It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Moodle Moot in New Zealand, and to this website which is central leading up to the event, during it, and indeed afterwards.

The 2010 Moodle Moot is breaking new ground in that it is the first time we have held the event in the South Island. One of the great achievements of this annual event is that we have managed to move it to a new location every year - 2005 in Wellington, 2006 in Rotorua, 2007 in Hamilton, 2008 in Hawkes Bay, and 2010 in the Garden City of Christchurch.

For me, the Moodle Moot has two main 'raison d'etres'. Firstly, to enable people who work in an e-learning virtual space to meet and share the same physical spaces and time. The second vital aspect of a Moodle Moot is to reach teachers on the coalface, to provide an exciting professional development opportunity, and to welcome them into the wider Moodle community.

In 2010 we again have a truly inspiring selection of presenters.
This includes Martin Dougiamas (founder and lead developer of Moodle), Martin Knott (CEO of Moodlerooms in the USA), Moodle enthusiast and guru Tom Murdock (from North Carolina, USA), and Shane Elliott (a Kiwi living and working in Perth at Moodle HQ).

Of course, it is equally important to provide floor space for our own New Zealand practitioners - we have some very talented people here too! Teachers and Moodle enthusiasts who are happy willing and able to share their experiences and knowledge with others. Numerous workshops, presentations and discussions are being facilitated by local experts - and we should thank them for this hugely valuable contribution to the programme.

For the first time we have full-day workshop for Administrators, and a workshop specifically for school teachers in NZ - facilitated by peers.

Our aim of including 'something for everyone' remains, and we have three streams to support developers/administrators, teachers and teaching, and a business and general stream (to encompass everything else). I avoid the word track these days because people sometimes feel that like a train, they should not jump from one track to another! But we encourage everyone to select whichever sessions they want - regardless of which stream they may be in

As always, the logistics of managing the host venue goes a long way towards the success of the event. The work being done by Nick Ford (venue coordinator) and the staff at Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology is amazing. I'd like to say a huge thank you, and we really hope that this conference proves a hugely valuable staff development opportunity for CPIT staff.

I am fortunate enough to travel to many conferences and Moodle Moots around the world. I can honestly say that the New Zealand Moodle Moot is the most relaxed, and the most friendly and enjoyable. If you haven't attended before...you are in for a great experience, and if you have - it will be great to see you again!

If you have general questions leading up to the event please post them in the Forum. If you would like to discuss something directly with myself please email me: stuart[AT]hrdnz.com.

Stuart