The Who & The What

           

Edmodo is a learning management system for students and teachers. It can be considered the social network for teachers and students. It is very similar to Facebook in the sense that it has very similar characteristics to it (physical and functional). This can help students become more comfortable and more rapidly familiarized with Edmodo. In this network, the entire school can participate. In order to use Edmodo, students use a code given by the teacher to add the class to their Edmodo account. Students are able to join classes using the provided code and respond to assignments, discussions, and more. Teachers are able to create and manage classes and post assignments and discussions for the class. Teachers can create multiple classes and students can join multiple classes as long as they have the code for them. Parents observe the important activities of their children in their Edmodo groups. They cannot send messages or reply to posts to other students but they can communicate with the teachers. Some information is sent to parents automatically – it depends on how they have the account set up.

           

The How To

There are multiple ways to use Edmodo. In the case of Foreign Language, Edmodo can encourage students to practice their language skills, as well as spelling and grammar, through conversations. In Literature, it can be used to help students understand key historical and literacy events by reenacting them through role playing activities in Edmodo. It can also be used for: peer reviews & critiques, writing projects, book clubs, cultural exchange projects, backchannel discussions, current events, and more. Once you sign-up you have access to the variety of features that Edmodo offers. The home screen contains a feed of recent posts and events. The feed can be filtered by teachers and students. On the left hand side of the page, there are links to other options and settings. These include Groups, Communities, and Parent Code. Teachers and students can create groups. This allows the class to share resources with each other. Communities allow students to build connections with other students from different schools, states, or cultures. Parent code is a code that students give to their parents so that they can create an Edmodo account. Then there is the Progress page, which serves to keep students’ Progress up-to-date and organized with Edmodo’s gradebook. Students’ grades are automatically entered when teachers grade quizzes and assignments from their groups. Lastly, there is the Assignments page. Teachers can add assignments to classes, complete with description, due date, and any other necessary information (links, attachments, etc.). Once the students submit their assignments, teachers can instantly grade and comment on the material.

           

I believe that Edmodo is a great tool to use in the classroom because of the variety of uses that it has. It can be utilized for: assessments (to build quizzes or polls to assess students’ learning during or after a unit of study), roleplaying (to help students understand key historical and literacy events by reenacting them through role playing activities via Edmodo), peer reviews and critiques (place students in small group and have them post their work to their group for peer review and feedback), writing projects, book clubs, workshops, cultural exchange projects, backchannel discussions, mobile learning, and current events across all content areas. Additionally, Edmodo can be used to build digital citizenship skills (enforce online etiquette guidelines for students).           

Type of Thinking it Evokes

Edmodo is an application that encourages creativity. The skills required for this application revolve around knowledge, comprehension and critical thinking on a particular topic. Moreover, Edmodo allows students to exhibit memory of learned materials. They do this by recalling facts, terms, basic concepts and providing and elaborating on answers for assignments. Additionally, it allows students to evaluate and analyze their comprehension. Students are able to demonstrate understanding of facts and ideas through interpretation, exploration, discussion, and more. Furthermore, it allows students to apply what they have learned in class onto social media. The audience is able to read their work and it helps the classroom as a whole understand concepts. Students use acquired knowledge and apply the new material that they have learned in fun and interactive ways. Overall, I think Edmodo helps students recall previously learned material and strengthen new learned material.Edmodo allows teachers to integrate technology in the classroom and enhance learning for students. It is reflective, collaborative, and allows for a meaningful learning environment. Moreover, students are able to take action and become active participants of the classroom.

Beneficial or Not?      

Lastly, I would say that Edmodo is beneficial in many ways; it is a safe and closed network in which students don’t have to include personal information in their profile. It is free, students and teachers can share digital media (blogs, links, videos, documents, notes, presentations, etc.), it is interactive, it encourages learning and communication, teachers can expand their personal learning network and enrich their lessons. Additionally, students have an actual/real audience for their work, they can build connections with other students from different schools, states, or cultures. Teachers can differentiate instruction by creating subgroups of students. After posting their work, students can receive feedback and suggestions. There are text alerts to remind students of big assignments. Parents can stay connected by viewing their child’s work and grades.

They can also message teachers to see how their child is doing in class, etc. Some of the cons of Edmodo include: interactivity (students can be temped to use it for instant messages with each other). Sometimes it can be difficult for students to upload their work especially from their iPads. Uploading documents on Edmodo is a multi step process and this sometimes takes too long. Edmodo works best from a computer. Additionally, it logs you out after a few minutes of inactivity. Parents can see the same things as the students. It is very limited to them so it might not serve a real purpose for them. Overall though, I would say that the benefits of Edmodo outweigh the negatives. Therefore, I strongly recommend the use of Edmodo for the classroom.