Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)

A MOOC  stands for Massive Open Online Course. The term is said to have been coined in 2008 by Dave Cormier and Bryan Alexander (see Wikipedia).  There are two kinds of MOOCs, cMOOCs and xMOOCs. I totally agree with Stephen Downes who claims that cMOOCs are “more creative and dynamic” than the traditional looking xMOOCs that resemble “television shows or digital textbooks” (see Wikipedia).

Moodle MOOC 5

Moodle MOOC 5 (MM5) will start on October 1, 2014 on WizIQ (click here to access the course). The theme of the current MOOC is collaborative learning, reflective practice, connecting online for instruction and learning. Click to enrol and take the MOOC for free: http://www.wiziq.com/course/70332-moodle-mooc-5-teaching-with-technology-and-moodle-training-courses

The MOOC will focus on connecting online for collaborative learning and teaching through Moodle, Google Drive Docs, blogs, Google Apps, Mobile Devices, Virtual Classes, and other online learning environments for face-to-face, blended, and fully online learning. In addition, participants will learn to use movenote, screencast-o-matic, educom, plotagon, hotpatoes, quizlet, and other technologies for effective and engaging student-based activities. The live presentations will include the speakers’ reflective process on teaching and learning in fully online and blended learning formats.

Moodle MOOC 5 will also include Moodle for Teachers (M4T) courses for beginners and advanced Moodlers. The courses will be asynchronous (Moodle) and synchronous (WizIQ) with recordings on WizIQ, YouTube, and Vimeo.

There will be two learning areas: WizIQ course area and Moodle for Teachers (M4T) Moodle website. The live online sessions and recordings, tutorials (courseware) and ongoing discussions (coursefeed) will be available in the WizIQ course area.

Unlike the traditional MOOCs that stress content and course delivery, Moodle MOOC will focus on active learning, reflection, sharing, and collaboration. The aim of the course is for the participants to learn through meaningful connections and social interactions. Participants who wish to receive a certificate of participation will be required to document their learning experiences by keeping a blog, wiki, website, or any other artifact that will include a description and reflection of the live sessions and/or recordings.

Moodle for Teachers Learning Experience (M4TLE)

M4TLE is an asynchronous component of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on WizIQ for teachers and anyone interested in teaching online using Moodle, WizIQ, and other web technologies. The course will take place in the month of October 2014. The MOOC is in the spirit of open education and is completely free.

Participants will become acquainted with Moodle as a course and learning management system. They will learn how Moodle can be used in fully online, blended learning, and the flipped class. The course will only include asynchronous (not dependent on time) element on a Moodle site called Moodle for Teachers. The course is self-paced with ongoing discussions (facilitator and technical support available), live online classes (recordings), videos, and other relevant content.

Support

You will get ongoing support from the organizer of the MOOC, from the course feed on the course, and from support@wiziq.com

Workload

The workload for the MOOC includes participating or viewing the recordings of the live session and developing a reflective artifact in the form of a blog, wiki, google drive doc, website, web page on a website and so on to sustain the information relevant to your needs and learning experiences. In addition, participants will be able to learn to manage a Moodle website as a teacher and manager.

Certificates of Completion  and Badges on Moodle

In order to qualify for a certificate of completion, participants of the course must reflect on 5 of the live presentations (or recordings). They may use blogs, Google Drive docs, or Wikis. In addition, participants may use either Movenote and/or Screencast-o-matic to reflect in addition to text.

Requirements for Certificates

View 5 of the live online classes on WizIQ and/or recordings and reflect. You may access the live classes/recordings on Moodle MOOC 4 on WizIQ in the courseware. Please describe the content of the session, your thoughts on the topic, and what you’re going to do as a result of what you’ve heard.  Here’s a step-by-step instructions on how to reflect and qualify for a certificate of completion:

Create an artifact (video tutorial using Movenote or screencast-o-matic) and write a text of at least 500 words as you reflect on the presentations. Please follow the instructions and the reflective writing  template for your reflective writing: http://goo.gl/xcvFo2

Make sure you describe and summarize what you viewed and then reflect on what you gained  and share what you plan to do with what you learned in the future. For those interested, you will be eligible to propose your reflection for a book on Moodle MOOC 5. We will be compiling a book with chapters of some of the presenters’ work that will include your reflections.

Participants will add their text in one of the Moodle courses under Reflecting on the Live Online Presentations in M4B: http://moodle4teachers.org/course/view.php?id=50 or in M4NB: http://moodle4teachers.org/course/view.php?id=49. Participants can get certificates just for attending/viewing the recordings of the live sessions and not taking the Moodle training courses. They can reflect and share and submit their work in the following Moodle course area: http://moodle4teachers.org/course/view.php?id=51

The due date for the reflective practice is November 31, 2014.

Learning Environments for Moodle MOOC

There are 2 learning areas for the MOOC:

WizIQ Course

WizIQ course area for the live classes (recordings), content (tutorials), and discussions:

Moodle for Teachers Learning Experience

Moodle for Teachers hands-on practice in a Moodle course as students, teachers, and managers: http://moodle4teachers.org There are 4 courses on the Moodle Experience website:

• Moodle for Beginners (open)

• Moodle for Non-Beginners (open)

• Moodle for Teacher Practice Area (MPA) Automatically Enrolled

• Moodle for Managers (M4M) Automatically Enrolled

• Moodle for Admin (paid training with a Moodle developer)

Course Highlights

• Moodle 2.7 Theories and Practice

• Active Learning: Teaching as a Way to Learn

• Learning & Teaching Online: Creating Engaging Activities

• Collaborative Learning

• Learning and Teaching in a Live Online Class

Team of Facilitators

The MOOC and the live online classes will be coordinated by Dr. Nellie Deutsch and Tom Hodgers. Volunteers are welcome to join and help facilitate the event.

Participants will be able to ask questions in advance and throughout the course in the courseware in the WizIQ course area. The live online classes will be recorded for future reference, so don’t worry if you cannot attend or if you’d like to review the content.

Live Online Classes

There are 30 live online classes by 24 presenters. The webinars are listed in the course schedule on Moodle MOOC 5 and on this google drive document.

YouTube Playlist and Vimeo

The live sessions will be recorded on WizIQ and uploaded on YouTube and Vimeo. You are invited to subscribe to the Youtube playlist and/or to Vimeo for the Moodle MOOC 5 to watch some the recordings of the live classes and to watch the participants’ videos and digital artifacts.

Invited Guests on Moodle MOOC 5