Mobile Learning Experiences in the Philippine Education Setting Using Portable Moodle

In an attempt to achieve innovative teaching and learning in provinces where an Internet connection is a challenge, a USB-based portable learning management system was developed. This paper is aimed at describing the experiences in implementing a USB-based learning management system in teacher education in the Philippines. Specifically, this article presents Silliman University's experiences in customizing a tool for innovative teaching and learning in teacher education. It describes the result of the pilot implementation of the tool among the select higher education institutions in Central Visayas, Philippines. This paper also presents the reflection and lessons learned by the teacher educators and students in the learning management system. The learning management system was customized using POODLE, a portable MOODLE. It can run on a USB flash drive without an internet connection. A total of 16 trained teacher educators in Central Visayas, Philippines were selected as pilot-teachers. The study reveals that the implementation varies among the pilot-teachers in terms of level, mode, and terminal usage which are all affected by many variables. It was discovered that there are more facilitating factors than hindering factors in implementing POODLE for mobile learning. The study found out that POODLE is a useful tool for mobile learning in areas where internet connection is limited.