Digital Learning Environment 4.1-4.4

Benefits of using Moodle compared to other DLEs
Open Source
Moodle is open source software which means anyone using Moodle is able to access and make changes to the coding. This then offers a large window of customisation, particularly for those with good knowledge of coding for Moodle.

Free
Along with it being open source, it's also free to download and use, so those on a budget can make good use of Moodle. It can also be good for those wanting to just get used to coding in IT as using Moodle to try new things out could be a good place to start.

Interactive
Teachers are able to create interactive elements, such as drag and drops, quizzes etc. within Captivate which can then be stored and implemented directly on Moodle. These can then help keep the user engaged in their learning longer. Feedback can also be reported on the quizzes for example; this can be very useful as teachers will be able to see where students maybe struggling and then tailor their lessons more towards this.

Store Resources
Learner notes or extra support material for example can also be uploaded onto Moodle for students to also use. This can be useful for more complex topics in which a teacher may feel they need to provide more support for their students.

Set Roles
Finally, users can all be assigned different roles, each with different permissions. For example, admins are able to see and edit everything across the site, whereas a student will only be able to see the content for the course they're enrolled onto. This is a good way of stopping people from accessing or changing things they shouldn't.

Limitations with Moodle
Moodle struggles when working with large groups of people.
When large groups of people are trying to access the same area/ resources, the system will begin to slow down, which then becomes a problem as students are then having to wait time waiting for the system to load, this is then an issue as students are losing lesson time because of the slow system.

Customisation is limited
Unless you have someone with good knowledge of coding for Moodle, then your Moodle pages are going to be rather bland and have no real design to them. This is an issue caused by Moodle being open source software and not offering customised designs/ layouts to their users. The only thing they do provide are some free plugins which can improve the look to some degree.

No Customer Support
With Moodle being open source, it doesn't offer direct customer support, for example, a phone line which you can call to have a support agent assist with any problem you maybe having, this can become a bigger issue if you have a unique or one off issue which others across their forums haven't. The Moodle support forums are also the only method of support, so their maybe some issue which their users aren't able to solve as each school/ college may have a different version/ coding of Moodle; I doubt their responses will be too fast, which for sudden/ high priority issues can be a huge issue too.

Suggested improvements to Moodle
Navigation
One suggestion I do have for improving Moodle is to make it easier to use for the first time user. When I first started using Moodle I found some things weren't immediately obvious on how to navigate or make changes. I feel that making these changes would then help those just starting out with using the system.

Design
Another suggestion I have, would be to make it easier to make changes to the design and layout of each Moodle page. At the moment, the only way this is possible is by using plugins which can change or add to the design slightly, but I don't feel these offer a whole lot.

Reliant On Teacher
How effective Moodle is heavily dependent on the tutor. A teacher with good IT knowledge will be able to use Moodle to it's potential whereas a tutor who doesn't have as much knowledge won't be able to maximise the potential of Moodle. One benefit of Moodle is that it's largely interactive, it can handle forums, ELPs and much more, but for a student to feel these benefits, the tutor first has to implement it into his lesson plans. Some teachers may only use Moodle to upload Word documents, and this isn't exactly using Moodle to it's full capacity. 

More User Feedback
My final suggested improvements would be to improve the user feedback and declutter some of the course pages. Having spent a small time looking at various course pages, I noticed that there were lots of wasted blocks, such as an activity block, but it had no activity in it, there was also one for upcoming events, but again, there was no upcoming events in there, so they're all abit wasted and not needed if they're not going to be used. Instead to improve on this, I'd suggest replacing them with something more beneficial to the user, such as a progress bar, which increases as students complete work and other activities. You could also implement a badges reward system, which rewards students with various badges for completing set activities; you could further back this up by adding further activities to this, so when you complete one task, you unlock another and begin to progress through them. This gives students something to aim for, and encourages them to want to progress through their work.

Responding to problems with Moodle
Administration
One common issue we deal with from teachers is that they're not set as admins or course leaders on a course they're teaching, which doesn't give them any admin tools which they may require to upload content for all the students to access, or to access any of the reporting features for instance. This is an issue which doesn't take much time at all to fix, we simply find the course they want admin rights to, and add a permission via the admin block for them to become an admin or course leader, depending on which they request.

Password Resets
Another common issue we face is that students cannot log into their Moodle account. The majority of the time this can be fixed by resetting their password, which we can do by opening the reset password program, entering their student number which then resets the password to their date of birth. 

Enrolling Onto Courses
The final issue we often face is that students aren't enrolled onto the course they're studying, this therefore means they cannot access that course page or the content on there. This is another easy fix, all we have to do is find the course they need access to, open the admin block, and enroll users and then find the student by searching for their name and give them student access permissions. 

Evaluation
In summary I think digital learning environments can be and are a very useful and powerful tool and provide some great advantages, but only when used correctly. For a DLE to be effective all tutors must have a reasonable level of IT to know how to manage and run their course page, if they don't have the level of IT skills, then maybe the IT department can provide some support or training to help the teacher?

With the teacher now knowing how to use the software, they must now know how to create content for their students which doesn't consist of Word documents or PowerPoints and instead include interactive and engaging content. If teachers are insistent on using this type of content, then students aren't going to really be engaged in the content, for instance, would you read Word documents with overwhelming amounts of text? I feel the majority of people would answer no, and that's because it's repetitive, boring and not engaging, and so with no one willing to read all the text, they're not going to learn anything. If teachers are also expecting students to read Word documents, the school may as well save money and just give them text books to take home and read.

To make the content more engaging and interactive teachers have to create some interactive lesson plans. For instance, have students suggest ideas/ have a discussion on a forum, or complete some interactive drag and drop quiz on an ELP. Teachers can then see the results from the quiz and know which areas to focus on in their lessons to help their students. As this is more engaging than reading Word documents, students are more likely to read and therefore learn from the content.

However, if a digital learning environment isn't used correctly, then it can offer no benefits to the students in particular and for the most part, a waste of a potentially great resource.

On the other hand, traditional classroom based teaching also offers some advantages which a DLE does not, to begin with, tradition classroom based teaching allows for more user interaction and discussion. For instance, if everyone is having a discussion their thoughts on a particular subject, it's much easier and quicker done in a class based environment rather than on a DLE. 

A DLE also lacks the personal interaction with a teacher regarding feedback to your work. When you've completed work and a teacher comes to read it, while they can leave feedback on a DLE, it's much easier done in person, where you can explain any improvements, give suggestions and most importantly, ensure the student know where and how to improve. You then know as a teacher that, that student can go away and make the changes required, whereas on a DLE the student may not understand the feedback or know how to improve, and end up changing things they didn't need to.

Another thing a DLE lacks is the instant support which classroom based learning does offer. If you're stuck on a piece of work, raise your hand and ask, but what do you do on a DLE? You could ask you teacher should your DLE have a chat function, but this is reliant on your DLE and then you'll have to wait for a reply. Getting the help and support you need is much easier done in a classroom, where you get instant support, direct from the teacher and in the end, understand the things you didn't.

In my opinion, a digital learning environment is much greater for both teachers and students compared to traditional teaching methods. I feel this way because, for me, the advantages out-way the few disadvantages. For one, with a DLE you can complete work anywhere, anytime so it gives students more freedom rather than being sat in a boring and dull classroom. It also means should any student be off ill, they can still complete work at home and they don't need any extra time to catch up. 

The content on a DLE is also more up to date and recent; it's also more interactive and engaging rather than reading a book or worksheet. This should mean that more students will pay attention, understand and complete the work, which is what the main outcome of all this is.

Digital Learning Environment 1.1-1.3

What is a Digital Learning Environment?

A digital learning environment is an online shared resource area for both teachers and students to use by allowing teachers a place to deliver learning material, and students to read and complete this. This provides many tools for use by teachers with the aim of supporting their students. Listed are some of the different tools offered by different digital learning environments:

• Teachers are able to upload work for students to complete themselves in their own time. They can also upload and attach any notes or support material in which students can use to assist them when completing work.
• Teachers are able to set deadlines for the students to have completed the work by.
• Should teachers include quizzes or tests in the work to be completed by students, then they can see which students have completed the quiz and which answers they chose. Teachers could then analyse which question to student(s) struggled on and tailor their learning more towards this.
• Most digital learning environments offer forums or group chats where students and teachers are able to discuss any issues with their work, or any suggestions or feedback they have.
• Having forums also allows for peer to peer feedback on any work they've completed.

Advantages and disadvantages of using a Digital Learning Environment

Digital Learning Environments of course have their advantages and disadvantages of using them, some of which I've listed below:

Advantages	Disadvantages
More accessible – Access work from anywhere, anytime.	Internet access – In order to access the DLE you will need a connection to the internet, which some   students may not have, or maybe unavailable in their current location.
More independent Learning – Less class room based work.	Easily distracted – Allowing students to complete work in their own time leaves them open to being distracted and end up not completing their work.
Up-to-date content – More recent content compared to a book for example. This then benefits students learning as they aren’t learning things which maybe outdated.	Trust – Tied in with the point above, teachers need to be able to trust teachers to complete their   work to a good standard and on time.
Safe – Only those with permission will have access to the work, stopping those who shouldn’t be on a course access material they don’t need to.	Social – DLEs may prevent people from attending school as they feel they can do all the work at home, and so they lose out on the social aspect of meeting people.
Easier & less hassle – Compared to carrying a book around for example, e-learning packages are less hassle.	Understanding – Those using the DLE will need to know how to use it. This may require training for teachers.
Tailored – E-Learning packages can be tailored more towards an individual or group of students compared to a book for instance.	Failures – IT can fail, and this can become a real issue particularly for schools and colleges which are heavily reliant on a DLE
Saves live updates – This makes it harder to accidentally lose any work, for example, by being disconnected from the internet.	No class engagement – With students being able to complete work in their own time at home, they begin to lose out on engaging with other students and their tutors.
Plagiarism check – Some DLE software have their own plagiarism checks which checks students work against work on the internet in order to determine if they’ve copied anything from there.	Server – If the server hosting the DLE goes down for some reason, then no one will have access until it’s restored.
Mobile apps – Can be used to keep everyone connected while out and about.	Compatibility – Some formats may not work with Moodle. For instance, there have been a few issues with students trying to upload documents in formats which aren’t compatible and so some issues have been created there.
Useful during time-off – During school breaks such as Christmas, or Easter when students are off school, they can still catch-up on any work they haven’t completed.	Cost – Running and maintaining a server in which Moodle can run on is a costly
Available 24/7 – Anyone can access the software from anywhere, anytime 365 days per year.	Reliant On The Tutor – The content which is uploaded onto a DLE is reliant on what the teacher is capable of creating, so a tutor lacking any good IT knowledge they may just upload all Word documents, which won’t benefit students.
Edit Work Wherever – Students and teachers are able to edit their work wherever they are, useful for when they’re on holiday or off sick.	Common Issues – There are some common issues which everyone using a DLE may face. For example, students not being able to log in or not being enrolled onto a course are two common issues we face.
Allows Teachers To Get More Creative – Moodle and most other DLEs offers multiple ways in which to include interactive elements for students to engage in, and it’s all controlled by the tutor.
Disabilities – Most DLEs have tools in which to help those with disabilities.

Examples of a Digital Learning Environment

There are some Digital Learning Environments which are free to use, although these typically require you to have it running on a server of your own, and to also manage the software yourself, so any problems you come across, you have to solve - Although I'm sure there are forums dedicated to helping.

Alternatively, there are companies which will host and provide a Digital Learning Environment for you at a cost. Usually the cost depends upon several factors, such as support tools, server space and bandwidth. Typically the provider also offer support training to help teachers use the software and pass those skills onto their students.  

Free	Payable
Teach Free For Schools	Turn It In
Simple VLE	School Spider
MyWebSchool – An adaptation of Moodle.	Frog Education
	It’s Learning

The software for Moodle is completely free, but it will cost to rent or buy your own server in which to run it, this also applies to MyWebSchool.

How Moodle differs from other DLEs

There are many differences between Moodle and other Digital Learning Environments, some of which I've listed below: 

• Open Source - The software for Moodle is open source, which means that the coding for it can be accessed and seen by anyone, on top of this, it can also be edited by anyone. This means that it's entirely customisable and can be directly set-up to suit you or your students, assuming you know how to program it, the only downfall to this.
• Set Roles - Admin, Course Leader, Student etc. roles can all be set and assigned to different people. With each of these different roles will offer different positions. For example, an Admin will be able to see and edit everything within that course area, whereas a student will only be able to access some of the content in which they've been given permission. With this feature, only the right people have access to the stuff they need and cannot access things they shouldn't.
• Interactivity - Teachers are able to create interactive content, for their students which can be stored and used directly on Moodle. This helps keep the user/ listener engaged for longer, increasing the chances of them learning and pay For instance, you can include a quiz at the end of your learning package, in which feedback is reported back to the teacher for review. I'll explain more on this later.
• Accessible - Moodle can be accessed on any device such as Windows, Mac, phone or tablet. This is great as not every student will have the same device, for instance, if Moodle only worked on Windows, any students using Macs wouldn't be able to access Moodle making them unable to complete any set work.
• Multiple Courses - Admins are able to set-up multiple courses which run through-out the college. This also allows for permissions to be set, so only those on a set course can access that work. It's also a good way to keep the Moodle organised.
• Store Resources - Teachers are able to store any resource/ support material such as notes on Moodle which students can access to also help with their work.
• Access Reports/ Feedback - Feedback on any quizzes within a Captivate project for example is also stored on Moodle for teachers to see and analyse what a student is doing well and where they're struggling. They can then use this to further help their education by focusing on what a student cannot do well and improve upon it.
• Remind Students - Reminders are able to be set which remind students of any upcoming deadlines to help ensure they complete their work on time. These reminders can also be set onto mobile devices.
• User Friendly - Moodle is very to easy to use and to some degree self explanatory, which is helpful for those less knowledgeable about IT in general.

PPD - 1.1/1.2/1.3/1.4

You maybe asking yourself, "What is a SWOT analysis"? Well don't worry, I'm going to explain all before completing one for myself. A SWOT analysis mind map is a useful tool for helping you to understand more about yourself, including what your strengths and weakness are, the opportunities available to you and the potential threats; hence the S-W-O-T. Below you can see I diagram I've created, all the points mentioned in it are explained further on in my blog!



A SWOT analysis mind map I created on myself.

Now you have a better understanding of what is meant by a  SWOT analysis, you can use another diagram I created below to help you understand what is meant by each of the four steps in a SWOT analysis.


Use the above diagram to understand what is meant by the four points.

Below I've explained my own SWOT analysis more in depth!

Strengths
Photoshop Skills
I see myself as being rather skilled at using Photoshop, I know the different uses of the tools, I can work with the different layers and groups within a project, I know how to apply different effects, and which look best for a set design. Overall, I think the amount of times I’ve used this program has made me be able to use it efficiently to where I now feel comfortable using it, this may also lead to why I don’t know so much about Illustrator, as I don’t use it and instead prefer to use Photoshop.

Working To Deadlines & Time Management
I feel I have great time management skills, such as being able to allocate a set amount of time per project and prioritise the more important parts of a project. I think this then allows me to be able to work to my deadlines effectively and complete my projects on time.

Storyboarding
Having used storyboards many times before when completing other projects, I'm quite comfortable working with them and using them to help me create ideas. I've also developed my preferred way of using them which is to quickly sketch out a few ideas and jot down the more important information.

Moodle
I feel very confident using Moodle, things such as enrolling members, setting up new courses, changing or adding icons are all things I've done and would be confident in doing again.

Working With Others
Since starting at Elephant Learning Designs, I've completing two separate eLearning Packages with other individuals and on both occasions I feel I contributed well and the final outcome of both packages was to a high standard.

Weaknesses
Illustrator
I personally feel I struggle most with using Illustrator, I don’t feel comfortable using it and unsure how certain aspects of the program work. I feel this is mainly due to how much I’ve used Photoshop, and become less reliant on using Illustrator. Because some things are very similar across the two programs, the simple things in Illustrator I can do, but the more complex stuff is where I begin to struggle and often need help, but this is something I do want to work on getting better because in some instances I would like to include vector graphics in the learning package.

Use More Social Media
Sites such as Yammer and Pinterest  are great for sharing ideas, getting feedback and getting ideas for designs and I feel I should utilise them more, maybe even share some of the things I've done on there. Sharing my work will then get me some feedback which I can then use to improve my work. Looking at what others are also doing can also spark some inspiration for my work and vary up my designs, which is something I also wanted to achieve.

Flash
I also want to begin using Adobe Flash in my eLearning packages to create more animated designs, which can be a useful way of getting information across to the end user. I have used Adobe Flash before, so I don't see it being too difficult to create.

Meetings
I'd also like to volunteer to attend more meetings with level fours to discuss different projects with teachers. I have attended one before, where an eLearning package I created was showcased but I didn't play a huge role in the meeting, and in future I'd like to play a bigger part.


Opportunities
There are a few opportunities which support me outside of work:

Free Time – After work and on weekends I often have plenty of spare time in which to practice and improve on my skills using the programs at home, or just by watching tutorials on how to use the different tools etc.

Programs – I have downloaded the Adobe programs I use the most, such as Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash. Downloading and having access to these means that I can use them in my free time, to try and play around with the tools and improve on what I already know with Photoshop and build on the basics of Illustrator skills.

Threats
There are many different potential threats which could harm the progress I make, I’ve listed some below:

- Using Multiple Programs – Using programs I’m unfamiliar or aren’t comfortable using will no doubt take me more time to complete a whole or part of a project, requiring more time in total, this also ties in with one of my weaknesses, of not being comfortable using Illustrator. This also leads onto my next point.

- Time Management – I consider myself to be able to manage my time well, but in some cases, as mentioned above it’s beyond my control. Ultimately it’s better to have a better overall product, than one that’s rushed to meet a deadline. This also ties in with the point above.

- Other People Working On A Project With Me – In some cases when creating learning packages, I may work with others and this may lead to it taking longer to complete the package. For example, those I work with my have their own troubles completing their side of the project, such as them not being able to work with the programs they have to, which will slow down the progress of the package.

There are no doubt ways in which I can minimise or even completely remove the above.

As mentioned in some cases I’ll work with others, so to prevent the above points, we can decide who works best with which programs and then base the work around that. For instance, if there’s image work which requires Photoshop, that’s something I’d lean towards doing, but something vector based which is more Illustrator I’d advise against doing. Doing this therefore prevents anyone from using a program they’re uncomfortable using, and so everyone should be able to complete their part of a project.

Personal Development Plan

Learning and development needs	What do I need to do?	What resources do I need?	Who can help me?	What is my timeline?
Improve on my Illustrator skills.	I’d like to improve my Illustrator skills and learn more about the tools and different possible ways in which to use it.	Computer & Illustrator software. I’ll also need some way in which to learn these skills from, such as a video tutorial.	There are many different ways in which I can get help. Some of these can include, asking others, trial and error of using it myself, Google searches for my problems or YouTube tutorials.	I’d ideally like to learn more about using Illustrator right away, and to do this, I’m using my Personal Development time on Fridays to improve on my skills.
Use Flash more.	I’d like to use more animation in the e-learning packages I produce in order to make them more interactive and creative, to use this I’d use Flash, but having not used it in quite some time, I want to refresh on what I already know.	Computer & Flash software. Again, I’ll need something in which I can learn from, in this case, YouTube tutorials are probably going to be the best way of regaining/ re-jogging my skills.	Again, there are many possibilities but as mentioned already, I think YouTube tutorials will be the best help to act as a reminder to use the software.	Once again, this is something I’m looking to regain as soon as possible and like before, I’m using my personal development time on Fridays to do so.
Conducting Meetings with Tutors	I’d like to attend more meetings with tutors to collect and take on more projects.	A level four and also a notepad in which to write down anything important they say.	A level four.	This is something I’d like to get into doing so there is no timescale.
More Design Ideas	I’d like to create and experiment with more design ideas for the eLearning packages I create. For instance, I want to find new ways in which to set-out my eLearning packages, rather than the typical rectangle header + footer combination.	Computer, Photoshop & Captivate in which to create my design ideas. Maybe some inspiration from websites such as Pinterest.	I think I can use some ideas from Pinterest for example, and then adapt them to suit an eLearning Package, and then maybe improve them ideas based on feedback from others.	This is something I’d like to develop throughout my time at Elephant Learning designs, and beyond; so again I wouldn’t say there’s a timescale, but it is something I’m looking to work on right away.
Create more interactive content	Similar to my previous point, I also want to develop content which is interactive and engaging for the user.	Computer, Photoshop & Captivate. Sites such as eLearning Brothers may also be useful to see what kinds of interactions I could make and include.	Some ideas on different interactions maybe useful from sites like eLearning Brothers but working with others and also seeing what they create could maybe spark some new ideas.	Like the last point, this is something I want to be working on throughout my time at Elephant Learning Designs.
Planning & Delivering Training	I’d like to participate in providing more training sessions to tutors.	Knowledge on the training subject. And also a level 4 to lead the training.	A level 4.	I’d like to begin attending training sessions as soon as possible.
Chunking Text	I’d like to be more effective in chunking the text provided by the tutors. For some I’d also like to be able to expand upon some of the content provided, as there isn’t enough.	Computer & knowledge materials, for instance documents, PowerPoints or information on the web.	I can do individual research/ chunking. I could also ask the level 4 in charge or the project or the SME as a last resort.	This is also something I’d like to work on right away.