PE5_Edmodo.com

Grade Book Groupings

If Disneyland were an LMS site, its name would be Edmodo.com. I first started using Edmodo.com last year as a social site for my students. It is set up to look a lot like Facebook. However, after looking into this amazing classroom application, I can see that it is much more than just another Learning Management System. Edmodo.com in my not so humble opinion has the possibilities of helping me break into an entire new area of providing my students and their parents with an engaging and completely unique learning experience. I easily see this powerful social/LMS site becoming the main hub in which my students engage their learning. In this blog I would like to discuss with you just a few of the many unique features that I found amazing, and how I think I can use them to support a high level of engagement for my students. Even though Edmodo.com looks like a very simple to use LMS, with social networking and class assignment capabilities. The way it allows my kids to reach out onto the web, and thus the world, is just mind blowing.

Embedding in Every Direction.

Instantly embed from the application.

The first exciting feature that this LMS has is what I call two-way embedding capabilities. That means that I can easily embed any type of data, media, or any other file I would like to present to my students. I can embed video’s, mp3’s, Prezi’s or any other asset I need to teach my kids. I can embed them as just regular assets or as assignments. However the excitement doesn’t stop there. My students can also link or embed any media that they would like. Last year I discovered for example that my students could embed a Prezi assignment that I gave them. Also, while watching a training video on YouTube, I learned that many Web 2.0 applications that kids use on the internet have built into them an embed to edmodo button. So all kids have to do is create a project, press the embed button, log into their edmodo.com account, and their assignment or project is automatically entered into our class Edmodo site.

Google Docs Compatible

Another completely amazing feature Edmodo has is that it is completely Google Doc friendly. If I want to assign a writing project to my class, and allow them to work in cooperative groups, all I have to do is create the group in Edmodo and send them the link. As a small cooperative group they can all work together to draft a perfect paper. Then, when they finish, all they need do to turn in the assignment to the grade book is embed the link, and it is turned in. I can then go into their project and correct it or even make suggestions so that they can continue to work together on it.

All In One Capabilities
Edmodo.com is completely changing the way I teach. It is allowing me to communicate with my students, parents, and other teachers from around the world. Within this amazing website, I can run my gradebook, give out differentiated assignments, post all different types of media, communicate with parents, including translating letters to non-english speaking parents by embedding Google Translate. I can captivate and re-energize those students who have previously been turned off to education. And keep everything nice and organized within my personal account. As a teacher I have always struggled to keep myself organized while trying to push the envelope of student engagement. But for me, now, at this stage of my teaching career, I can now call Edmodo.com, Home.