Fallin' in Love Again with Edmodo

I found myself humming this song as I was creating my Edmodo accounts for my third, fourth and fifth grade media/technology classes.  Before my present job I taught Social Studies and used Edmodo on a daily basis. The district I was working for only provided Angel accounts for grades 9-12.  I loved using Angel as a Learning Management System and found myself looking for something that would offer some of the same features to my Middle School kids.  I learned about Edmodo from my PLN  on Twitter, and I am so glad that I found it!

Edmodo is an amazing tool for your classroom!  Although I am no longer teaching Social Studies, I knew there was a way that I could that I had to integrate this into our media/technology integration time at York Elementary.  Through my prior experience I knew that it extended the learning day-- kids were checking it all the time.   It has truly created a 24/7 learning environment for me, and I enjoy the fact that I am engaging kids in an educational manner when they are away from school.

One of the nice features on Edmodo is that you can have a text sent to you every time a student posts a reply to one of your notes, assignments or polls.  The kids can sign up to have text alerts sent to them as well, but out of personal preference I advise my kids not to sign up for that feature.  I have had kids on as early as 8:00 on a Saturday morning.  And to think that I used to watch cartoons at that time when I was in fourth and fifth grade!  

The great thing about Edmodo is that you can tailor it to fit your needs!

Here are some ways that I am using Edmodo:

You have a "note" feature that allows you to send notes to students.  I utilize this feature for feedback and advice.   I simply post a question seeking feedback from the students and they "reply" to my original post.  It's a very watered down version of a discussion board, but it works well for me.

  Here is an example of a simple question I asked earlier this week as a class starter:
 

Next, the "alert" feature will show up first on the students' wall and stands out from everything else on their wall.  I use this as a reminder tool for students or to alert them to tasks that I want them to complete that day on Edmodo.  Here is a reminder I posted:
 

The "assignment" feature allows you to create an assignment for your students (e.g., attach a word document for them to fill out,  create a piclit for a book you just read) students complete their assignment and hand it in via the "turn it in" feature.  This is very similar to a dropbox on other learning management systems.   All digital.....no more wasting paper!

One of my favorite features is that you can attach a link or file anytime you create a new "note" or "assignment".   This is a great feature.  No more wasting valuable instructional time on kids typing in long URL's.  Just post the link for them, they simply click on it and they are there.  Here is an example:

 


The last feature is the "poll".  Kids love taking the polls that I post to Edmodo.  Use it to collect information you are needing or simply as a class starter.  Here is an example of a completed poll I used in class:




It's all about engagement in education.  Try Edmodo.  I know that you will have immediate engagement AND an extended learning day.  

Good luck!