So in recent days I have been researching the concept of a Learning Management System for my school. It has been an interesting journey! I was first introduced to the concept of a learning management system last year when my Principal asked if I had heard about a program called Moodle which at that time I had not. She mentioned that Northern Beaches Christian College had Moodle running and were doing some pretty good things on a low budget and would I like to go and see it? I said yes and along with another colleague to visit NBCS to see what they were doing with Moodle and ICT intgration. They had some very innovative ideas such as the HSC online and calling the primary version of Moodle for their school P.E.T.E (Primary Education through e learning). They have obviously spent a lot of time with Moodle and getting working and looking good and been working on some quite innovative ideas such the HSC online and beyond borders and blended learning. But we did not see a large amount of evidence of 21st century learning and pedagogical change.

Progress forward 4 months and one of our local schools has done a similar thing to Northern Beaches with a slick Moodle install but no real pedagogical change.

Progress forward another 6months to a visit to a well known private school to view their install of eduKate. Not all teachers were using the LMS but their was evidence of some innovative teaching practises being encouraged however still lacking a true 21st century skills focus.

Progress forward another 2 weeks and a conversation at the most recent blogger’s feast with a university employee who was talking about all the different aspects of Learning Management Systems that they have installed but bemoaning the fact that the pedagogy of teaching at a uni level i.e. lecture/tutorial had not really changed.

Progress to the next day to a visit made to a school that again has a very good Moodle install that they have spent 18 months developing but again acknowledging that they need someone to change they way teachers teach, and in fact they are advertising for a Director of Learning Technologies to answer this need.

So where is this leading me? I have come to the conclusion that the most important thing that transforms teaching and learning is not a learning management system. It is a focus on good pedagogy, project based learning, 21st century skills, higher order thinking and pwoerful learning. It is about using techonology as part of the learning environment. A learning management system does in no way replace or answer any of these thing. It is merely a tool to help organise the resources for a class and perhaps (depending on the type you choose) a method for delivering some web 2.0 type tools to the classroom. So as we go about the process of selecting a LMS for our school I must remeber that it is not the panacea of all ills!

Wikispace

Science Leadership Academy, small public high school in Philadelphia, 1:1 laptop school. We work best/learn best when it matters to us. Kids may not know what matters to them yet. There are some tenents of what school 2.0 should be: caring institutions, grammars matters, we teach kids not subjects, student centred (it’s not about us), Inquiry driven: what are the questions we can ask together? They need to be authentic questions, passionate and it has to matter, Metacognative -we need to think about thinking, technology infused – ubiquitous, necessary and invisible, understanding driven and Project based.

What is the road map and how do we get there – pedagodgy is everything, progressive teaching using 21st century tools, (Read John Dewy) technology Overload and how to prevent it,what’s good is better tan what’s new!!! The best tool is the one we all agree to use together! Technology needs to do 5 things in the classroom research, collaborate, create, network and present. Tools don’t teach but the do change the way that we teach. Can technology be the tail that waves the pedagodical dog? What are you goals what tools get you there? Teachers don’t ask I wnat to do a blog project? – The need to ask what they want to do and and what tools shoulds should I use.

Understanding by Design by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe influenced strongly the schools curriculum design. Every teacher uses UBD, the teachers use project based learning as the ultimate form of assessment. Transperant learning!!

ubd_nutshell