Integrating Twitter into Moodle pages
Twitter widgets that won’t break the page in moodle 2.0+
It is supposed to be easy. You go to the Twitter resource site, build your custom widget and then copy and paste the code into your sidebar html block.
It looks great. Then you try to click on one of the expanding menu items in the left hand settings or navigation block and… nothing happens…
I thought I was going mad. Today I visited the MoodlePosium2011 site because I knew they had a Twitter widget. Sure enough, in Firefox the navigation works fine. Visit the site in IE or Chrome and it’s a different story. Go on, try it…
There is a problem with the javascript in the Twitter widget. I did some reading and there is plenty about it out there on the internet. Try this in Firefox (shouldn’t everybody) and the widget/navigation works fine. That’s just because Firefox is better. But there are some people who still use Internet Explorer and more and more are using Google Chrome and as good site developers we have to make it work for everyone.
So, this is what you do to fix the problem…
Go to the Twitter resource site and create your widget like normal. Instead of pasting the code into your page, put it into a notepad document. You’ll get something the looks like this:
<script src=”http://widgets.twimg.com/j/2/widget.js”></script><script>new TWTR.Widget({ version: 2, type: ‘search’, search: ‘#elearning’, interval: 30000, title: ‘e-learning’, subject: ‘What\’s going on?’, width: ‘auto’, height: 300, theme: { shell: { background: ‘#4c0000′, color: ‘#ffffff’ }, tweets: { background: ‘#d7d7d7′, color: ‘#444444′, links: ‘#cc0000′ } }, features: { scrollbar: false, loop: true, live: true, behavior: ‘default’ }}).render().start();</script>
Next, what we are going to do is create an html file – a webpage, that displays the twitter feed as a standalone item.
I did this in Dreamweaver, but you can do it just as well in notepad. Our page needs three tags, you can type them in now:
<html>
<head></head>
<body></body>
</html>
That’s it! Now we just need to break down the Twitter widget code and pop it into the correct tag:
Looking at the Twitter code, you can see that we have two <script> components.
You need to place the first, smaller component between the <head> tags. This calls the widget Javascript from the Twitter server:
<head><meta http-equiv=”Content-Type” content=”text/html; charset=utf-8″ /><script src=”http://widgets.twimg.com/j/2/widget.js”></script></head>
The larger component goes between the <body> tags. This is the bit that builds the widget on the page:
<body><script>new TWTR.Widget({ version: 2, type: ‘search’, search: ‘#elearning’, interval: 30000, title: ‘e-learning’, subject: ‘What\’s going on?’, width: ‘auto’, height: 300, theme: { shell: { background: ‘#4c0000′, color: ‘#ffffff’ }, tweets: { background: ‘#d7d7d7′, color: ‘#444444′, links: ‘#cc0000′ } }, features: { scrollbar: false, loop: true, live: true, behavior: ‘default’ }}).render().start();</script></body>
Now, save your file with some meaningful name. I called mine “twitter.html” imaginatively. Upload it to your Moodle directory. I put it in the blocks folder as that is what it is going to be anyway.
This will give you a URL something like – http://moodle.yourdomain.com/blocks/twitter.html
Now, log into your Moodle as admin and switch editing on. Add an HTML block to the sidebar and go into the editing page for that block.
To display our new Twitter object, we are going to need a holder for it. To do this we are going to use an <iframe>.
My Twitter widget has an automatic width and a height of 300px. If yours is the same (and I suggest it should be for a moodle site) then I have done the hard work for you. What we need for an <iframe> is a source, border (or not), width and height. Put this all together and it looks like this:
<iframe src=”http://moodle.yourdomain.com/blocks/twitter.html” frameborder=”0″ height=”420″ width=”100%”></iframe>
The 100% width makes sure your widget fills the block regardless of it’s size and the 420 pixel height ensures you won’t get an annoying scroll bar on the side (and no, a 100% height doesn’t work!).
All you have to do now is copy and paste this little bit of code into the HTML editor of your block and hit save.
What you should have now is a Twitter widget that won’t break you page in Chrome and IE. This is because what we have just done is isolate the twitter code and pull it in from outside of the site rather then embed the code directly into the page itself.
Enjoy!
Situation Action Outcome
Using stories in eLearning to engage learners
I just read a really nice blog post that I picked up from my Twitter feed about telling stories in eLearning. (you can read that post here)
The whole time I was reading I couldn’t get the thought out of my head that the whole process sounded somewhat similar to something I experienced whilst I was a sales rep some years ago.
The world of Pharmaceutical Sales is particularly viscous, especially when you are trying to get into the role, and companies invest a large amount of time and effort (not to mention money) to ensure that they employ only the best people in order to get their return on investment (it costs around $250k to put a new rep on the road). The result of course is some interesting tools that we can then use for more enjoyable purposes!
I can’t remember where I first heard this but it is worth repeating:
“Every person has a story inside of them”
I really, really believe this. I’ve found it in myself and I’ve experienced it in my students. The barriers we hit are never the story itself but how we record that story.
I recently had a student who needed to complete a written assessment. He had 20 years or more of experience, but did not know to convey this evidence so assessment seemed the best option. However, he suffered so badly with anxiety and depression that when he was faced with a dozen pages of short answer questions he considered taking his own life as the better option.
I was destroyed to think that something I had put in motion could cause such an extreme reaction in another human so I completely redesigned the process. We worked through the module together and I asked him leading questions to draw the story of his work history from him. I scribbled furiously as he talked for over an hour and when we had finished I had many pages of notes that we could use as evidence for his assessment.
As a result he completed the module, and completed his qualification. He was so grateful that we had found a way through and felt it made him a stronger person for the experience.
Anybody notice what I just did there?
I just told a story! The difference is that, rather than ramble on, I used a structured behavioral modelling process called Situation, Action, Outcome to frame and pace the story.
This is a great technique to use not only when generating a storyline for your learning object but it can also be a powerful little technique to teach to your subject matter experts when drawing the information from them. Indeed, I first heard of it when I was being coached for a big interview. I was given a list of key questions I might be asked and told to think through my working life and pull out examples where I had faced the problem described. I then had to write them down and format them in this way.
Situation, Action, Outcome: What happened? What did you do to fix it? What was the outcome?
And remember, the outcome doesn’t always have to be positive – we often learn most from our own mistakes…
SAO – A great way to learn!
Making online presentations engaging
Putting yourself into your presentations
I just watched/listened to a really nice slide presentation about instructional design. It was good stuff, I even made notes it was that good! So why (apart from the jetlag) was I still fighting to keep the eyes open?
It was because the person doing the narration had obviously written down what they were going to say and had then read it out, word-for-word and paying careful attention to the timing etc so it all looked really slick. Even typing this out now it sounds like a really good plan – write it down, work out the timing, practice – perfect.
I mean, we all know the four P’s:
Poor Preparation = Poor Performance
So what went wrong?
If I was a gambling man (and I’m not, that’s why I still work for a living) I would bet that our ID Pro was sat at his (or her) desk, presentation on screen, finger poised on the mouse and script written (maybe even typed!) on a sheet of A4 paper in front of him. His eyes flicked between the paper and the screen, the little microphone on the headset got a final tweak, he hit the record button… and started to read in monotone to the wall behind the screen.
I know that’s what happened because that’s exactly what I did last time I narrated an online presentation.
Think about Toy Story…
Take a look at this:
When Hollywood is narrating a presentation it looks a lot different. Okay, so we’re not producing Toy Story with our learning objects but all classroom based education is a performance – why else would you create a lesson plan?
I really enjoy doing classroom sessions. When I’m in my element there’s no stopping me – I jump around, wave my arms, point at stuff that is completely irrelevant and try to desribe what I am saying using my hands as well as my voice. Most of all I HAVE FUN 
Turn your recording session into a performance…
So these then are my tips for making your presentations fun:
- If working in private, write your script on big sheets of paper and stick them up behind the screen so you can see eveything at once
- If you are brave enough consider using a live studio audience – a class, or just family and friends so you’re not talking to yourself
- Smile when you talk (I know it is a bit of a cliché but it works)
- Use your hands – if something in the slide needs to be emphasised, point at it and wave your hands around as you talk
- Don’t be afraid to start again but…
- …don’t be afraid to be less than perfect – sometimes that little ad-lib or mistake is the best thing in the whole performance
That’s about it – just go out there, have some fun and record some truly awesome presentations…
eLearning on a Budget
Don’t pay a fortune for effective learning content
eLearning myth number one:
It costs tens of thousands of dollars and complicated IT infrastructure to setup and manage an elearning platform…
No, it doesn’t!
I often hear execs saying how they paid 10, 20, 30 thousand dollars to get their eLearning platform installed and “custom designed” for them. They then pay even more to then have a designer turn their written content into “online learning” by copying and pasting that content directly into the tools already available within the platform. Or even worse, they pdf it and just add download links somewhere in the “scroll of death” that is their course navigation.
Okay, here are some realities:
I use moodle as my elearning platform of choice. There are others out there that are also open source solutions (like eFrontLearning) but I just love to moodle! Moodle is open source software, you might pay someone to help you install, configure and manage the software but please make sure that you aren’t paying for it. The same goes for a lot of the Content Management Systems that power you marketing website – WordPress, Plone, Joomla, Drupal – all open source.
You don’t need massive amounts of IT resources to host your own elearning platform. I use Web City* to host the RedTwenty websites and eLearning platforms. It’s based right here in Australia, uses the latest Dell blade servers, has live replication and offsite backups of all my sites, has 24/7 local support and costs me $9.95 a month for unlimited space and traffic. If you can run a standard website or blog on your web host, then you can install an elearning platform (or we will find you a host that can!).
Pages of text or downloadable pdf’s is NOT elearning. To be honest, neither is chucking in a couple of forums or surveys either side of those downloads either. Online learning is totally different to classroom based, or even correspondence based learning. A good instructional designer will be able to take your written material and turn it into a learning object that is both informative and engaging for the learner.
RedTwenty exists to be able to provide cost effective elearning to businesses both in Australia and New Zealand and all over the world. I work with you to develop your elearning content because I may be the expert in elearning but you are the expert in your industry.
* Please note – I do not use WebCity anymore as unfortunately they are unable to supply servers with the most up-to-date version of php installed. RedTwenty now hosts its own websites through our RedHosting service.
Using the Wiki activity
A couple of posts back I did a screencast demonstrating the use of the lesson activity to reduce the clutter on the course navigation page.
More recently I have started to do more with the Wiki activity, looking for ways to increase student engagement whilst still retaining the functionality of the lesson.
To be honest, this is probably going to be the first of two posts as I keep on thinking of new things to do with these wikis and I need to do some more work so I have something to screencast.
The wiki I am demonstrating here is a case study that has several different parts. None of these are actual formal assessments and the students are encouraged to simply reflect on the answers and discuss them with their colleagues. Occasionally these studies have exemplar answers as part of them and in this case I have chosen to use the lesson activity as it handles the branch pages better.
When there is no such answers I chose to use the wiki in an attempt to encourage students to collaborate to build up the answers themselves.
The wiki is super simple. the summary block is used to convey simple instructions to the user on how to edit and add content. This first page then links to the three separate parts of the case study (in the normal [wiki] way). Each new page carries a little more information and a question that needs to be answered. The lack of lesson buttons means that I had to put in links to the next part manually. The wiki itself puts in a link back to the home page.
Consistent images, fonts and instructions help to tie the whole thing together. All we need now is some student input…
Huge thanks go to the Royal Australia & New Zealand College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) for allowing me to use my work on their moodle for this post
Future developments for this one include:
- Linking to resources and other activities within the wiki
- Laying it all out in a course
- Custom navigation to make it look cool
Until next time…
Using Lessons in Moodle
I have been doing a lot of work recently using the Lesson activity in Moodle to create modules that contain all the information a student needs to complete a block of study.
I have several reasons for doing this:
- I wanted to create something that was interesting, asynchronous and easy to use
- I hate those really long lists of resources and activities that some Moodle course navigation pages end up as (the so called “Scroll of Death”)
- I can’t afford Articulate!
The course on the left is one of my later efforts and the course on the right was designed using the more traditional list of resources and activities. To be fair, my course is a single module and the other is a full qualification of 5 or 6 modules (although only 2 are visible on the screenshot).
There are two things that I would like to point out though:
- The first topic (Topic 0) that contains a lot of the standard course information. In the larger course you can see 6 separate elements, all of them pdf files, web pages or videos. In the smaller course we have a clear welcome label and a single activity, “Student Orientation”. This activity is a branch table lesson that contains all of the information about the course as well as links to the pdf resources. The larger course actually imported this lesson also but then included the links on the navigation page, effectively doubling up on content.
- Topic 4 (Business Planning) in the larger course is the only module we can see clearly so compare this with Topic 2 (Learning Activities) in the smaller course. There are 6 separate elements in the larger module, a lot of these replicated over and over in each module (this course included something like 15 separate forums that a single educator will have to moderate). In my smaller course I have compressed this to a single lesson with linked quiz and file upload activities.
This screencast explains a little more about the setup of the lesson module:
Until next time…
RPL & SWL, a blended approach
Ideas from VET/AQTF/Industry Experts
I’ll be honest with you, as a result of this little project I have been reading a lot of documentation that is already out there and have discovered that there is a lot of really good information to be found.
By far, the most effective suite of documentation that I have found was produced by the WA Department of Education and Training. I am currently reading the third edition from 2009 and will include some of the key information here:
In the past, many RPL processes have followed a fairly predictable pattern. Candidates, having been given written information about the evidence needed to have their skills recognised, have gone away and collected evidence, which they then combined into a portfolio. To prove their portfolio met the evidence requirements, candidates themselves often mapped their portfolio against the unit/s of competency.
Yep, that’s what we do!
New streamlined approaches to RPL encourage assessment methods that reduce the previous reliance on paper-based evidence and provide opportunity for candidates to gather evidence of their competency in a range of ways that better match the requirements of the unit/units. Increasingly, methods that are being used to gather evidence for RPL mirror assessment methods that are used in a training program. These include self evaluation, interview processes and/or direct observation either on the job in the workplace, or in a simulated environment.
And that is pretty much where I want to be!
As a result of the research that they undertook, DETWA identified that there should be a 4-step process that is more interactive and flexible than the processes currently employed. These four steps are:
- Step 1: self evaluation completed by candidate
- Step 2: interview with assessor
- Step 3: demonstration/observation of tasks
- Step 4: provision of further supporting evidence
I will look at how I can incorporate these ideas into my own plan in the next part of this project but their theory seems to be sound. My only issue here would be with step number two: By providing distance education I rely on workplace supervisors to undertake the workplace competency component of the assessment. There are many students that I never even talk to on the phone let alone in a face-to-face environment. Is there something then that I could do to replace this step or incorporate it somehow? Given the advances in technology, maybe now is the time to introduce video interviewing or virtual worlds into the process.
You can download all of the fantastic educator resources from DETWA HERE
Until next time…
The 5 things I did well this year
2010 was my first year involved in online learning, and I hadn’t even heard of MOODLE before the start of February. The learning curve has been pretty steep but I think I did some things well…
Following on from my post “The 5 biggest mistakes I made in eLearning this year“, the following is a list of things that I think I did pretty well. This list was actually a lot harder to write than the first one. The human mind (well mine at least) seems to find it much easier to remember the negative than the positive.
Anyway, on with the list. Hopefully you might find some inspiration here to reflect on your year and give yourself a pat on the back for what you did well…
Moodle Layout: When I started at my current RTO they had already had MOODLE installed (badly) but had not done much with it. Now, to be honest, our online learning effort is still not much more than a series of electronic worksheets (see my project “RPL & SWL, a blended approach to learning in distance education” to see how I am tackling this problem) but I did make some serious efforts to improve the aesthetic appearance of the site.
I re-skinned the site but that is something else that I do as part of RedTwenty on Elance. The positive changes I am thinking of here are the ones I made to the Topic Outline page of each course. My best advice I can give to anybody starting out in MOODLE is to think carefully about the structure of your course and repeat this structure across the site to maintain your aesthetic.
The next thing I did with the topic outline page was to write a bit of HTML to tart up the labels I was using to introduce each topic. Each label is basically a single cell table with coloured backgrounds. The colours are 1 pixel wide gradients in different tones. I use a different tone for each category within the site. You can see an example in the image.
Interactive Assessment: Not a big one this, and certainly nothing ground breaking. I was just really pleased with the results I got when I tried to create an interactive assessment using all of the questions available within MOODLE. The assessment was in Anatomy & Physiology and Medical Terminology at Cert 3 level (Australian) and those that have tested it out for me have really enjoyed doing it.
RedTwenty: Yes, this site! I have worked hard to learn the world of eLearning this year and I am still not being taken seriously by my employers. RedTwenty is my chance to put more of myself ‘out there’ and build my online reputation. With the thanks of social media my hard work is starting to pay off and visits to this site have increased over 248% over the past couple of months.
Facilitator Boxes: This was part of my continued aesthetic improvement to the MOODLE site for my RTO. One of the biggest problems with online education, particularly when you have open enrollment, is that students often feel a bit isolated. My facilitator boxes at the top of each activity and resource used similar HTML tables to the labels to try and introduce each section in a more accessible way. The idea was that these boxes could be written directly by the tutor for the course and give it a more “human” face.
Mahara Patch: I decided I wanted to play with Mahara a few months back.
The main problem I found is that it was primarily designed for institutions running their own Linux servers with postresql. When I tried to do a default installation on shared hosting with a mySQL database it simplywould not work at all 
After a few days of head scratching I eventually found some instructions hidden in a developers forum that allowed me to make the necessary modifications to get Mahara up and running on a shared hosting account with a mySQL database – HOORAY!!!
In the spirit of Open Source development, I packaged up the files with some instructions and posted them on this website. You can find the old post here.
So, there you go, my highlights for the year. I reckon by the end of 2011 I am going to have a lot more to say!
RPL & SWL, a blended approach
The hypothesis for blending the two together
So, I suppose this is the reason that I wanted to do the entire project. I want to find a way to make Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) more accessible to all students, regardless of previous qualifications.
I have two major problems with our current methods:
Firstly, we only tend to accept RPL applications from students who have previous qualifications. Or to be more precise, we will accept the application from anybody but will only award competency to those who can prove some previous study that is relevant to this qualification. This of course rules out the students who have never undertaken any previous study. These students are the sort of mature aged students who have no confidence in writing large assessments and we force directly to this path because of their lack of study skills.
Secondly, and partly by my own hand, our current RPL practice is to send out a complete RPL document package and expect the student to submit an entire application before we will assess it. The student has little or no support and receives no ongoing feedback as to how successful or suitable their evidence may be. This can occasionally mean that a student spends 6 months pulling together a portfolio of evidence only for our assessor to turn around and reject everything, thus forcing the student back to square one and staring down the barrel of many written assessments – depressing eh?
The hypothesis for blending the two assessment pathways together then is to not only make the system accessible to a wider range of students but also to make the whole process a lot more progressive so that student support is both frequent and planned. If we can do this then we can increase the uptake of RPL and reduce the workload on both student and assessor.
The most important thing is that the students described in an earlier post are able to feel comfortable enough to make an application for RPL despite the fact that they have never formally studied. On top of this we need to have a set of intuitive tools that will make the process easy for all regardless of age or LLN ability. We also need to make this process work as well in a traditional paper-based format as an online format.
In the next post we will look at some of the ideas surrounding RPL and SWL from the VET sector in Australia.
Until next time…
RPL & SWL a blended approach to learning in distance education
Current “Best Practice” in RPL & SWL
Before I get into anything here I have to add this little caveat before I get a lot of grumpy emails: I am here referring to the “Best Practice” as currently implemented by the RTO that I currently work for. There are definitely better practices out there and that is sort of the whole idea of this project; to investigate and highlight what is being done well and what is not…
It is well known that in order to be compliant with the AQTF Framework, RTO’s are required to offer Recognition of Prior Learning to each and every student. Here in the office we do this by including an entire RPL pathway document (anywhere between 50 and 75 pages) in with the student folder that gets sent out on enrolment. If you listen carefully, you can hear the rainforest weeping.
RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING
We tend to encourage students with a lot of work experience and previous qualifications to apply for Recognition of Prior Learning. The process is self contained and self-guided with excellent instructions provided to help the student through the process. Students are allowed to apply for RPL at any stage during the qualification.
We direct the student to collect together a porfolio of evidence that includes all of the relevant and approved information:
Official Documents
- Job Description
- CV/Work & Training History
Supporting Evidence
- Certificates/transcripts from previously attained qualifications/courses (JP/Supervisor verified)
- Minutes of meetings that you have attended (named attendance records)
- Quality improvements activities undertaken
- Supply requisitions that the student has made
- Texts/papers/policies/blogs that the student has written
- Letters of support from professional references (these must be signed and dated)
- Performance Appraisal documents
- In-house observation/skills assessment tools
We then ask them to complete a Recognition Pathway Application document that contains three sections:
Student Information
This allows the student to enter work and training history to use in place of a full CV if they wish.
Student Report
This section is completed by the student and is used as a self-assessment of their skills. It is written primarily from the Essential Knowledge listed for each of the units of competency.
Students tick next to each “Can I…” statement to show that they have read and acknowledged it. They then indicate in the box on the right exactly how they can prove that they meet this criteria. this is usually done by recording which piece of supplied evidence they feel covers the unit.
At the end of this section, the student completes a one page report indicating which units from the qualification they want to be assessed for RPL in.
Supervisor Report
This second series of checklists is completed by the students supervisor in the workplace and is used to provide an indication of the students on-the-job performance and current level of competency.
These checklists are based on the Essential Skills for each unit of competency.
After each list there is a space included for the supervisor to provide more information so support the student’s performance in this area.
This completed RPL application is then submitted to us where it is assessed as a whole and a decision on competency or the requirement for “gap” training is made.
SUPPORTED WORKPLACE LEARNING
This pathway is aimed at those students with little or no work experience. The idea is that the student completes written assessment tasks for each of the modules in addition to workplace checklists much like the ones in the Supervisor Report in the RPL pathway.
The assessments are designed to guide the students through their studies and they are supported by “Learning Resources” or textbooks that assist with research.
Each paper is then marked by a qualified assessor who decides on whether a student is awarded competency or not.
This is seen as a much more traditional method of training and assessment. In some cases the students also attend workshops designed to cover the material or topic of one or more modules.
That is how we are currently presenting the two pathways to our students. My challenge is to find a way to blend to two together to make both more accessible to identified learner types who are not able to enter a more traditional method of training and assessment but also do not have any formal training.
Next we will look at the hypothesis for blending the two together.
Until next time…
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