Edmodo: Instant Connection with
Students, Parents, and the
Community
Lauren Kinsella
ITEC 7445
Dr. Bacon
Emerging Technology
What is Edmodo?
• Edmodo is a free, educational, social-networking site that can
be created for school districts, schools, and individual classes.
• Edmodo is appropriate for all grades and subject areas.
• Edmodo can be used for:
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Posting assignments
Creating a calendar of assignments
Embedding video clips
Posting quizzes
Creating student polls
Turning in and grading assignments
Analyzing student data
Communicating with parents
Collaborating with other students locally and globally
How does Edmodo Support Smitha
Middle School’s Vision for Technology?
• Smitha Middle School is a Title I school located in
western Cobb county. Currently there are
approximately 820 students in grades 6-8.
• 81% of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch
• Smitha Middle School has a high minority student
population:
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Black 48%
Hispanic 41%
White 9%
Asian 3%
How does Edmodo Support Smitha
Middle School’s Vision for Technology?
• Edmodo can meet many of the goals identified on
SMS’s School Strategic Plan:
▫ Create flexible and innovative learning opportunities
for students
 Edmodo creates opportunities for students to learn
outside of the classroom using multiple modes of
technology.
▫ Advance innovative ways to engage the community and
parents in the educational process
 Parents can create their own Edmodo access in which
teachers can send them direct notifications
▫ Data analysis across grade levels and subject areas
 Edmodo makes data analysis easy through the use of
grading, graphing and analysis features.
Equitable Access
• Computer Lab Access:
▫ Smitha already has a plan in place to ensure equitable
access through access to the computer lab. Teachers
volunteer to man the lab before and after school every
day.
• Mobile Access:
▫ Edmodo has a free application for iPhone and Android
devices. Students who do not have a computer but
have a smart phone can access the technology outside
of school.
• Laptop checkout:
▫ School may allow students to check out laptops over
night.
What equipment is required?
• In order to use this technology, students need access
to desktop computers, laptop computers, smart
phones, or iPads.
• No new equipment is required:
▫ Teachers can arrange to reserve computer labs or
laptop carts
• BYOD:
▫ Cobb County School District supports the Bring Your
Own Device (BYOD) initiative which allows students
to use their own personal electronic devices in the
classroom. Students can use their smart phones and
other devices to access Edmodo.
Technical Support
• Edmodo has several technical support features
built in:
▫ Help – Edmodo Help features topics for teachers,
students, parents, admins, and mobile devices.
▫ Edmodo Teacher Manual – Walks teachers step by
step through setting up and using Edmodo in their
classroom.
▫ Webinars – Edmodo offers instructional Webinars
▫ Support – Edmodo features a discussion board
where teachers can post questions
Limitations
• Equitable Access –
▫ Although the school can assist with equitable access, it
will still be more challenging to ensure ease of access
for students who do not have access to technology
outside of school.
• Teacher monitoring –
▫ Students can post directly onto the “wall” of the class
Edmodo page. Teachers must monitor what students
are posting to ensure that they are using proper
netiquette.
• Students cannot directly message each other within
Edmodo –
▫ Although this is a safety feature, it would be helpful if
students were able to communicate with each other
directly when working on collaborative assignments.
Cost and Potential Funding
• Edmodo is a free technology resource for public
and private schools.
• Further costs can be avoided by utilizing
resources already available at SMS.
▫ 4 computer labs
▫ 3 laptop carts
▫ 1 iPad cart
• To expand the use of Edmodo, SMS could use
Title I funds to purchase 1 additional laptop cart
How can Edmodo meet content and
technology standards?
• Content Standards:
▫ Teachers can use Edmodo in a multitude of ways to
meet Georgia Performance and Common Core
Standards by posting technology-rich content related
videos, assignments, discussions, polls, etc.
• Technology Standards:
▫ Teachers can help students meet the following student
technology standards: creativity and innovation;
communication and collaboration; research and
information fluency; critical thinking, problem solving,
and decision making; and digital citizenship.
How can Edmodo be used to promote
research-based strategies and specific
student learning goals?
• Authentic Learning
▫ Students can use Edmodo as a platform for authentic
learning by creating and sharing authentic products
• Collaborative Learning
▫ Students can post, share, and comment on their work and
the work of other students
• Project Based Learning
▫ Edmodo can be used as a “home base” for project
assignments and resources. Students can turn in various
phases of project development through Edmodo.
• Higher Order Thinking Skills
▫ By creating differentiated lessons within Edmodo, students
will have greater opportunity for analysis and creating
products as opposed to simple fact memorization.
How can Edmodo be used to
differentiate instruction and meet the
needs of all students?
• Teachers can create “groups” within Edmodo
and use these groups to differentiate instruction
and meet the needs of diverse populations.
▫ Teachers can create tiered assignments and send a
different assignment or version of the assignment
to different groups of students based on interest or
ability level.
▫ Teachers can create different assignments for
special education students who require assistive
technology, and send specific assignments to only
those students.
How can Edmodo promote
communication locally and globally?
• Communication with parents:
▫ Parents can create their own Edmodo access in which
teachers can send them direct notifications.
▫ Teachers can involve parents in learning experiences
▫ Student dashboard features all of the classes that the
student currently takes. Parents can view information
from all classes in the same location.
• Collaboration with other schools:
▫ By making connections with other classes classrooms
on Edmodo, students can interact and collaborate with
learners from across the country or world.
Research
• Edmodo creates a platform for the “flipped
classroom”
▫ “Teachers create 3 videos a week
▫ Students watch the 5 to 7 minute videos at home,
or in school if they don’t have internet access at
home.
▫ Class time is spent doing labs or interactive
activities to illustrate concepts.” (Strayer)
Results of the “Flipped Classroom”
• “Students receive instant feedback
• Students don’t get as frustrated
• Teachers revisit concepts students don’t
understand
• Teachers support students in class” (Strayer)
Implementation
• Professional Development
▫ To assist teachers with using Edmodo, a professional
development will be offered as part of our professional
learning day in January
▫ Teachers will be divided into two groups: beginner and
experienced.
▫ Each group will receive specific instruction to help
them best utilize the new tool.
• Mentoring
▫ After the PD, experienced teachers will become
mentors and assist beginner teachers in using Edmodo
in their classrooms
Reflection
• Most teachers at our school currently use blogs
to communicate with students and parents.
While this is still an effective means of
communication, Edmodo creates a platform for
learning that goes far beyond blogging with
minimal increased effort on the part of the
teacher. Edmodo can help us meet the goals of
our School Strategic Plan, while creating fun and
engaging learning experiences for our students.
References
(n.d.). Retrieved from
http://teachweb2.wikispaces.com/Edmoto
Strayer, J. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.knewton.com/flipped-classroom/