Over at Intended Consequences, Tim Holt invites us all to craft 5-minute basic technology tutorials for administrators. While such an approach may tend to emphasize tools, I can see where Tim is headed (at least, I think I do).

I started a site called the Neural Forest for Administrators because I was noticing a distinct lack of knowledge by campus administrators on the basics of educational technology. The site is simply a series of blog entries that are designed to be very short, to the point, somewhere between Twitter and Blogs. 

 Here’s what Tim writes by way of explaining the structure for the Neural Forest for Administrators:

Each entry has four parts:

1.  What it is–essentially giving an overview of the topic. 

1. 2.  Why it is important–why do they need to know about it

2. 3.  How they can use it–How can a campus administrator use this technology on their campus?

3. 4.  Helpful links–links to further information, or the actual site. 

Each entry should be able to be read in less than 5 minutes or less.

So, here goes, just for fun:


What Is It?
If you want to establish an online presence for your school, one way of accomplish that is to use what is known as a course management system like “Moodle.” Moodle is a Course Management System (CMS), also known as a Learning Management System (LMS) or a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It is a free Web application that educators can use to create effective online learning sites.”


Why Is It Important?
Need to build an online community that enables dialogue with your parents? While there are many tools available, one such tool is Moodle. Moodle is one of several ways that you can facilitate learning activities, collect information, as well as facilitate online learning for K-12 or adult learners. Moodle, a course management system, can provide a solution that can be used to bridge the divide between school and home.


How Can You Use It?

• Moodle-izing Your Education Enterprise – an article about how Moodle can be used in K-12 schools.
• A series of articles written for Campus Administrators that reference Moodle, as well as other tools you could use to facilitate parent/community outreach:
  Five Essential Tech Tools for School Administrators (Part 3)
  As an administrator who uses technology in K-12 settings, I like the idea of using technology to R.E.A.C.H. out to parents and create opportunities for learning and dialogue.
  Five Essential Tech Tools for School Administrators (Part 2)
  In the second of a 3-part series on essential tools, we explore blogging. Of all the tools available, this one tool has the potential to bring about the most change in your learning and leading situation.
  Five Essential Tech Tools for Campus Administrators (Part 1)
  Many administrative tasks could be made easier with the use of technology; these are the five tasks I believe have the most potential to be enhanced by technology-related tools.

• Practical Moodle Tips for Technology Administrators – this article might be worth sharing with district technology staff who can help you get setup.

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure