Using my Moodle???

As a fledgling online instructor of science (physics and chemistry) I was frustrated with the ability to "see" students work when problem solving or on tests.. I am a very old fashion teacher that likes to know what the students are thinking when they submit an answer.. I am not comfortable with multiple choice test as a true measure of ability.. I would like some help... What avenues do I have for having the ability for students to show their work on problem sets, labs or tests?

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Permalink Reply by Tammy Moore on March 25, 2009 at 8:14am

I teach science using a combination of Moodle, Elluminate, and VoiceThread. Some of the options you can put to use to see/hear the students' thinking processes using these tools are ...

Moodle: Instead of using the quiz tool, try using the discussion tools in Moodle such as the forum. Design your problems with not so cut-and-dry answers and encourage them to brainstorm/discuss their methodologies and conclusions.

Elluminate: This is a live, online classroom platform. As far as the thinking process goes, they are just as much 'there' as they would be in a face-to-face classroom setting, so many of the methods that worked in the traditional classrooms to 'see' their thinking process can apply. You can even set up problems for the students to work on and set the room to roam and move from slide to slide to watch them work and talk to them about their process.

VoiceThread - You can take many of the elements discussed for Elluminate and make them assynchronous with VoiceThread. You post the 'seed questions' and the students can comment via web cam, chat, adio, video, and drawing/writing on the slide. Very editable and user friendly!

Contact me if you would like to learn more about these tools.I run free summer training for our volunteer and you are welcome to join in. Tammy Moore at armoorefam@centurytel.net

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Permalink Reply by Cheri MacLeod on March 25, 2009 at 10:52am

Tammy has given some good ideas below but if you are using Moodle I'm wondering if you want to stay with open source free tools...so I'm going to suggest a good free alternative to Elluminate called WiZiQ http://www.wiziq.com/ for online 'live' opportunities. I think it has all the same features.