Moodle(Modular Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment )
Moodle is a software package for producing Internet-based courses and web sites. It is a dynamic on-line learning environment. Moodle is a software package for producing Internet-based courses and web sites. Moodle can be used in many types of environments such as in education, training-development and business settings. Moodle is also useful for programmers and education theorists.
Tools provided by Moodle are:
Assignment tool:
The assignments can be made available at any time with a start and close date. It is easy for a rural stu dent to upload their work in almost any form. Once the expert has graded the assignment they can send a letter grade and feedback to the student via email.
The Chat feature :
It is very useful for rural students as well as expert teachers of a course. A chat space can be made avail able at all times for the entire class to make com ments or ask each other questions, or it can be more specific to a group of students or an assignment
The Choice tool :
It can be used to determine the preference of students in reading a certain book or choosing topics for a project.
Database tool :
It is great for storing large amounts of information by experts.
Forum tool:
It is used to share ideas between all rural schools students of a course.
Glossary tool :
It is used to help rural students gain a working knowledge of important vocabulary in the course. This can be created and main tained by the expert as a reference point for students, or it can be used as an assignment or collaborative effort for the students.
Quiz tool
It can be used to assess knowledge before, during and after a unit of study. The quiz feature is great to use before introducing a topic to gauge rural student’s knowledge of the content ahead of time, as it is helpful for an expert to adjust their teaching after viewing the results of the quiz.
The Resource tool
It is designed to allow students to view infor mation that was posted by the expert.
The Wiki tool
It is designed to allow rural students to collaborate about a topic in a given space. This tool allows all members of a group or class to edit the same “page” about a certain topic. Once the change has been made or content added, all members can see the changes. This is especially helpful when face to face meeting is not probable.
Other Technologies for Rural School Classrooms
There are various types of other technologies currently can use in rural classrooms to access the internet services.
Class website: An easy way to display your student's work is to create a web page designed for your class. Once a web page is designed, experts can post homework assignments, student work, famous quotes, trivia games, and so much more.
Blogs: It allows the students to maintain a running dialogue, such as a journal, thoughts, ideas, and assignments that also provide for student comment and reflection.
Wikis are more group- focused to allow multiple members of the group to edit a single document and create a truly collaborative and carefully edited finished product.
Wireless classroom microphones: with the help of microphones, students are able to hear their teachers more clearly.
Interactive Whiteboards: An interactive whiteboard that provides touch control of computer applications. . This not only aids in visual learning, but it is interactive, so the students can draw, write, or manipulate images on the interactive whiteboard.
Online media: Streamed video websites can be utilized to enhance a classroom lesson.
Some of the claimed benefits are listed below:
* Easy-to-access course materials.
* Direction to students.
* Student motivation
* Guidelines in learning
* Wide participation
* Improved student writing
* Analytical, mathematical, problem- solving skills
* Differentiated Instruction
* Knowledge about the technology, jobs, scopes and opportunities.