Spinning Wheels

Sometimes when you start a project you think it is going to be relatively easy and you can move forward quickly. Then you actually start. I feel that I have been spinning wheels for the last two weeks trying to learn about Moodle. I have found the manual, found a weak demo site, and then learned that Moodle was open source, so I could download it and use it... Or could I? I tried downloading Moodle on my home computer since I don't have administrative rights to my school laptop, but since I am not connected to a Moodle server, I could not use the software. There are in-depth instructions on making your personal computer's hard drive a Moodle server, but so far I have been unsuccessful in making that happen. Our group has talked to a fellow grad student about the possibility of utilizing her husband's server that he has access to, to teach online classes to a school in Pennsylvania. We may end up using ASU's Moodle server as well. In addition, we are still trying to plan trips to Watauga and Mooresville school systems if possible. John and Heather were supposed to have a Moodle training session on Friday, but that turned into an internship meeting. I haven't heard from either of them yet. Hopefully, my next blog will have a more optimistic title.

Well I've found a 427-page Adobe document giving detailed instructions on the operation of Moodle. Unfortunately, since I do not have access to Moodle software yet, I can't try most of these operations out. I am still working with a demo version of Moodle that allows me some limited functionality, but I am looking forward to getting some more formal training by the end of the month. I will focus this week on this manual, as well as continuing to learn as much as I can about Sophos technology and the firewall that our school system uses. I am hoping that the things I learn this semester will carry over well beyond graduate school, and I will continue to gain deeper understanding of how the more technical aspects of our school system function.

This week has been a little frustrating as I have tried to move forward on my internship. As I looked to get a handle on the different aspects of a walled garden, I decided to focus first on the course management systems. I did an initial overview of course management systems including Blackboard, Moodle, Teacher Web, and School Fusion. After doing this initial overview, I realized that I should not spend too much time evaluating course management systems since the district has already purchased a Moodle server. So I figured my next task was to learn the ins and outs of using Moodle as an administrator, a teacher, and a student. This is proving harder than I initially thought. I don't have a Moodle account yet to play around on, and most of the training sessions are very expensive and time-consuming. I have found some helpful demo sites that I will spend more time playing on in the following week. In addition, I have contacted our district technologist to see if I can get trained in using this software.

In addition, I have started looking at Sophos security softwares as well. At this point I feel overwhelmed with this project, but I think I will feel better after a meeting with the district technologist and a meeting with my professor at Thursday's class. I'm still excited about the project, but I realize it is going to be even more work than I thought.