David's post Exploring Moodle Book Module usage – part 1 – background and planning threw up some questions for me about the future of e-books and their role in Higher Education. Generally, I have come to view e-books as a possible solution to a number of issues that I deal with as a teacher.
Anecdotally, a significant number of students referred to our team for poor academic performance or learning issues, do not own the relevant course textbook. Reasons for this vary: "I can't afford it" "The lecturer told us not to bother buying it" "The bookshop doesn't have it in stock" "The library doesn't have enough copies" "It's too big to carry". My initial reaction is always: Wouldn't it be great to have a whole swag of e-books, that the students could borrow for a reasonable price each semester? Better still - a course e-textbook with the cost built into course fees. Ideal - yes; probability - low. The Moodle book module that David discusses in this post appears to provide a compromise - something between a detailed study guide and textbook, but with the capability of a workbook. In my imagination, I can see students using the Moodle book module in similar ways to a print book, but with the opportunity to engage in learning opportunities more appropriate to the digital environment. I've come to think of our course blog in a similar way - as our core learning platform that provides enrichment opportunities to deepen understanding (links, readings, activities, graphics, videos). Whether the Moodle book Module is a suitable network learning resource could be determined by whether the participants from each course group meaningfully contribute their experiences and learning to build on existing knowledge. The same could be said for our course Blog. References Exploring Moodle book module usage- Part 1 - background and planning. (2016). The Weblog of (a) David Jones. Retrieved from https://davidtjones.wordpress.com/2016/08/13/exploring- moodle-book-module-usage-part-1/
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10/3/2016 08:50:47 pm
As the post you point to above mentioned, I've been in distance education for quite sometime (I actually got started when I was working for the institution you currently work for). The use of the Moodle Book module in my undergraduate course is based on that experience. The course blog for NGL is in turn based on that same approach. Hence I'm biased, I think it's a useful approach.
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