Since I
have begun taking my EDT courses at Wilmington University one of the most
important buzz words that I heard were “Blended Learning”. At first I did not know what this referred
to, but through my reading my understanding grew. Blended Learning classrooms, in which
technology based learning and traditional face-to-face learning co-exist, are
the way in which education moves. One of
the biggest realizations that I had was that without knowing the terminology, I
was already doing this within my classroom.
One of the first Web2.0 tools that I was exposed to when I began
teaching was Edmodo. Through using this I
was already creating a blended learning environment, but through my reading and
discussions in my EDT courses, I have learned how to effectively use the tool
even more.
Edmodo
is a site that can be used to benefit both students and teachers in the K-12
classrooms. It offers opportunities for
communication and collaboration on a daily basis, both in and out of the
classroom. It is also not only a way for
teachers to communicate with students, but with colleagues and parents too. Edmodo also has a very user friendly platform
(similar to that of Facebook).
One of
the biggest benefits of using Edmodo as an educator is the number of
connections that you can build. These
connections can be from a district level, all the way to a global level. The first thing that a teacher sees when they
log on is teachers posting from all over (pictured below). In these post teachers can either ask for or
post about resources and strategies that work in their classrooms. One example I
can provide is that a few years ago, I was working on a unit involving the
story “Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry,” and was in need of a class set of books in
which my school could not provide. I
posted on Edmodo to my fellow educators about my need, and within a few days a
teacher reached out to me with a class set, I only need to pay the shipping and
handling. While I have yet to have the opportunity to this, it would also be a fantastic
opportunity to reach out to teachers about connecting classes of students.
Another
fantastic connection that Edmodo creates is the ability t0 communicate with
parents with ease. As students are
connected to their classes, parents create accounts and use the same codes to
connect. As assignments and posts are
uploaded, the parents are alerted. This
is a great way for parents to understand what is going on in their student’s
classrooms, as well as assisting in holding students accountable (which is a
big need in my district!). I know that
from communicating with parents in my own district, they appreciate being able
to see what is going on in school and be connected to their student’s
learning. Parents also have the ability
to message teachers, which makes communication extremely easy and accessible.
But now to discuss how it can be
used within your classroom. Edmodo
offers so many opportunities for you engage, assess, and instruct your students
in a variety of ways. Depending the
number of grades that you teach with determine the classes in which you need to
add. As a middle school teach I have 5
different sections, and Edmodo makes it very easy to organize my classes and
content.
As you can see from the graphic above, teachers have four
major posts that they can use in their sections. Notes can be used as reminders for students, I
like to use them to post flipped classroom videos, or reading that students
need to review before a class.
Assignments are where students can upload, and teachers can grade,
assignments. The quiz option allows
teachers to create quizzes with a variety of questions (open ended, MC, fill in
the blank, etc.). This a great way for
teachers to use formative and summative assessment. The students’ progress will also be tracked
through Edmodo, and are aligned to standards.
Finally, there is the poll feature, in which students have the
opportunity to poll students based on things covered, or things that will be covered,
in class. With all post students have the ability to post questions or ideas
that they have concerning the post.
During this time students are also given the opportunity to interact
with each other.
Another great thing about Edmodo is the cell phone
application. Students, especially at the
middle school age, do not always have access to computers or lap tops at
home. The cell phone app allows students
to still communicate within the classroom even without those tools. Over the past year, Edmodo has continued to
develop the app, making it cleaner, and easier to use.
I hope
that through this post I have encouraged you to consider checking out the use
of Edmodo within your classroom. With
Blended Learning becoming more and more useful, I believe this is a wonderful
tool to help you execute that model. Please
feel free to reach out with any questions on how to incorporate Edmodo in your
classroom, through 6 years of use, I have become well versed. Another great way to get information in
through following @Edmodo on twitter, they are constantly posting updates.
HAPPY LEARNING!
