If you are not used to work with computers and the internet, if you do not know what is a website, how can I search for topics or how do I send emails than please go to our first part of the digital onboarding “Absolute beginner’s course”.Part two aims at making you familiar with e-learning and Online meetings. What is e-learning compared to websites, what e-learning platforms are there and how to use moodle. For attending and hosting online meetings you get insight into the platforms and key features.Have no concerns to skip the digital onboarding and start right away with Module 2 of the e-learning course “Digital climate action and campaigning” if you feel comfortable enough with the topics. There is always a way back to learn more about e-learning and online meetings if questions arise.
1 E-learning
1.1 What is e-learning?
E-Learning generally means learning with digital tools, typically including a computer, the internet and websites. Compared to face to face learning you can learn at your own pace with interactive features such as games and quizzes. Whereas websites show content and maybe images and videos interactive parts are missing, where you can show what you have learned or what you think about a specific topic.E-learning platforms are websites or apps for educational content and resources that offer participants everything they need in one space: lectures, resources, quizzes, chat, and more.There is a distinction between Online Learning Platforms, Online Course Platforms and Learning Management Systems. Online Learning Platforms take the perspective of the learners and offer a marketplace where learners search for the most suitable online course. Online Course Platforms on the other hand emphasize the perspective of the online teacher, who is enabled to create effective learning environments. Learning Management Systems focus on the training and less on marketing, allow to create new courses, manage users and track learner progress.
1.2 Do I have to be afraid of using E-learning the first time?
Not at all!There is nothing that can go seriously wrong or be destroyed. If you look at it as a trial-and-error process, you will become acquainted with the structure and its features in no time.
1.3 What e-learning platforms are there?
Online Learning Platforms
Online Course Platforms
Learning Management Systems
LinkedIn Learnning
LearnWorlds
Moodle
Udemy
Thinkific
Docebo
Coursera
Teachable
LeanUpon
skillshare
Kajabi
Litmos
edX & Open edX
Podia
iSpring Learn
Udacity
WizIQ
Blackboard Learn
In the CINAMON Project we use Moodle for both of our E-Learning courses (Digital climate action and campaigning & Digital climate impact measurement).
1.4 What do I need to know about Moodle?
1.4.1 Your e-learning account and log inIn the previous chapter “Digital onboarding – Online research & using tools” we already learned how to register an account and to login. This first step was shown for the CINAMON Moodle website. If you missed the registration, please go back to this section “Absolute beginner’s course”.
If you already have your login (username and password), open a new window in your browser and copy the CINAMON URL: https://cinamon-elearning.cinamon.info/login/index.php
OR use this link https://cinamon-elearning.cinamon.info/ and click on Log in1.4.2 After the login, what can I do?After the login you should see your Dashboard which is an overview of your main tasks, recently accessed courses and dates:You are able to decide which information your Dashboard displays. If you want to be informed about the courses you participate in, comments, navigation etc. please add the specific blocks to your Dashboard.In the header of your CINAMON Moodle, you see the following elements:
CINAMON brings you back to the main page, which is the dashboard.
Dashboard is the direct link to your overview.
My courses shows the CINAMON e-learning course(s) you can participate in.
The Bell stands for notifications you receive regarding events in Moodle such as a new forum post. In the section “notification preferences” you are able to activate specific notifications or disable all types of notifications.
The Speech bubble represents messages. Decide who is allowed to send messages to you and how you prefer to be made aware of new messages in the settings.
Your initials symbolize your personal information or settings regarding your profile, grades, private files, reports, preferences, etc.
Click now on the course “Digital climate action and campaign 2023” in the section “My courses”.1.4.3 Inside an e-learning courseThis page is the start page of the course. It contains some general information about the course and its content.On the left-hand side, you see a kind of index, where the whole course content can be accessed. Just click on one item, to get to the page linked to that index item.If you have clicked on one index item and be on one of that content pages of the course, you will always see on the left-hand side with a blue background which index item is the currently shown item.
Read each page, watch videos, do quizzes and games, and follow links to more detailed information.
You can go through the course by clicking on each index item on the left-hand side or you use the link at the right end of the content page to continue with the next page. 1.4.4 Watch videosOn some pages videos are embedded, like in the screenshot below. You can start the video with the play button and change to full screen mode to see the video as large as possible. In the right corner of the video, you see a symbol looking like a rectangle. Click on that to enable the full screen mode and the other way around.1.4.5 Play gamesAt some points of the e-Learning courses there will be games either linked from other websites or embedded Moodle games that offer you another way of understanding climate action and communication. Click on the play button and start the game.1.4.6 Complete the tasks
The Cinamon e-learning courses offer different types of assessments:
Multiple Choice
Sequencing (place elements in a specific order)
Feedback
Open end questions
Matching, labelling, sorting
Gamification (learning games)
Quizzes and further tasks support you in using the information of the chapter for your own purposes. You learn to know which topics you already understood and which ones you should rework in more detail. As it is for games and videos tasks will partly come from other sources (but will be embedded into the Moodle page) or it will be a task exclusively created for this E-Learning course.
This task leads you to a climate tool outside of Moodle. There are assessments as multiple choice, where you are asked to choose the right answer and finish the attempt. You are allowed to repeat the quiz, if you prefer to.
There are some pages in the CINAMON courses where the task is to think about the challenges or potential developments of your company/municipality. You complete the task by submitting your answers.
1.4.7 Help! I did forget my password!While having accounts for different websites, it is quite common that we do not always remember the password we used for a website. Do not worry, each website usually offers a password-forget-mechanism. Please take a look at the Absolute Beginner`s course if you want to know how to reset your password “Absolute beginner’s course”.
1.5 End of the course/summary
Gratulation! You have completed our digital onboarding course.Now you are ready you perform searches, to create accounts as well as to use e-learningsystems.
2 Online meetings & Conference tools
Online meetings are virtual meetings, where participants meet in a virtual room. Every participant decides whether to use a computer, tablet or mobile phone and depending on the platform of the meeting using a browser or download an app. It is not necessary to activate the camera, every platform allows to just take part with audio as well.
Have a look at the next paragraphs if you want to know how you can join and host meetings in Zoom and MS Teams.
2.1.1 ZoomZoom was already founded in 2011 and focuses on the main features of online meetings, video, audio, chat and screensharing. That is the reason why it is easy to handle even if you are new to video conferences/online meetings.This video shows you how to participate in a zoom meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAMDxH_H_CsIf you want to host a meeting and are not experienced with it, please watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQBehKw-NQM2.1.2 MS-TeamsMicrosoft Teams offers more features than video conference tools. Besides video conferences, chats and screensharing, it is a platform for data storage and shared documents.If you want to participate in a meeting, this is a short explanation of how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pauAUOl8v4Short information on hosting a video conference or meeting can you find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNBYv0-GnqMAnd if you want to get a full picture of using MS Teams for online meetings click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Og-aWQghDU
