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.

More technology recommendations from ACPS teachers

I've learned a lot about different types of technologies. I have tried a lot of different activities with my students and a few stand out. My QR Code lesson went really well, and my students loved it. BigHugeLabs has a lot of great activities on it that I want to try with my students. I have learned to try new things. Not everything works for me, but I've given it a try. I want to try to master Prezi. I think it is a great and interesting tool for students and I want to be able to use it. Technology can be a great vehicle to success for many of our students.  Amanda - NHS

Nanoogo is an excellent site because it allows for and basically encourages student creativity to flourish. For instance, you could have students write a poem with illustrations, present a paper with illustrations, create their own cartoons, etc. Students loved using Nanoogo in my class, and as some sites good old after a while this site never did. Also, I wanted to say that after we introduce some websites which students can use, give them the option to pick which ones they feel comfortable using because the results are only going to be better in this case. Edmodo is an excellent site for many purposes, it engages the students, allows shy students to seek help, is good for organization, and best of all is ideal for parent communication. Quizlet is an excellent way to create and review flash cards, because it has exciting games and offers pictures for those visual learners. And finally, flip cameras really have no limits on creativity, all it takes is a creative mind and you instantly have a cool project.  Steve – AMS

The tools that I have used the most in class are Edmodo and Flashcard Machine. I like to be able to post assignments and notes so that students will have access to them outside of the classroom. Flashcard machine is great. I have seen a major change in the vocab grades since using this.  Connie – NHS

I've had a good time bringing what I've learned in class back to my team. I have collaborated with the English teacher on a few projects. We used Edmodo as the vehicle for our students to turn in their WAC papers. The English teacher joined my groups and I made her a co-teacher. This meant that she could also see their writing and help with the grading. I also shared Study Stack with her, and now the students are putting their personal dictionaries on Study Stack. I really like Study Stack because it is easy to use, I don't have to set up student accounts, and the different options it gives for review. The more we all share with each other and make use of the technology, the more competent our students will become, too.  Nancy – NMS

I didn't know you could monitor your student's progress using Khan Academy. Have students create their own free accounts and have them check you as the coach...they can have more than one coach. Coaches have access to all of their students' activities and achievements. It is an easy way to assess and provide feedback to the teachers.    Suzy – NMS

If usage time of tools during this class is any indication, student-generated videos and new presentation tools, such as Kizoa, will have the biggest use in the library. Both were fairly quick and easy to learn, and both are easy to work in to the library setting. I have enjoyed using both in efforts to promote reading. Another valuable benefit is that students are using technology to promote reading by using a Flip camera, computer, and LCD projector. I hope to have students create other and more presentations that promote reading and display them on a computer and LCD projector. My experience has been that students respond very strongly and positively to the videos of themselves and their peers, and, furthermore, many of them check-out the books that are recommended on the presentations. It’s been a beautiful thing.  Mary Margaret – NMS

Many of the 21st century technology tools, studied in this class, are great to help students learn. Many students have been using online flashcards to master essential knowledge. There are quite a few excellent U.S. History flashcards on Study Stack and Quizlet that have been proven to be extremely beneficial to my students while we have been preparing for the SOL test. I will also be using presentation tools to help students’ master essential knowledge. These presentation tools can really jazz up dull, boring Power Points. Therefore, I will be using online flashcards and presentation tools most often with future students.    Mary – AMS

I set up Edmodo for my class and the kids LOVED it. They were talking "math" on the weekend! We did a poll and they communicated with each other about the project they are working on. When they got ready to dig into the meat of their project, we set up groups for them to communicate in. They liked being able to ask me questions from home, and I liked seeing them excited about learning!  Angela – NMS

Edmodo – Classroom Management under the guise of Social Networking

Here is a site where you can create polls, quizzes and assignments. You can create a library of handouts accessible by the students, and students can turn in assignments. You can do all this in an environment that simulates that in which students spend much of their non-school time.

Edmodo has a “Facebook” look to it. It uses the Facebook colors, and layout. In addition it incorporates profile pictures, etc. However, I view it as primarily a class management tool. I’m also aware that the minute (second) you hear “facebook” red flags may go up. Let me assure you that the teacher is in control, and the real purpose is to facilitate classroom management and (if so desired) social interaction with an educational purpose.

When the teacher initially creates their account they begin by setting up a “group” or “groups”—I’m tempted to call them classes, but, you might use this capacity to set up reading groups, groups assigned to report on different subjects, etc. After this, students can log on and join the group by using the “group code” (no need to fear some child predator stalking the group.) Once all the students are enrolled, the teacher can lock the code so no one else can attempt to join. (Although you can arrange to have new students join at any time.) Additional settings available to the teacher include the ability to make all new members “read only” or to moderate all discussion. These policies can be set either by individual student or by the group—or some combination thereof. To put this into plain English, the teacher has about three layers of control here—at their option NO discussion can be posted, only approved discussion can be posted, or discussion can be posted without being previewed by the teacher—and these controls can be applied to the class as a whole, or to individual students. However, at no point can the students “message” individual students—they CAN send a private message to the class as a whole (if the teacher has enabled that option –in which case the teacher may still opt to approve or edit each individual comment or reply before they are posted). Students can also send a private comment to the teacher.

So, that sort of describes the Social Networking part of it….nothing for a teacher to panic over, students will not get involved in distracting private chats, bullying, etc…it just can’t happen.
But why SHOULD you use Edmodo? Well, here are some of the things you can do…
1.) Add Resources—you can add print documents, links, images, and videos available to students. --students can also add resources—they can attach them to wall postings, or add them to their “backpack.”
2.) Make and collect assignments—teachers can make assignments either as a wall post or on a pdf document which the student can open and read. Students can then turn in assignments by uploading a file, by selecting a file previously added to their backpack.
3.) Create and assign quizzes. Teachers can create quizzes at the Edmodo site. When the student goes to the site the “take quiz” post pops up and the student can then take a quiz on line—at the teacher’s option they may or may not see the result of that quiz upon completion.
4.) Grade the assignments, send comments on them privately to students, and have the grades attomatically recorded and averaged in an online gradebook—where grades can be weighted by point value, or all weighted the same.
5.) Create polls. Students can log on and see a question. After the student answers the a bar graph appears showing the results of the poll in real time.
6.) Parents can log on and see their students grades, see which assignments are missing, view the comments you have written about the various graded assignments, new assignments, upcoming events,. In addition they can exchange messages with the teacher. However they can not see the “wall” where the classroom interaction takes place.
7.) Above I mentioned “upcoming events”—a calendar is built into Edmodo and only the teacher can post events/due dates on the calendar.
8.) Above I mentioned “awards.” Edmodo makes it easy for the teacher to assign “award badges.”

To see an assortment of videos on Edmodo in action, go to their channel on SchoolTube.

To check out Edmodo for yourself, go to http://www.edmodo.com/

If you go to the Arcadia High School website, you’ll see a link to an online poll. From the polls results so far it looks like parents feel one area we are not doing an adequate job of is preparing our students for online classroom environments. Using Edmodo would help to address that deficiency.

To learn all of this, I’ve been experimenting with Edmodo. In so doing I’ve created a class called “make believe students.’ If you’d like to join the class and see how it looks, go to edmodo.com, click on “I’m a student” and use the group code “pcyo8f”

If I don't post anything more before the end of the year, have a nice summer.