My first impression of this website is that it is very similar, in its basic idea and setup/appearance, to facebook. Considering how popular we all know facebook has become, I think it is safe to say that it would be a very good tool to use.
Throughout the first few minutes I spent poking around Edmodo, I was able to see a lot of cool features. This seems like a very good way to organize all of the classes you have from grades, to documents, to quizzes and tests. Mr. Chris Martin and I became "connected" on Edmodo. This also has the potential to be very useful. You can "connect" with any other teachers you'd like, assuming they accept your "connection request," and from there, you can share different ideas, documents, or strategies for the classroom. There is even a link to use google docs.
The best part about this is that you don't need to have your students sign up. This website can be solely for your personal benefit. It can keep your classes organized and neat (never having to worry about a physical book for grades!). I would seriously consider using this website as a teacher after I graduate from this program. I personally think this is the most useful website/activity we have come across all semester.
I really like how Edmodo can be useful for a variety of purposes. It can be helpful if students sign up, but as you said, it can be utilized solely for teachers' purposes. It has a little something for everyone! I definitely plan on holding on to this account when I begin teaching.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you that Edmodo does look very much like Facebook. I also think that connecting with teachers would be very easy on here. You could connect with colleagues across the nation or around the world and share effective ideas what doesn't work so well.
ReplyDeleteOdd question, does anyone know if Edmodo is an acronym for something?
I like the idea that Edmodo may be used as a gradebook, but at the same time I worry about some hacking in and changing grades, although I guess we should be just as worried about that with tools such as Scholar and Blackboard.
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DeleteI think edmodo might be better for reporting grades than actually calculating them. i would keep my actual grade calculations offline, but post copies of them online so students can monitor their progress
DeleteEdmodo is great connection site with other teachers. It is such a good idea to gather teachers nation-wide to discuss everything from at-risk students to gifted and talented students, from a single question to a whole curriculum planning. I think edmodo will be a helpful counseling site when I become a teacher.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the greatest strengths of using Edmodo is the security. For each group, a unique code is generated and only those having the code can join the group.
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DeleteThat's a good point. I have never seen a security code feature like that in a social networking site. It is much simpler than having to approve new members by an administrator, like a private facebook group has to. Reminds me of class codes, that a lot of online homework system, such as Mastering Physics, use.
DeleteIt is a lot like that!
DeleteI see that students can post assignments on the Edmodo site, does anyone know if those assignments have settings to make them public or private? it might be interesting to let students share their work. For example in cases when they are addressing different issues or topics in a paper it would be great to make those postings public. But if each student is completing a similar task the tempatation to chat might be too much and the submissions would be better kept private.
I think the similarity to facebook would be helpful to students. Most are already familiar with the layout of this site, and they might have fewer problems navigating it.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest it is still sometimes frustrating for me to navigate the VT scholar site, particularly when different teachers use drastically different ways of posting the material. It seems like Edmodo is much simpler and eliminates the struggle to find one particular document.