Edmodo: Social media for the modern classroom

Introduction:      With the rise of social media in the forefront of the digital revolution and in the middle of a global public health crisis, teachers and school are moving some, most or all the learning experiences to a virtual environment. School is now much more than a building that hosts students daily, but it is an experience that extends in our computers and mobile devices. In a world where everyone is connected through the internet, learning spaces cannot fall behind and Social Learning Networks take center stage. Out of all these networks, one shines brighter than most. Edmodo is one of the most well-known platforms in education. Hosting over 70 million members, this is the one place for schoolwide communication and assessment, completely free to use. Here are some of the perks Edmodo presents to all member of the learning community.

1. Community engagement for teachers Edmodo provides a space for teachers to connect with each other, share ideas and strategies for their educational environment. This specific community attempts to be a tool for educators who may need a hand on reaching their students throughout the year’s curriculum. Teachers share what works and what doesn’t in the different contexts they’ve experienced in their classrooms. Teaching can be frustrating and overwhelming for educators that face uncomfortable situations that delays the growth and academic achievement of their students. Understanding this Edmodo developed the “Discover” page and networking experiences for teachers. If the educator is engaged with his/her students, the learning process becomes much more comfortable for everybody. Also, it allows teachers to create multiple activities that enhances their classrooms, like sub-hubs, PBL’s and differentiated instruction while, at the same time, having professional learning opportunities to use those strategies correctly with the platform. This is why this SLN is so attractive to teachers and school administrators alike.

2. Edmodo’s resources for everybody A great attribute of Edmodo is its accessibility. “About 77 million instructors and students worldwide, since its creation in 2008” (Almoeather. 2019). Having a huge community of learners and instructors, there is a greater chance to find the tools to enhance the classroom experience. For teachers, communicating with students, both individually and collectively, is outstandingly easy. The interphase allows to share one message or file to multiple groups while also having one on one

messaging with individual students. Also, educators can use the “Discover” page, which allows them access to multiple suggestions and tools designed for the classroom. For students, it is also very comfortable accessing all the course information, files, tasks, updates and evaluations in one uniform place. Allowing this type of access to knowledge and information in a safe environment gives the educational community (students, parents and teachers) a space of relief due to the qualities of this platform’s interphase.

1. Versatility Edmodo is a platform that can enhance in-person learning, serving as the one place for students to find all the information about the class. At the same time, it is ideal for virtual learning as well. Serving as the place for quizzes, activities, polls and document sharing, this platform provides the teacher multiple alternatives to reach the students and the parents. If the teaching is happening inside the classroom, students have their own separate cloud file through their Edmodo feed, where they can find everything they need and use it in real time. Also, they can complete multiple evaluations while in the classroom. If teaching is virtual, teachers can use this platform to communicate and evaluate students asynchronously, while also adjusting classes through their interaction in real time. If the teaching happens through a hybrid model, Edmodo can seamlessly serve as the middle ground for virtual and in classroom experiences.

2. Social media feel of the classroom One of the many great attributes of Edmodo is that it really does not feel like a learning platform at all. This SLN gives the feel like it is part of the social media phenomenon. “It helps to overcome the challenges of using traditional social media such as Facebook and MySpace in education, including privacy and security. Edmodo thus represents a virtual digital repository of learning data and resources that the instructors want to share” (Almoeather. 2019). The dynamics of the platform provide an much more informal experience and creates a virtual community accessible during any moment of the day. Using Edmodo also helps those students who might not be able to join class. This approach to the platform enhances student engagement. Since it looks and feels like using another social media platform, students feel like they can truly accomplish more using the platform. “Feeling good about accomplishments and not feeling inappropriately bad when not successful is a result of several external and internal factors”(Keller, Deimann. 2018). Edmodo can be that external factor that can change classroom environment for teachers of all grades.

3. The role of the parent Parents can also access Edmodo and see what their children see, how are they being evaluated and how well are they doing in class. While other platforms might do the same, Edmodo seamlessly presents this as an alternative for both parents and teachers to communicate effectively and be together as a full flowing learning community. That attentiveness to all the members of the community is one of the reasons of Edmodo’s success. Even though parent’s can see what their children access to in school time through basic supervision skills, this platform inserts them in the learning process and provides access to their activity and their teacher without the need to leave the platform. Having this sector for the learning community that involved in every process of the class makes families more engaged with their schools and, consequently with their children’s growth and development. Edmodo gives the feel of a true virtual learning community engaging and motivating intrinsically (Keller, Deimann. 2018) both the learner and the parent.

References 20 Ways to Use Edmodo (Teacher). (n.d.). Retrieved October 16, 2020, from https://support.edmodo.com/hc/en-us/articles/205007974-20-Ways-to-Use-Edmodo-Teacher- Almoeather, R. (2020). Effectiveness of Blackboard and Edmodo in Self-Regulated Learning and Educational Satisfaction. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 21(2), 126–140. Abe, P., & Jordan, N. A. (2013). Integrating Social Media into the Classroom Curriculum. About Campus, 18(1), 16–20. Carmichael, T., & Norvang, R. (2014). A Global Dialogue on Peace: Creating an International Learning Community through Social Media. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 26(3), 445–452. Edmodo. (2015, December 30). Retrieved October 16, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8Q5gm5zZj2GuhfEXDiRcSg Keller, J. M., & Deimann, M. (2018). Motivation, Volition and Performance. In 978117579 758106616 R. A. Reiser & 978117580 758106616 J. V. Dempsey (Authors), Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (4th ed., pp. 78-86). Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson.