Classroom or Edmodo

In the past I pushed to get teachers to adopt the use of Edmodo.  However, with the migration to Google accounts I chose not to actively recommend Edmodo this year.  Not only can Google Drive files be shared, they can be edited collaboratively.  In addition, at the end of school year 2014 Google was testing a beta version of a management site dubbed Google Classroom.  (Rather than calling it a classroom management system, or even a content management system, let's just call it a Google Drive management system.)

At the start of the year I figured teachers might feel a bit overwhelmed if I tried to get them to adopt booth Google Mail, Google Drive, Google Docs AND Google Classroom.  As a result, I mentioned Google Classroom to very few teachers.

In spite of all of the above  Emily Martin (AHS) made use of Edmodo this year, and Matt Gillis (CHS/CES) used Google Classroom.  So, I thought I'd ask the two of them to briefly describe their experiences with these sites and give teachers a chance to consider them for next year.

Here are some remarks directly from Emily ....

Generally, I will use Edmodo with my upper-level Spanish classes. I give them a situation, and they have to provide a comment. For example, I provided a question in Spanish from a Spanish advice column. Students had to use a particular verb tense that we were reviewing to provide an answer for that question. Then, we discussed phrases such as “I agree,” “That is a good idea,” “I disagree,” etc., and how to explain why. Then, they had to comment on another students´ comment, similar to a blog. I have also used Edmodo as a tool on which students can save Power Point presentations if they do not have a flash drive, or for peer-editing: Students may share sentences that they have written, and then comment upon grammatical errors in other students´ sentences. Then, I comment about whether or not it is correct.
Immediately my students enjoyed the set-up of Edmodo. It is easy to log into, and the fact that it looks like Facebook makes it attractive to them. They seemed disappointed that it does not have all of the Facebook features like “friending” their classmates, but this was the main complaint. It also seems to motivate them to write in Spanish. I have noticed that they may not write in perfect Spanish on Edmodo, but they try with what they know, and they use Spanish more frequently than they do during a normal lesson. In fact, sometimes I do not even have to remind them to use Spanish – it is almost as if they immediately know that they need to use it on Edmodo, and they love to send funny and sarcastic Spanish messages to one another! I love to read their comments.
Overall, I give Edmodo a very good review, and I would recommend it to any teacher who would like to use it as an interactive slightly conversational tool, especially if you struggle with getting all of your students to participate during oral discussions in the classroom.

and here is what Matt had to say about google classroom:

 I've used Google Classroom with my 7th Grade Chorus class, who did a research project on a favorite pop star. It was very easy to set up an assignment for them and set a due date. Since the 7th graders have Chromebooks and Google accounts, it took very little time to get them set up and working. Once they started working, I could monitor their progress from Google account, and I could give each student personalized feedback. Now that they have turned in their projects, I can give them a grade and return it to them. I distribute the assignment and rubric, they do their research, type their notes, create their slide presentation, and get their grade all without using a single sheet of paper.

I'm in a situation where my classroom gets used by others, and at certain times of the year I have to  hold class in different places throughout the school. The flexibility of being able to work on their projects anywhere without the hassle of walking around to each computer with a flash drive was an absolute God-send. There are other apps that can be integrated with Google Classroom to create a rubric and tally a score on the assignment as well. I haven't yet explored those options, because they seem pretty difficult to work with. I will just stick with Classroom for now.
Although Google Classroom just recently came out of Beta testing, I really like the features it has so far. I look forward to what new features will be added to classroom as time goes on.

The big advantage of google classroom is that it integrates well with Google drive --its'strong point is managing the flow of files. It also allows students to use a single log in  Edmodo, on the other hand, is aimed more at classroom management.  The difference can be seen by looking at some of classroom's limitations. According to Alice Keeler, Classroom will not:

Google Classroom does not handle course enrollments like you would find in an LMS or CMS.  Google Classroom does not have a gradebook.  Google Classroom does not track student participation. While students can comment in Google Classroom, there are not discussion boards.Google Classroom does not integrate quizzing features....Google Classroom does not allow teachers to create content within the system. Instead, teachers link to content they build in other places such as Google Docs.  Google Classroom assignments can not be organized into modules or units.

This is not to say that Alice Keeler doesn't think highly of Classroom, after all, she states,  "Since it is from Google, it integrates with Google Drive in amazing ways." and offers a list of 50 things you can do with classroom. In essence, Classroom allows you to set up an environment to both distribute and collect assignments. She offers an entire collection of posts on the use of Google Classroom.

You might consider adopting one of these two in the fall, however,  before making a decision, I'd recommend that you wait until August or September to do so because Google Classroom is evolving as I write and some of the things listed as limitations above, may have be available this fall.

For years now I've been recommending that teachers use DropBox.  As with Edmodo some teachers have begun using DropBox at my suggestion, others have not.  However, the idea of using tools such as DropBox and Edmodo is beginning to gain traction. 

I understand that all NHS teachers were set up with DropBox accounts at a recent teacher's meeting.  At AHS I was in attendance at a teacher's meeting when the recommendation was made that teacher's use DropBox.  By now, if you aren't familiar with DropBox, you might be wondering what it is?  DropBox is one of those websites which offers online (cloud) storage.  Online storage is a way to back up your files so that if your computer crashes beyond repair, you don't lose these files.  An added benefit is that your files can be accessed from any Internet connected computer.   DropBox offers 2 GB of storage free.

You could establish an account, and take advantage of it in its simplest form--you could open your browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.) go to dropbox.com, log in and upload a file of any kind.  

A better way to accomplish the same thing is to install the DropBox program on your computer.  If you do that, DropBox creates a folder on your computer.  Anything you store in this folder (or subfolder) is automatically synchronized to your DropBox account on the web.  Your browser doesn't even need to be open; DropBox just uploads it to the web while you continue to work on something else.  If you do not have an internet connection, DropBox will upload it next time you are connected to the web.  If you are working on a computer other than your own--say a library computer, you can upload to your online DropBox account and the next time you boot up your computer it will automatically download that file to your computer--your online DropBox folder and the folder on your computer are kept in sync.  

Although in the above paragraph I repeatedly refer to “your computer,” I should point out that there are DropBox apps for any IOS or Android device.  You can have DropBox on your phone, your pad and your computer all at the same time.  The DropBox folders on each of these devices will automatically stay in sync.

In addition to these features, there are a couple more really neat things you can do with DropBox.  Within your DropBox folder there is a subfolder named “public”.  Any file you place in the public folder has a public link--a web address you can share with students (or friends) allowing them to access that folder.  This is useful for sharing worksheets, etc. with your students.  

DropBox also allows you to create a subfolder which students can upload to, thus allowing them to turn in homework on the web.  To take advantage of this you go to dropitto.me and establish an account there.  DropItToMe creates a folder within your DropBox.  A student who goes to your drop it to me internet page can enter a password and upload a file to that particular DropBox subfolder – without having access to your DropBox other than the ability to upload a file to it.  They never see the contents of your DropBox.

Finally, DropBox can also be useful for photo sharing--you can share a whole folder full of pictures with your friends and relatives.  

You might want to go to DropBox and establish an account right now, or, you can send me an email stating your interest--I’ll send you an invitation to join DropBox.  There will be a link in the invitation, if you use that link to establish your account I’ll get additional free 500 MG of storage space in my DropBox.  So, now you see that I just might have an ulterior motive--not only will this be a benefit to you, but it will benefit ME as well.