Edmodo is a great technology to use for both students and teachers alike. I have used Edmodo and explored its features to be used to connect with other school communities around the world doing the Global read Aloud. Edmodo is a great technological resource for the classroom to connect to other teachers and their classes digitally around the world. As a teacher I have the potential to set up mystery Skype sessions with other teachers and also collaborate on lesson ideas especially if our classes are reading the same book like Fish in a Tree. Although I have not tested this function myself, Horry County Schools’ video also shows that Edmodo allows teachers to create assignments that can be answered online, be it multi-choice or short answer questions (2012). This opens up an alternate assessment tool that I can use besides FreshGrade. Although the idea of assigning homework is up for debate, this at least gives me another format of assigning homework for students to complete out of class time, which as far as I know is not a feature on Freshgrade.

In the video by Horry County Schools (2012), teachers and students both expressed the rise in interest to take part in discussions and assignments. I’m curious of the reason but the combination of peers and time (when participating at home for example) seem to bring out the spark for students to participate more so than within the traditional classroom setting. This has the effect on students to further express themselves and be more motivated to participate in discussions.

I look forward to using Edmodo for at least part of my lessons or subject that will connect my class to the world as part of my inquiry investigation. I believe that there is much value in connecting to the wider community both for myself as a teacher and my students.

Reference

Horry County Schools. (2012, October 23). Technology in the Classroom: Engaging with Edmodo feat. Andrea Steadman of Pee Dee Elementary. [Video file] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjbKzWCMktE