Why I Love Edmodo

Edmodo is a phenomenal tool for teachers. Have you tried it? My school system recently introduced our staff to the Blackboard meets Facebook website. After a brief tutorial from my technology coach (@jrichardson30) I was ready to introduce it to my students. Setting up classes was a breeze and my 7th grade students love it. Furthermore, it makes integrating technology into my social studies curriculum a task worth tackling. Here's my top three reasons why Edmodo is a welcome addition to my classroom:

1) Edmodo allows me to take the classroom to the kids -

I tell my students that Edmodo is simply a virtual classroom. Expectations within Edmodo are the same as expectations inside the brick-and-mortar classroom. What I found, however, is that the students are as enganged - if not more - as they are in the classroom because I have met them in their world. The format of Edmodo is similar to Facebook so many of the students are quickly comfortable using it. Those that aren't quickly adapt. But all students love technology so they are instantly interested just because I have met then in their world. For example, current events no longer require cutting and pasting of newspaper articles. Gone are the days of students telling me they had no ink in their printer. With Edmodo I create an assignment, they attach the link along with their writing assignment. Just like that, they've completed the same task only more efficiently. 

2) Edmodo brings conversation to the classroom -

One of the first things I noticed when my students began chatting on Edmodo was that the conversations were more diverse. Students were chatting that I had never seen talking in class. Students are more social behind a computer screen. However, the chatting was not senseless. Students were posting YouTube videos they had found regarding class discussions and creating dialogue that was an extension of the classroom. I didn't ask them to do this. It just happened. Students looked for ways to stay on Edmodo and continuing class discussions allowed them to do so. Class the following day was better because students were productively discussing videos from the night before. Students teaching students: what a great concept!

3) Edmodo allows me to teach when I'm not teaching -

I don't want to teach my students 24/7. I have a family that demands my time when I'm away from school. However, I can check in for 5 minutes each night with my phone or my laptop and answer questions that alleviate problems in class the following day. I've created a few videos of screen recordings that I post to their pages to help with basic tasks such as adding a picture or turning in an assignment. My one minute video then can be played repeatedly for those with similar questions and allow them to complete tasks in their own time. A virtual classroom requires a virtual teacher and Edmodo affords me that luxury

What do you love about Edmodo?