Entry 2: Online Communication Tools for Educators

The Subject

I recently read an article from suite101.com’s Teaching and Technology page.  The article, “Moodle: Keeping Educators and Parents Connected in the New Age,” was posted on February 27, 2011 by Danny Waldo, M.S.  Mr. Waldo is a classroom teacher who is an active political lobbyist for education issues.  There were four comments posted in response to this article.  The discussion began February 28^th and ended March 28^th with my comment.  The article was about an online tool called Moodle.  Moodle allows educators to connect with students and their parents.  Parents and teachers are able to communicate freely over the Internet, increasing parent involvement.  Teachers and parents can post on discussion boards, clearing up any confusion on deadlines, expectations, etc. Teachers can post homework assignments, update calendars, and provide printable school documents.  The discussion of Moodle included overwhelming support for the technology.  Kelly Hardman uses Moodle in her classroom and highly recommends it to other educators.  I ended the discussion by commenting on how I like the ability to post supplemental material for students.  I definitely plan on using Moodle (or a similar tool) in my classroom!

My Participation

I chose to post a comment on this article because I remember using a similar web tool in high school.  It was extremely helpful to be able to double check assignments and easily contact my teacher.  I still agree with the use of these tools, especially in the younger grades.  Parent involvement is very important for the successes of young students.  Using the Internet is easier and more reliable than relying on the students to relay information or pass on papers.  Everyone who commented on this article agreed with the benefits of Moodle.  We all liked the ability to easily assess information.  One person stated that the use of technology is necessary to improve lines of communication.

My Learning

As a result of reading this article I would recommend the use of Moodle to other teachers.  Most educators recognize the importance of communication between themselves and students and parents.  Moodle is an easy and safe way to use technology to communicate.  More and more teachers are using similar online tools in their higher-level courses.  It is important to understand that using these tools in younger grades and including the parents is just as beneficial to learning.