Moodle Training

steve_jobs_iphoneLast night I led some CPD for a small group of colleagues.  The topic was Moodle.  Previously when I have given one-to-one training on using Moodle the person has come away inspired and excited but it's a little harder with a group as you have to sell harder.  In my planning I identified the need to sell the product and the lifestyle.I thought about some of the big players and Steve Jobs came to mind.  I recently saw a post on Digg entitled '11 Things You Didn't Know About Steve Jobs' and one of those things were about his favourite words and catchphrases including ...

- un-be-lievable- mere mortals- it's huge- wouldn't it be great

So I planned to include some of the sales buzzwords in my training session.

"Wouldn't it be great if students were able to access the lesson materials after school so they could go over something they didn't understand?""I was working with a member of staff who started a simple Moodle course and taught a lesson on a Friday.  Over the weekend, half the class had visited the course again from home and viewed the resources again.  It was unbelievable!""Moodle isn't just about our school.  The potential for sharing is huge!"

Moodle 1.9 for Teaching 7-14 Year OldsIt's funny how just using the words make you more enthusiastic about the product.  I then gave people time to play with the product and the enthusiasm rubbed off on them.   When I looked at the Moodle user logs later that evening I could see that some of those staff had gone home and played with the product.We had set each of them up with a sandpit area and given each person Course Creator rights for their area, effectively making them king of their own castle. Already we can see that some people have created almost full courses.Of course I shared the link to Mary Cooch's excellent book "Moodle 1.9 for teaching 7-14 Year Olds" (although I don't think the title does the book justice as it extends way beyond 14 year olds!) and gave them a sneak peek at my copy.  I highly recommend the book as it is suitable for all audiences.I also included a link to Mark Clarkson's equally brilliant 'Super Moodle' video tutorials for those who are not big on reading!Finally, although a little cheesy I like these Steve Jobs quotes.  I didn't work them into the presentation but I like them never the less.

Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected.Steve JobsDesign is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.Steve JobsI think we're having fun. I think our customers really like our products. And we're always trying to do better.Steve Jobs

Of course this last one is a little too customer focussed so I see it looking more like ...

I think we're having fun. I think our students really like using Moodle. And we're always trying to do better.Stuart Ridout

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