Tools for the VLE - part 2

Technology in education should not be seen as a substitute for a teacher, but as a way of supporting and enhancing the teaching and learning taking place. A VLE should provide a supplemental method of learning, as opposed to an alternative to the teacher. For me, this meant finding a way to infuse a personal element into my VLE, to maintain a human aspect. I felt that the best way to do this would be to add some video or audio elements to some of the materials i was uploading. I quickly decided that video lectures would not be something I would be comfortable doing at this early stage of my VLE creation experience, but creating audio clips would be a suitable alternative.

Initially, I  had no idea how to do this, but thanks to my fellow learners on the PCET course, I soon learnt about inserting audio into Powerpoint. I added my lecture notes to the Powerpoint presentations I had already created, which greatly enhanced the accessibility of the resources. I then decided to explore how to create audio clips which could be embedded directly into the VLE, without using Powerpoint. This was not as easy as I thought it would be, and I found myself wasting inordinate amounts of time trying out different methods of recording and embedding audio. GarageBand was tried, amongst others, but I found it too music-oriented, with too many variables to worry about. After much searching and testing, I found AudioBoom, a free tool which allows you to record audio clips up to 10 minutes in length. These clips can then be embedded into other sites, such as Wordpress, my chosen host for my VLE.

Interactivity - it's what it's all about

My most recent encounters with virtual learning environments came during my degree, where I used Blackboard, the VLE of the University of South Wales, and later, Moodle. Both had links to resources, such as module information and video clips, as well as a submission portal for assignments (Turnitin). What both seemed to lack was an effective two-way communication channel for students and lecturers to exchange information. 

Reading the assignment brief, it was clear that making the VLE interactive was a crucial underpinning factor of this module. With this is mind, I set about finding applications to create interactive quizzes and tests which could be easily uploaded. Quizlet was one of the tools that Mandy introduced us to during the lectures, and I was immediately attracted to it, and the ease with which I was able to create resources. What I particularly like about Quizlet is the fact that a range of different resources can be creased from the same base set of information. I entered some basic information about PEST Analayis, and was able to generate flashcards, a test, and a learning activity. Three resources from one set of facts - result! You can see how I've included them here. There's also a post on my blog showing the flashcards and a "drag and drop" activity - click here to go there. 

I also felt that I needed to incorporate a way for students to be able to comment on and discuss the material on the VLE. Wordpress already has a facility to embed a feedback form onto individual pages, which is a useful option, but not the best way to promote and encourage interaction. I included a feedback form on the front page of the VLE, but then added links to TodaysMeet rooms to facilitate more interactive discussions. TodaysMeet is a tool which I had already seen in action during our ICT lectures, and I knew that I wanted to use it in my VLE. As well as links to the rooms, I used QR codes to produce another way to access the chat rooms.

I then remembered Padlet, an app which allowed me to create a blank wall on which learners could post comments, pictures and other types of media. I thought that this would be a good way of facilitating a peer review session, where completed worksheets could be uploaded and then evaluated as a group.

VLE - the next challenge

So - Wordpress decided upon as the vehicle. Now, what to teach? As  you can imagine, the field of business studies is a wide and diverse one, so selecting just one topic to focus on was my second challenge. As I had been working on business plans with the BTEC Level 2 groups and the second year HND students, this seemed like the logical choice. I already had a collection of resources to use, which I had collected from the Web, as well as things I had created myself, so finding content to upload was not a problem. Onwards and upwards!

The secret of getting ahead is getting started......

The first thing I needed to do was to find a suitable platform to host my VLE. During the e-learning lectures, we examined a number of different options, looking at what they offered in the way of interactivity, and how easy they were to set up. I have to say that I was disappointed with many of them, as they did not appear to be particularly user friendly – or at least, not “I’m building a VLE for the first time, and need a simple platform” user friendly. I eventually settled on Wordpress, as it seemed to offer what I needed, whilst not requiring any more technical knowledge than I currently possess to produce a relatively professional looking site. 

I am not, in any way a technical wizard, but I have a decent level of ability, and the more I got into Wordpress, the more I enjoyed building my VLE. I was able to add audio clips, embed videos and presentations, upload my own worksheets, and link to a variety of external sites. I did find some tools difficult to use with Wordpress, such as embed.ly, but this was not a critical issue. I just had to use my imagination to get around it.

You can see the fruits of my labour here. Let me know what you think!