When you asked “Why Moodle?” do you mean why Moodle over some other learning management system or why use Moodle at all? If it comes down to Moodle versus some other LMS such as Blackboard, for me it boils down to cost and the freedom to customize the applicaiton to fit the needs of my learning community. If the question is “Why use Moodle at all?” then the first thing that comes to my mind is the capability to extend the classroom beyond the typical class period.

Time is precious and often conversations must be halted just when they are getting rich due to time constraints and the need to “cover” the curriculum. The discussion tool in Moodle enables that conversation to continue beyond the class period and allows students time to reflect upon their thoughts before responding. It may also serve to provide a voice to those students who don’t feel comfortable speaking up in class.

Additionally, Moodle can serve to cultivate a virtual community and then to facilitate dialogue among community members. The blog tool is a terrific way to develop your students’ voices in a way that can be restricted to internal viewers only.

Moodle allows you to create learning environments for your students that enable them to further pursue topics beyond the typical classroom. I’m thinking of differentiated instruction or gifted/talented programs that could exist within a classroom through the use of technology-mediated instruction.

From an administrative standpoint, Moodle can serve as a way to connect parents to their students, track homework, grades, etc. Through the use of plug-ins, Moodle can also serve as an electronic portfolio where students can post their exemplar works and present reflections on their development.

These are just a few thoughts that come to mind but I’d be happy to discuss this further with you or your colleagues. Feel free to drop a line back here!

Cheers,

John Martin