Have you heard Moodlers? MoodleMoot Australia is going to be held in Sydney, at Sheraton on the Park, from 26 – 28 September.
After the success of last year’s MoodleMoot Australia in Perth, Australia – Moodle’s birth city, we are looking forward to holding another engaging conference.
Most of you would have heard about what is a MoodleMoot and Moodle HQ recently ran one in London for #MootIEUK17. If you want to find out more about MoodleMoots, check out our website for all the information and Moots around the world.
Today we want to talk more about MoodleMoot Australia!
Whilst every Moot we run has a similar structure, the atmosphere, attendance, styles are different for every country.
We want to share with you what it’s like to attend AND present at a MoodleMoot in Australia, so we talked to Nonzahriyah Adun, Learning and Teaching Support Officer from Monash University about it all.
Moodle HQ: Thanks Nonzahriyah for taking the time to chat to us today about all things MoodleMoot Australia. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your involvement with Moodle?
Nonzahriyah: Working within Monash’s Office of Learning & Teaching, I project manage various learning and teaching initiatives. I’ve been using Moodle since 2011, when I was part of a team to implement the LMS enterprise-wide. Today, I’m a department administrator and use Moodle to manage team resources.
In 2016, I was involved in managing a Moodle plugin project for Alternative Arrangements for Assessment. The innovative use of Moodle is an example of how continuing development of integrated online data systems could improve service delivery for students with a disability.
What I enjoy most about working with Moodle is how we can build and customise the LMS to suit our university – the sky’s the limit.
Moodle HQ: When and where did you attend your first MoodleMoot Australia and what attracted you to be part of the conference?
Nonzahriyah: I first attended in 2015 at Monash University. I was the main coordinator, liaising with Moodle HQ in organising and running their first MoodleMoot Australia. It was an exciting and memorable time to work with Moodle HQ and the conference was one of the biggest with over 500 delegates, attending the 3 days.
Moodle HQ: If someone, who has never attended a MoodleMoot, asks you: “What is MoodleMoot Australia?” how would you describe it?
Nonzahriyah: It’s a program for Moodlers to get together and learn best practices that you can, hopefully, bring back and incorporate into your workplace. It’s also a great time to network and meet Moodlers from all over Australia and Asia-Pacific.
Moodle HQ: If you are putting on the hat of someone who is a presenter at MoodleMoot Australia, what do you say are the most positive things you get from presenting at a Moot?
Nonzahriyah: When I first wrote the proposal and abstract, together with my colleague Matthew Salas, who co-presented with me, I was not sure whether others would find the information valuable. When the proposal was accepted, we also received feedback from the panel – who gave us a raving review, which was very exciting and we felt appreciated. All these before the actual presentation!
Overall, I think you have to remember that you have something important to share with your fellow Moodlers. When I presented at the conference in Perth last year, I felt a sense of empowering others to think creatively on different ways to use Moodle. It was my first time presenting at an international conference and it was definitely a great achievement.
Moodle HQ: And, lastly, as a participant to MoodleMoot Australia, what would you say are the benefits of attending or what can people look forward to at these conferences?
Nonzahriyah: Meeting other Moodlers – Sharing your ideas, learn from others, obtaining the knowledge of current best practise. One of the things that I look forward to is meeting Moodlers, whom I’ve previously met and getting updates on how their universities or organisations have been using Moodle.
Last year, I had the opportunity to visit and tour Moodle HQ quarters. No surprise it was all very orange and white, but the visit provided me with a greater understanding of how things run in Moodle land.
Thanks so much Nonzahriyah for taking the time to chat with us about all things MoodleMoot Australia.
If you are interested in presenting, we’d love to receive your presentation submission through our website.
Registration to attend MoodleMoot Australia is also now open, with our early bird prices now available (and comes with a new Moodle t-shirt design that depicts our mission).
You can also follow us on Twitter @moodlemootau for all the latest news and information.
We look forward to seeing some of you at MoodleMoot Australia 2017!
