Moodle, a tool to leverage technology integration

I have been aware of Moodle as a platform for creating online course materials for several years now. However, it has only been about a year since I began actually using it to create online content for professional development. What impresses me about this program other than it is free, is that it so easily lends itself to technology integration. For the most part, when an assignment is made, it requires a student to use technology to create, produce, research, share, collaborate, or communicate to complete the assignment.  That means that the student will be "using technology to achieve academic goals."

Up until now I was not sure about how to help high school teachers to get a handle on integrating technology into the curriculum. However, I think Moodle is one part of the solution. [Even as I say this, I am reminded that Mary Cooch (Moodle Fairy) has written a book entitled Moodle 1.9 for Teaching 7-14 Year Olds: Beginner's Guide. It can be ordered at https://www.packtpub.com/beginners-guide-moodle-1-9-for-teaching-7-14-year-olds/book. This book is well written and an excellent resource for using Moodle to create online course work for both elementary and middle school students.]  Using this tool may be yet another way to hook our teachers into technology integration. 

Now I am sure that some teachers are wondering why they would use an online course management system when they meet with their students everyday. One good reason is that current research seems to link the use of online learning to improved student achievement. 

"Students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction. The difference between student outcomes for online and face-to-face classes... was larger in those studies contrasting conditions that blended elements of online and face-to-face instruction with conditions taught entirely face-to-face."   Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning

 For me Moodle is just another tool in the arsenal for leveraging teachnology (I know I misspelled the word. I did it accidentally, but I kind of like it.) into the curriculum. In the coming weeks I will share other approaches on how I am working to get our teachers to jump on board.