VLE CMS LMS LCMS
No, someone did not fall asleep on my keyboard. Yes, all of those stand for something. These are the current terms we are looking at in my Learning Technologies graduate class. I was struggling to mentally divide the management systems and keep them separate. Writing it down is my attempt at figuring it out.
I am starting with VLE because it was actually not a term that came up in the reading. However, while I was doing my own exploratory research trying to make sense of the reading, I found it. Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) are the European solution to the confusion of the multiple other names and the blurry differences between them. Everything that is not strictly a management tool fits in that category. In one of the many articles I read said a better name was “virtual environment for learning” because the learning is real, it just takes place in a virtual environment. This could be a LCMS or a CMS.
I am most familiar with course management systems (CMS). I log in to Moodle more times during a day than Facebook, even on the weekend. I have enjoyed the benefits from both the student perspective (at Harrisburg University) and as a teacher. Even as I am writing this, there is a tab open with work Moodle and another tab with grad school Moodle.
University Moodle is organized by weeks, which works out perfectly for a graduate class that only meets once a week. My Moodle course is set up by category for my students. Each unit has a section. I love that I can find any resource I could need to complete assignments or find extra practice. My students almost automatically check Moodle when they have been absent to see what they have missed. Under most topics there are games for review or videos relevant to the topic. I have noticed that students will sign in during study halls or free periods just for fun. This means they are taking the education out of the classroom.
I know not all students are as comfortable with using Moodle. Over winter break I heard a group of 4 college freshmen complaining about using Moodle. They did not like how teachers expected them to find the correct resources or assignments on their own. They wanted everything just handed to them on paper. I had to bite my tongue to not have a quick retort. Part of the problem could be that the professors have not had enough training to create an efficient course, but most of the problem sounded like laziness on the part of the students.
LMS, Learning Management System, is the system I struggled to understand the most. For some organizations a expansive LMS is unnecessary; a simple Excel can track for smaller groups. The LMS is a way to register people for e-Learning courses or trainings, as well as track what people have done. Some SCORMs can be connected to the LMS so the e-Learning can happen in the LMS, but that is not a pure example. LMS are beneficial for organizations that need to keep detailed, updated reports of ongoing education for industry compliance. MyHU is an example of an LMS used at the university level. I know that most colleges have one – it is the homepage for current students. Examples include MyEtown for Elizabethtown College and my’Ville for Millersville University.
LCMS, Learning Content Management System, bring all the content or material together in a centralized location so multiple people can author, administer, and utilize the system. United Streaming is an example of an LCMS. All the content is in one place. For an LCMS, the learner can proceed through the training in somewhat individualized ways. If they are confident with one topic, they could skip ahead to the next section or topic.
By the same definition, Lynda.com would be another example of an LCMS. There are multiple course authors who had content to the centralized location. There are different courses on the same topic for different levels, and within a level you can skip around or repeat something you did not understand the first time. I was impressed when I went through the Podcasting training using Audacity. I already knew most of what was being said, but I still felt it was worthwhile. If I had been so inclined, there was a practice track for people to edit while watching the tutorial video; hands on practice is the best way for the lesson to stick. I did come away from the training wanting a Mac so I could use GarageBand. I think a major benefit to Lynda.com is the pricing options. When you come across a new technology that you want to learn about, you probably only need a month of access to the tutorials, and Lynda.com offers a single month price. I’ve seen other sites that lock you in for a year … which would be wasteful for learning a single new technology unless you are totally inept.
This might have seemed like a long tanget to other people – but I think I finally have it figured out for myself. There are many similarities for the management systems, but they have unique aspects and are appropriate for different situations. When in doubt, they all can be defined with the European term Virtual Learning Environment.
Frontline: Digital Nation
With the cold weather and snow, last night felt like a cool time to curl up on the couch and watch TV. I did not like any of the options – until I saw Frontline. This is not a program that normally catches my attention; however, the topic was Digital Nation.
They looked at many subtopics that were high interest to me as a Middle School Teacher and a student myself with Learning Technologies. I would highly recommend watching the show (the entire program is available online for people to watch). Some of the topics covered:
- The developmental challenges that will face young students who are constantly exposed to technology. It is also a challenge for teachers. The media has been saying that students brain’s are ‘wired differently’ it is really a change in mentality. Why should they memorize rote answers, like the capitals of each state, if that can be searched and instantly found.
- Are people truly able to multitask? The answer was no. People think they can multitask, but they get distracted and have lower actual performance on all the tasks. What is interesting in the moment captures the attention, for however short term that is. Boring textbooks are not able to compete at all.
- The reporter visited South Korea to see what they are doing. South Korea was ahead of the digital curve, so they are seeing some negative ramifications first as well. They have diagnosed digital addictions, especially for video games. They are now being proactive by teaching healthy computer use and digital etiquette to students in early elementary school.
- There was lots of exploration into digital worlds – which is something I have not explored yet. I can see myself being hooked, but I would hope I would not get to the point where I quit my job so I could play World of Warcraft all day.
- The conversation about where schools are heading was extremely interesting. It was interesting to see how a middle school dealt with being a 1:1 school (ratio of laptops to students). Their teachers were doing many of the same things I see in our Middle School – the difference is we do not have all our classes at 1:1. The vice principal demonstrating how they check up on student use was amusing. He said he spent a little time each day just checking what random students had running on their laptops. Many girls used the webcam as a mirror to fix their hair - he said if he saw that, he would take a picture, and the student would realize someone was watching and get back to work.
- I did not agree with everything that was said about exclusively using video games for education. Games have their place in education, but it can not replace education. I have watched students play games repetitively – they do not know the correct answer, but they eventually learn what they have to do to move on.
As a follow up to the program, there is a robust discussion forum.
While watching the program I did a lot of reflective thinking about my students and the influence that technology has on their learning. I think the most interesting take-away from the program was the one scientist saying how the media takes results, compresses them into a headline, and runs with it. Yet, just showing such a small portion of the results skews everything. I remember when headlines everywhere were declaring that Google makes you smarter. Dr. Gary Small said that the Google research was summarized incorrectly. It is not necessarily a good thing that your brain is glowing on a brain scan; it means the brain is having to work hard. He compared it to people working out in a gym: you could be really strong and work your muscles with ease or you can be weaker and struggle to lift the same amount of weight. The people who struggled would have their muscles lit up on a scan. This implies that internet searching can build our ability to think, but at the same time, even to internet savvy people it is not as natural a function as reading.
Video Toolbox
Mashable has a collection of online tools for everything to do with videos: video creation, editing, and sharing tools.
The 150 resources are divided up into the categories: Live Video Communication, Online Video How-to, Online Video Editors, Online Video Converters, Video Sharing, Video Hosting, Video Organization & Management, Vidcasts & Vlogging, Video Mashups, Mobile Video Apps, Video Search, Online Video Download, & Misc.
LRS Course
Promethean Planet offers an online course for Learner Response Systems – ActivExpression, ActiVote, ActivSlate, & ActivEngage. There are very well done tutorials that break down each step of the process. I looked at the sections on ActivExpression (which I recently got in my classroom) and the ActivEngage (which is on the net books in a room I travel to). Much of the information was prior knowledge, but I learned a lot about evaluating and viewing the results.
After you are confident about the material there is an assessment. If you score 100% on the assessment, there is a certificate of completion.
I would highly recommend the course for anyone who uses any of the Activ student response systems. I was quick and informative. I was able to skip parts I knew and go straight to the areas that I was unsure about.
Bubome
Bubome is a fun photo masher. There are many images that relate to current events or cultural events. However, not all images are school appropriate, so I would not have students use this site.
I will use the site to create visually appealing, quick attention getters. The example I created took less than 15 minutes. I used the image of Renaldiho the soccer star of FC Barcelona. 
arcelona. Are our students ready for the future?
I have seen many great inspirational posters – I was motivated to create my own. I found the “inspirational poster creator” through a Google search. The choices at Big Huge Labs were all easy to use. I found the quote at Quote Garden. My sister and I took the picture while visiting a museum in Philadelphia.
I choose the quote right after reading the news. Once again reading the news made me realize that students (and many adults) need to be more grateful, more globally aware, and more generous. We cannot control many of the earth shattering or life altering events – like natural disasters or market crashes. The last year or two has dramatically changed how many Americans live their life. Even the rich are having to watch their spending because money is not as readily available as it once felt. Life was changed in a matter of minutes for thousands of people in Haiti on Tuesday. If it changed, that means we still have life, something in itself to be grateful for.
I want to stop focusing on what I do not have, and be grateful for what I do have. It does not matter how old the computers might be in my classroom, I do have computers. This year I might not have gotten a mini-laptop grant, but we did get an Interactive Whiteboard installed in the room.
Students should be ready for so much more in life than comes out of a textbook. People have been saying this for years, but many people are only talking about the 21st century with computer skills. I think the humanity and compassion need to be reinstated. The Internet initially took away the identity of people – you were not laughing at an actual person, just a video posted on the Internet. However, with so many web 2.0 changes, we can now communicate with people around the world, which makes them actual humans again. I would hope that people are still able to be compassionate towards their neighbors in times of need. Technology has changed the definition of neighbor – but the willingness to help a neighbor should be the same. Haiti is our neighbor.
I was angered by comments to the news stories explaining the situation in Haiti, specifically the capital. How can people say they deserve it? Or that the United States has too many of their own problems to help? Even people living in true poverty in the United States have a better life than the majority of people in a 3rd world country. This ignorance needs to be erased. People need to be more globally aware of what the world is really liked. The United States is not the center of the world – even if it appears that way on maps produced for the US.
I also think that people need to be more generous, it could be with time or with money. If people were willing to volunteer instead of always being worried about how much they are being paid, they would get more enjoyment out of the situation. For years in high school and college, I struggled to get out of bed early on Saturday mornings … but I loved working for Good Works and Habitat for Humanity. I enjoyed spending the entire day with friends helping others. The feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day really can not be described.
There is hope for the current and future generations. With the massive amount of money needed to help Haiti, the Red Cross set up a donation system that was able to raise $1.2 million in 24 hours. All people had to do is text the word ‘Haiti’ to 90999 and $10 would be automatically donated to the Red Cross. The charge would show up on the cell phone bill. It was a true overnight success, which is evident by the new wave of text scams trying to capitalize on people’s generosity.
Our Spanish club students also understand their global responsibility to help when possible. One of the goals that they established on their own was to raise money to help save the rain forest in Central America, specifically in Costa Rica. At the end of the year we are going to donate the money through Kids Saving the Rain Forest. I think the students goal is to have enough money to adopt and name a monkey … I envision a poor monkey named Cheese or Llama, or a combination of the two. While the name might end up being crazy, the intentions are good.
I need to model these in my own life: gratitude, global awareness, and generosity.
Horton Timer-Picker
Mmmm … I really like the Horton Timer-Picker, but it is not free. Is it worth $45? I am still undecided. It was perfect for in class discussions. It randomly picks a person to talk, and there is a countdown timer to keep track of how long they get to talk. This is perfect for a class where the discussion tends to be unbalanced. I can create my own using multiple tools – an random name picker and an online timer. But in theory, I like the Horton Timer-Picker.
Resolutions
1. Go for it. There are many opportunities to showcase what I am doing, exchange ideas, and make my life easier. People are never too young to be teachers. You just need the knowledge, the passion, and the ability to communicate. I would much rather be in front of the classroom than bored, sitting through ANOTHER technology in-service based on basic computer skills.
2. Reflect. In the last year I have really increased the use of technology in my classroom. I need to spend more time reflecting making sure I am using the best tool for the situation. Instead of overwhelming the students with all the cool tools I find, I need to find tools that can be used in a variety of situations.
3. Be more tolerant of others. People know I enjoy technology and that I apply it in the classroom. They are frequently passing along “great tips.” If it is something I already know, I should encourage them, and provide them with another tech tip. I need to avoid the negativity. Even if I do not agree that Google Forms are better than Moodle quizzes (obviously not, since Moodle can self-grade and provide specific and timely feedback) … even with difference of opinion, at least people are attempting to use technology in ways to benefit the students.
4. Let it go. There are some things I can not control – like technology not working or people letting technology sit idle. There are more important things in life, which has never been more clear to me than this year.
Europe
I’ve noticed an abundance of games, resources, and general knowledge about Interactive Whiteboards coming from Great Britain and Europe. I guess while we were trying to keep no child from falling behind, they were trying to enrich the learning for all. I will put my patriotic pride aside to learn from their wisdom.
Some of the essentials:
- Interactive Whiteboard Blog
- Teachers-Direct (especially Quiz-Busters)
- MFLGames
- Crickweb
- Classtools
- ICT in MFL
- People I am following on Twitter:
- russeltarr
- classtools
- tombarrett
- iwbict
- timbuckteeth
- chriscattaneo
- aliceayel
- ShellTerrell
- icpjones
- dannynic
PETE&C
I will be co-presenting & I have a group of students presenting at the Student Showcase for PETE&C in Hershey in February 2010. I am so excited about both.
My presentation is: Bringing Global Connections Home with Moodle. It is practical because we are using so much technology (most of which is linked through Moodle) in our Foreign Language department – especially at the middle school level.
I just found out today that my 6th graders were accepted for their project ~ A New Think-Pair-Share: Think-Collaborate-Publish. The past few months with access to 1:1 laptops has been AMAZING. The students have enjoyed using GoogleDocs, peer editing, than having the chance to publish their work online. We have used both Voicethread & Glogster Edu for publishing. The students have benefited because they were getting peer feedback and also teacher feedback on the GoogleDoc before they reached the publishing step. So they were confident and proud of their work and willing to share it with the world.
In regards to peer feedback: the students have been taught that if they do not agree they should ask a question as a comment to the GoogleDocs (ctrl M is our friend). We also established that online etiquette does not allow them to delete someone else’s work. We dedicated class time to using GoogleDocs and learning about Voicethread. However, now we can continue using the tools in the classroom and they are able to excel with limited guidance. The technology is enhancing the learning not taking up time. Recent studies have shown that students who publish online have more confidence to write. These students have a higher self-efficacy. Often when students are publishing their work they are going beyond the minimum expectations and enjoying it.
Each of my classes has their own blog. The Voicethreads are embedded in the class blog so it can be shared with family and friends. Everyone is welcome to leave feedback and comments. The students are very proud of their work. When we create Voicethreads in class, they easily receive 90+ comments, which implies the students are engaged in the learning. They leave positive and reflective feedback for their classmates and they get feedback from their family as well.
