Moodle

It's been a few weeks since my last update because I've been overly involved in setting up my Moodle site. For those of you unfamiliar with Moodle, then think Blackboard. It's basically the same thing but it's open source which makes it affordable for K-12. This has been the first year that I have not dreaded doing Media Center orientation. Moodle has made what is usually the most boring part of the year, joyous. It's amazing how fast students "get it" when they are able to have a semblance of control over their own learning. After Moodle training, students went to the media center, placed books on hold and were able to locate books according to call numbers faster than they have in the past. If you're a teacher and your county/district offers Moodle, I encourage you to utilize this learning management software. Not only are you increasing engagement and collaboration, but you're also saving the planet because the amount of paper you'll use is cut tremendously. Feel free to ask me any questions about Moodle or if we work together, swing by the media center. I'm here to help.

Visual Thesaurus

While in virtual class, my instructor introduced Visual Thesaurus (VT) to us. This post will be brief for I simply want you to know about this cool tool. Now, this tool is free to try, but will cost about $20 a year to utilize often. Visual Thesaurus is a fantastic alternative to www.m-w.com and of course, digging through a book. I cannot tell you how many lesson plans one can stem from the VT so I hope you visit and utilize this tool today.

Here's a great screenshot to see this verbal thinkmap in action:

 I've included a YouTube video for a detailed description of VT in action.  Enjoy!