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Friday, April 9, 2010
Moodle Frustrations
Don't get me wrong- I'm all for technology integration in the classroom. However, certain applications are better suited for particular uses, and trying to force an incorrect fit is like wearing really great shoes that pinch your feet and cause painful blisters. My school district uses Moodle and Google Sites as the applications of choice for online content delivery. While I'm sure there are very good reasons to use these two free applications, they don't fit my purpose or my style. Maybe because I'm an elementary teacher, or because I'm a creative person and visual learner, but these two apps feel clunky! I can't seem to get them to do what I want- place a picture where I want it (not in the lame table they allow me), add audio and video in intuitive kid-friendly places, etc. I've spent more time trying to get these two applications to bend to my will than is necessary. While they are free, they don't fit my needs. This summer I'll be looking for other ways to deliver curriculum to my students- one that doesn't take all my time trying to force it to do what I want!
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I completely understand, Lori. We have the same apps in Dexter and the price is certainly right these days. I've never done anything in Moodle before and was very excited to use it. Starting out with designing a Stair has made me want to smash things! I'm at an impasse with that right now and hope someone can teach me how to use it when we meet again. I, too, have already wasted too many valuable hours. I can't blame it all on moodle, however. Having said that, I can usually figure out how to do things on my own if they are user-friendly.
ReplyDeleteI discussed this with Michael and we decided that I could do my StAIR in a powerpoint presentation. It's awesome! I have a feeling that I'll be preparing many more StAIRs because it was such a fun and exciting experience. I think you just need to find something that works.
ReplyDeleteI'm also creating my WebQuest on my website, and not on Moodle. Although some districts have it, we do not and I don't think it would've been the best path to take for myself.
As you said, some programs fit your needs while others aren't worth your time. Thankfully, I think these courses are really beneficial in the fact that they help us find our best learning/teaching styles, and programs/Web 2.0 technologies that will complement that style.
I'm hoping that a new, more user-friendly version is out soon. As excited as I was to work with it, my first foray into Moodle is sucking all the life force out of me! We don't have that much time to deal with "clunky" stuff.
ReplyDeleteDeath to Moodle! I have spent a little bit of time trying to figure it out for our stair, and am more confused than when I started.
ReplyDelete