Activity 5: Using Journal for reflective or private writing

Aim: Help students keep a diary

Moodle modules: Journal

Extra programs: None

Ease of setup: *

It is useful to provide a place where students can keep a private journal. This could be a diary of events in their lives, a reflective diary based on their learning, or a way of asking questions about the course they're studying. The text that students write in journal can only be seen by them and the teachers on their course. That text can be graded using percentage marks or a separate marking scheme (called a scale) created by the teacher. The teacher can also simply respond to the student's text by writing a comment or recording one using the NanoGong recorder. See Chapter 2, Getting Started with Moodle for help with creating scales and using the NanoGong recorder.

The module lends itself well to the following sorts of writing:

• Project diary

• Reflections on the course

• Students' questions and teachers' answers

• Drafts of writing assignments

• Plans...