Third Week

Moodle
This week I revisited Moodle. It is always an interesting learning experience. I have still not learned how to include mathtype code in the HTML for Moodle. So, I improvised and posted the questions as images. This seemed to work ok, but there was a snag. Some of the respondents got questions wrong because they included a period after their response. Another detail I will have to learn from in Moodle. I still think this system could benefit my students.

Many of the people participating commented on how the visual resources and practice helped them to remember how to do an operation. This I think is the greatest strength in using Moodle or any other course management system. It could be a great resource for reteaching or intevention, and I think it would be a good source for review for an assessment, but I don't think at the high school level it could be used exclusively. Students at this level need feedback and encouragement to complete tasks, and I am not sure this environment would provide those entangibles.

Direct Instruction
During this week, we also discussed direct instruction in general. The main downfall with this instructional method was its rigidness because it limited a students creativity. It is also hard to use this method with complex tasks. The other stumbling block was the pace. With the implementation of one new idea, it would almost be impossible to get through everything. One way of overcoming this that came to mind while completing the Moodle was that lower level content could be delivered from the Moodle, and the more complex concepts could be covered in greater detail in the classroom. This would be an option to make the direct instruction approach work because I do like the use of ability groups.

Don Bates