Yesterday was the first day I actually tried upgrading a Moodle 1.9 version to Moodle 2.0 (I used a testing site – NOT production and it didn’t matter one bit if I lost it all). I was stuck while upgrading with the error:

When I click “continue” it goes back to beginning screen of the upgrade. I tried deleting the table and I got another error from a different table. I then reverted back to my 1.9 version and tried removing the non-core modules and still no luck. Although, I don’t think I have removed all of the modules and data – I’m going to try that next. One other thing was that the php extension “Intl” was not installed. I believe this is optional but I am installing that on the server to test.

I tried this upgrade pretty much on the fly and not very cleanly, however I’m going to still keep it and fiddle with it. I’m also currently installing a fresh Moodle 1.9.10 install to try and upgrade it to 2.0 with no data. I’ll post on this when I complete it.

The point of this stream of thoughts post isn’t really the technical parts of upgrading as I am planning on doing a bunch of testing and waiting quite awhile to begin seriously upgrading for a pilot like state.

The point of this post is to start thinking about transitioning from Moodle 1.9 to Moodle 2.0. Not just the technical parts.

Initial questions

• When to upgrade?
• How much training will users need?
• How do I go about telling users about the change that is coming?
• How do I make the “change” be a good thing to our users and not another hurdle and “another thing to learn”?
• All themes are new – should I remove all old ones?
• Make a pilot group for Moodle 2.0?
• What about modules users currently use that aren’t in Moodle 2.0?
• I’m not familiar with the real use of the Gradebook and Quiz – are there big differences?
• Where to go for help?

Future Action Items on the Roadmap to 2.0

• Duplicate our current district Moodle site and test the upgrade
  • Test compatibility – themes, courses and modules
• Talk with tech integration specialists and come up with a plan of action for training, ease of transition
• Round up some super Moodlers in the district to pilot and get feedback
• Search like crazy online to see the main upgrade/transition issues

So far…lots of questions. I don’t plan on doing anything serious, like getting pilot users, until Moodle 2.1 gets closer and the backup and restore function works. I hope to have it working next Fall because we’re only in our 2nd year and if we switch over soon there will be less courses and users to transition. However, I don’t want to push it out early because if it’s not ready it will create more problems.

Start of the 2.0 Journey

So, I guess that was my first post of many about the Roadmap to Transitioning into Moodle 2.0. I’ll be posting more of my journey as I troubleshoot and brainstorm the best way to have a smooth transition.

EDIT: After writing this original draft I came across some php 5.3 issues when dealing with the php extension Intl. I believe these issues deal with Moodle 1.9. I am in the process of figuring out with my host what needs to be done. Will update later.

I recently read the book, Moodle 1.9 Teaching Techniques by William Rice and Susan Smith Nash which was published by Packt Publishing. This book discussed creative ways to build powerful and effective online courses.

When I began reading this book I was expecting to learn a bunch of “real-life” classroom applicable examples of using specific Moodle features. While it did list many of those examples, it really focused on learning theory and creating a positive learning experience and community. The book mentioned many educational psychologists and philosophies of teaching and learning. Each time the authors explained a feature or gave an example of classroom use of a Moodle feature they also reminded the reader to make sure the activity was tied with the course outcomes and the learning objectives.

I thought the discussion about learning styles and effective teaching practices was interesting as my education has been in technology and not k-12 education. One thing I liked about the book is that for each feature example the authors gave a variety of ways to accomplish the same thing, giving the reader an option if they prefer one way or the other. Another thing that the authors provided were tips or recommendations on using each feature. For example, effectively running a chat and chat etiquette, taking the fear out of assessments, how to create and maintain exciting and engaging forums, etc. I guess you can call it “best practices” of the Moodle features.

As I mentioned before there were some awesome ideas on using Moodle features – without going into detail here are a few:

• Using the Chat module with a guest speaker
• A self-assessment practice quiz using the Lesson module
• Creating a flash card activity with the Lesson module
• Guided note-taking with the Wiki module
• Using the Glossary module for student submitted quiz questions

One note to mention is if you’re expecting to come away with created activities as you follow this book you should have some basic Moodle experience.  This book does not go into step-by-step, detailed instructions for most of the modules. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean you have to know Moodle already in my opinion. This book did a good job of convincing the user that Moodle can create a learning community that is easily adaptable to different learning styles and offers some great teaching strategies to accomplish this.

Drawbacks

As with all of the other Packt Publishing Moodle books I’ve read I wish the screenshot images were in color. Another thing I noticed is a difference in our district’s Moodle (v 1.9.7) settings page for some modules and the screenshot images in the book (I believe the Choice activity looked a *bit* different). I was also made aware that the Gradebook is out of date. As always, take into consideration the frequent updates.

Wrap Up

In the end, I enjoyed the book and learned the most about having an “effective” course and what that even means. As I mentioned earlier, I am a techy person not a teacher, so I am at a point where I need to understand more about theory and teaching and learning strategies. This book had me nodding a lot and just “made sense” (if that makes sense!). It put things in perspective as each and every activity was tied with the course outcomes and made me aware of some of the things that are needed to create an effective learning community such as student confidence, fear of assessment, feeling comfortable with their peers, etc. And don’t get me wrong I am talking about the “theory” stuff becasue that is what interested in but there are many cool ideas and tips to using the modules. I only listed a few above. Visit Packt Publishing for more details on the contents of Moodle 1.9 Teaching Techniques.

I’ve recently been asked to review the book Moodle 1.9 Teaching Techniques by William Rice and Susan Smith Nash published by Packt Publishing. This book is about “creative ways to build powerful and effective online courses”.

I’m especially excited to read this book and learn more about classroom applications. I know quite a bit from an admin/techy role, now what I need to learn more about is not how to use the features but how to integrate it into a lesson to create an effective activity for students.

Check back in a few weeks for my review!

To hold you over check out an extracted part of the book called “Instructional Material” for free!

Blog posts from The Global Classroom

• 10+ Ideas: What to do with a Moodle classroom
  
• Scales and the Moodle Gradebook

Other

• A reliable and straightforward guide to using Moodle 1.9 – A blog post and review of the book, Moodle 1.9 E-Learning Course Development. I have not read this book, I may have to take a look at it–but will a lot change once Moodle 2.0 comes out?
• Introducing Anomaly for Beta Release – A new theme from New School Learning.
• Moodle Journal – A blog about Moodle and E-Learning (added to my Moodle Blogs links).