Stealth Technology

In my own research, I have found blogs to be a cunning learning medium. By transforming traditional paper-pencil writing and verbal communications to a computer based medium students are intrinsically motivated to think and act in a reflective manner about complicated biological concepts. In particular, I have found that boys want to compose written works because of the cool computer technology. They perceive that they are “getting out of work” by using a keyboard rather than a pencil. Moodle stealthily harnesses student’s natural motivation to use technology in an interactive environment where links to websites, video and audio can easily be embedded into discussion prompts. Further, students can access the information at any time that they choose. This gives the learner greater choice and ultimately greater ownership of their learning. Students who have motor issues, lack solid computer skills and/or who have limited Internet access might find this shift to Moodle off-putting.