Perceived+Attributes+of+Innovation+of+Moodle

Sherri Carey Diffusion and Integration of Technology in Education Professor Carol Watson October 21, 2010 Perceived Attributes of Innovations and Innovation of Adoption The early innovators of Moodle or online course technology in my field of work are the educators that are technologically literate. Being technological literate allows you to see technology as an opportunity to enhance the learning environment for all students and educators. In the early days of online education, early adopters were moving into unchartered territory of education that was entirely new because of the advances in computer equipment and the Internet. With these combined communication channels were opened for educational participants from all over the world. Software enhancements such as Moodle, allows the communication network to be centrally located and is a good medium to house educational materials digitally. Persuading educators to use Moodle is not that difficult because the number one complaint of educators is the use of time. We all feel that time is at a premium and do not want to take the time to learn a new concept or software unless it will enhance education effectively. Moodle is easily persuaded into teachers’ hands because once the course is set up on the Moodle server, one only needs to make minor changes but it actually saves time. The initial set up does take a considerable amount of time but it is well worth it in the long run. In our school, having my course in Moodle allows me so many conveniences, such as a constant curriculum that can be updated in an instance, allowing me to share with other educators, and have my syllabus at a moments notice. This alone is enough of a persuasion. Laggards in the education industry are the ones that cannot accept change. Education has changed immensely over the last hundred years but there are those in education that believe in good old fashion learning environments, which may work well for some students but not everybody and we are not doing students any favors by not introducing them correctly into the technological world they will enter after formal education. To move these laggards forward, we need to educate them in technology so they have the confidence to use it as part of the educational process. Trialability and observability are probably the best way to move Moodle into the critical mass, this way easing them into the technology by trying and observing their peers using Moodle will give these educators the confidence to try and hopefully succeed in using this educational medium.  References Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed). New York: Free Press.Rogers,