
And you are also...
Basic rights for everyone

3. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
Open Source Platform
Moodle Core
Mods Modules
Course design
User contributions
Course Management System
Other Systems
(Open Source or Proprietary)
SIS
AuthenticationPortfolios
Repositories
Payment Conferencing
Reports Plagiarism
Open Source
Moodle

4. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
History
1999 0.0 First prototype versions
11 / 2001 0.9 First pre-release version on the web
8 / 2002 1.0 Forum, Survey, Journal, Resources, Quiz...
8 / 2003 1.1 Backups, Workshop, Chat, Scales...
3 / 2004 1.2 Filters, Groups, Glossary, Lesson ...
5 / 2004 1.3 Calendar, Blocks, RSS, Media plugins ...
8 / 2004 1.4 Installer, Resources, Enrolments, Wiki...
6 / 2005 1.5 XHTML, Themes, Blocks, Gradebook ...
6 / 2006 1.6 Unicode, Database, Docs, Blogs, Reports ..
11 / 2006 1.7 Roles, Admin, Oracle and MSSQL, AJAX ..
3 / 2007 1.8 Accessibility, MNet, Forms, Multi-auth...
3 / 2008 1.9 Gradebook, Outcomes, Performance, Tags, Notes..
11 / 2010 2.0 Biggest release yet

5. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
Moodle Roadmap
The likelihood some feature will get
included in Moodle is a function of :
How much it supports our pedagogical focus
Number of votes from existing users
Can it be developed in a generic way to help many
How long it will take to develop
Is it easier just to integrate with something existing
How much developer time is available
Does it blend?

6. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
Current Statistics
We know of over 50,000 registered verified sites in
210 countries
Registered sites contain 36 million users,
3.7 million courses and 1.2 million teachers
At least 500 sites have more than 10,000 users
Interface translated into 86 languages
54 specialised Moodle Partners

7. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
9225
4299
3358 3150
2306
1823 1763
1323 1230 1188
USA Spain Brazil UK Germany Mexico Portugal Australia Columbia Italy
50,000+ installations

8. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
33% 28% 13% 9% 4% 14%
University Secondary School Company Independent Primary school Other
Environments

9. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
Some universities

10. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
Some Corporates

11. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
Software
Moodle Economics
Universities / Schools
moodle.comFunded by Royalties
Discussion, Free
Support etc
Development,
Documentation etc
Active User
Community
(50,000 per month)
Moodle.org
Developer
Community
(250)
54 Support Companies Worldwide
Companies Educators

12. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
An exploration of the use of an
Open Source software called
Moodle to support a social
constructionist epistemology of
teaching and learning within
Internet-based communities of
reflective inquiry
My PhD thesis

13. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
Basic concept
People Software Tools
Community
+
ImprovingTeaching
Ideally with skilled facilitators

14. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
Pedagogical Focus

15. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
Referent 1
All of us are potential teachers as well as learners - in a true
collaborative environment we are both

16. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
Referent 2
We learn particularly well from the act of creating or
expressing something for others to see (Papert, Aristotle)

17. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
Referent 3
We learn by just observing the activity of our peers
(culture)

18. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
Referent 4
By understanding the contexts of others, we can teach in a
more transformational way (constructivism)

19. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
Referent 5
A learning environment needs to be flexible and adaptable,
so that it can quickly respond to the changing needs of the
participants within it

20. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
Pedagogical Referents
1. All of us are potential teachers as well as learners - in a
true collaborative environment we are both
2. We learn particularly well from the act of creating or
expressing something for others to see
3. We learn a lot by just observing the activity of our peers
4. By understanding the contexts of others, we can teach in
a more transformational way (constructivism)
5. A learning environment needs to be flexible and
adaptable, so that it can quickly respond to the needs of
the participants within it

21. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
Pedagogical basics
What is the simplest possible
pedagogical technique that
promotes all this?
(in my view)
Asking questions

22. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
And is this how people use Moodle?

23. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
6. Combine the activities into sequences
Pedagogical progression
1. Publish content (Resource, SCORM)
2. Provide a passive Forum
3. Use interactive Quizzes and Assignments
4. Wikis, Glossaries, Databases (collaboration)
5. Facilitate discussions in the Forum. Questions!
7. Introduce external activities and games
8. Use Survey tools and logs to study / reflect
9. Give students more power (structure/grades)
10. Active research, communities of practice!

24. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
Improvements/Rewrites
• File storage and handling
• Roles and enrolments
• Messaging
• Backup and Restore
• Gradebook
• Blocks and Layout
• Themes / AJAX / Interface
• Comments and Ratings
• My Moodle
• Customisable User Profile pages
• Workshop / Chat / Lesson / Quiz
• Wiki / SCORM / Resources
• Database access / data handling
2.0
Major New Features
• Navigation
• Community hubs
• Repository support
• Portfolio support
• Completion
• Conditional activities
• Cohorts
• Web services API
• Secure RSS feeds
• IMS CC
• Blog associations and comments
• External blog support
• Mobile integration

25. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
In

26. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
Community Hubs
In
Moodle Hub Server
eg hub.moodle.org
Register as
downloadable
Template User Community User
Building a course Taking a course
Enrollable courseDownloadable course
Register as
enrollable
zip
Download
Backup
Search
Publishing site Community site
Restore
Search
Enrol
Ordinary Moodle site
Course
List
A
D
1
2
3
B
E
C
cache

27. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
Web Services API
Moodle
Functions
(Core and
Modules)
External
Client
Application
SOAP
XML-RPC
REST
AMF
External
Server
Application

28. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
Repositories
Moodle
Files
Almost
any other
content
repository

29. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
2.1, 2.2, 2.3...
• Reworking all standard modules (usability and pedagogy)
• Assignment
• Forum
• Survey (merging with Questionnaire and Feedback)
• Choice
• Lesson
• Quiz etc
• Grading and Rubrics
• Mobile use
• Integrating new modules (lots)
• Refinements in all areas based on your feedback
• Minimal changes to the Moodle 2 “Operating System”

30. Copyright 2010 © Martin Dougiamas
Questions?
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