MOODLE+Features

= Moodle Features =

Building upon social constructionist theories of learning, Moodle promotes online collaboration through a variety of tools and resources. Since Moodle is constantly evolving, the number of features available within Moodle continues to grow. While there are a number of features that make Moodle an effective forum for online learning, the list below highlights some of the best features that Moodle has to offer.


 * Simple Design** – Pages are easy to use, WYSIWYG editing throughout, with efficient and intuitive site layout.


 * Site Management Resources** - Administrator have complete control of the site including fonts, layout, colors, and plug-in activities.


 * Teacher Tools** – Easily manage enrollment and student accounts, assign specific roles to students, and create meta-courses that group together related courses to promote student interaction.


 * Course Management Tools** – Arrange courses by week, topic or discussion; Full tracking and logging of student users with activity reports for each student (including graphs and details of each module); Grading and communication tools are also included.


 * Learning Modules** - These tools provide teachers with many tools and activities to make collaborative, engaging, and interactive activities for participating students.

• //Chat Modules// - text interaction with profile pictures in the chat window; sessions are logged for future references).

• //Choice (Poll) Modules// – can be used for voting or collecting feedback.

• //Forum Modules// – course news, discussion forums, individual forums, all with teacher control and administration privileges.

• //Glossary Module// – students participate and contribute to the development of a glossary with searchable browsing, hyperlinks, and opportunities for student commenting.

• //Lesson Modules// – pages presented in a sequence determined by either teachers or students with HTML tool sets that can incorporate a variety of learning tools and activities.

• //Quiz Modules// – teacher can create a database of questions for shuffled and randomized quizzes, quizzes can be automatically graded, and quizzes include HTML and images as well as any sort of question or assessment tool.

• //Resources Module// – supports MS Word, PowerPoint, Flash, audio, and video files, as well as file uploads and links to external content.

• //Survey Module// – survey tools, student feedback, and data collection can be managed and presented in a variety of graphs and formats.

• //Wiki Module// – web pages that can be readily edited by participating group members to support collaborative learning.

• //Workshop Modules// – allow for peer assessment of documents with teacher management of grading and final assessment.

For more information on several of the features outlined above, examine this slideshow created by Steve Butler.

To see many of these features in action, visit the Moodle Demonstration Page and login as either a teacher, student, or administrator following the instructions provided.

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Lastly, here is an example of an 8th grade social studies teacher who has used Moodle in her classroom. This video highlights one teacher's experiences with Moodle and a few of her favorite features. From posting notes, to sharing links or presentations, to online tests and quizzes, to chatrooms, Moodle has a variety of features that can enhance (or even replace) many traditional classroom endeavors and support collaborative learning both inside and outside of school.======