The
daily face to face conversations that take place in a school community or
business are becoming almost extinct, due to the use of digital
communication. The importance of
relaying information to multiple sources all at once, has become a necessity in
today’s world. People want immediate
answers to problems, as well as quick responses which show concern for the
issue at hand. In order to run a school
community efficiently, all stakeholders need to have the necessary information
in order to engage in the process of education.
Administrators, teachers, students, and parents require the proper
information, data, resources, and procedures in order for the school to run
like a well-oiled machine. With all the
different facets of these relationships, it is important to communicate
effectively while touching all of the required components.
Edmodo,
an effective web 2.0 tool, for relaying information with grades, lessons,
assignments, communication, and feedback is a wonderful resource to implement
in any school community. If people
aren’t able to meet face to face, Edmodo is a great alternative to engage
teachers, parents, and students in the learning process. With lessons assigned to classroom groups,
grading results posted immediately, homework assignments dispersed, quizzes,
polls, and data at their fingertips, the teacher-student relationship
thrives. Today’s students spend a
majority of their time on social media, so the ease of completing and posting
work on the web, comes easily for the 21st century student.
I love
the way Mrs. Soto, a second grade teacher at Immanuel, uses Edmodo in her
classroom. Before she came to Immanuel,
Mrs. Soto was a second grade teacher in the public school, so she was aware of
the resource, Edmodo. Every year, she
utilizes the web tool when she introduces “Flat Stanley”, a fun writing
activity, where Stanley (a paper doll) travels all over the world visiting
relatives. The fun part of the activity
is communicating with relatives from other lands where Stanley goes to
visit.. Mrs. Soto loves to take polls,
give assignments, etc. where everyone can communicate and engage in the
project.
Each
year, I have a Principal’s reading challenge for the school community. The past two years, our Elementary Student
Council, has simultaneously had a book club during the reading challenge. Mrs. Jordan, our Elementary Student Council sponsor, utilizes Edmodo to
test the student’s comprehension and overall understanding of the theme, plot,
and setting. They read a chapter and
then do an assignment and quiz on Edmodo.
The child who gains the best grade for quizzes and assignments is
honored by being “Principal of the Day.”
I wish this meant that I could take the day off, but no such luck! I have to make sure they don’t burn the
school down…..
Another
wonderful teacher, Mr. Valerio, loves to use Edmodo for the topic of
diagramming sentences. He devises
interactive assignments for homework, where the children can edit, respond, and
devise a more effective sentence for relaying the meaning. Some of the children don’t have computers at
home, so he and the computer teacher set up times for the children to visit the
tech lab. The students love “Funny
sentence Day.” I have visited the lab
before on that day and there is some real hooting and hollering going on. Believe it or not, they are actually learning
the importance of diagramming sentences and how this skill is a necessity in
proper grammatical writing.
With
all of the obstacles involved in the education process, such as, diversity,
divorces, discipline, and deciphering information with language and learning
disabilities, it is refreshing to give the students every opportunity to
connect with the teacher, other students, and the required knowledge necessary
to be successful. Everyone is searching
for some form of connection in their lives and Edmodo offers several options
for the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learner.
Hello Lynda,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you in that today's communication does revolve around social media and online platforms. The fast pace that we work, think and collaborate has tremendously changed over the years. It has evolved in such a manner that it is very difficult to await for an answer or to know what grade we obtain. There is constantly people checking the internet and navigating in search of answers for any particular topic. So Edmodo offers all in one platform. It provides immediate feedback, communication and assistance. I really liked all the ideas you shared about how Edmodo can be used in the classroom.
Linda, I agree that Edmodo is a wonderful way to maintain communication with the parents especially when we can't meet with them face to face. I have never used Edmodo but if I were teaching an upper grade level, I would definitely use it to communicate with parents and students. I would also take advantage of the feature that allows teachers to create quizzes and use snapshots. I liked the way your teachers use Edmodo. The idea of posting a chapter and then testing them on their comprehension is an amazing idea!
ReplyDeleteHi Linda,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you in that now, it is an urgency to communicate and give immediate feedback to many at once, and Edmodo is an excellent Web 2.0 to do this. I really like the ideas that you share on how your teachers are using Edmodo in their classroom. At my school, we also have many children that don’t have access to internet at home, so even though they were provided 1:1 devices, we must allow them time to work in class, before and/or after-school for them to use these tools. I especially like the Principal’s Reading Challenge and how the quiz is done through Edmodo, this sounds very exciting for the kids!
Hello Linda, I hope your school year is going well. It's good to hear that people have been using this at your school and that it is successful, this is a reliable tool to use with students and it appears that you can use it with your teachers as well, good way to keep good collaboration. It's great to hear you are so involved with your teachers and allowing them to implement their own ideas, I hope to find a good Principal to work with like you. Great post.
ReplyDeleteLinda,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you in that Edmodo offers several options for the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learner. Technology plays a very big role in our student's life and we have take measures to engage them. Edmodo is the perfect tool!
I loved the way Mr. Valerio used Edmodo to have students fix the sentences. Nowadays students struggle with writing correct sentences. They already feel frustrated because they are not able to master it and are extremely hesitant to try by using paper and pencil. I think if we were to teach the same concept online students would definitely be more interested. If they are engaged successful learning will occur.
Linda,
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed reading your response to the use of edmodo at your school. I also really enjoy the spotlight tool that allows me to check for comprehension of my students as well as the opportunity to connect and collaborate with other teachers around the world.
Lois