Alexander_Edmodo

**Topic: e//dmodo//**
**Presenter: Saker Alexander** **(A note: edmodo is stylized properly with the small "e" instead of the capital letter at the beginning.)**

**Project Description:** This project will prepare you to use edmodo, an online discussion board in the vein of Springboard. edmodo is specifically created to resemble popular online social media site Facebook, which makes students immediately more interested in the technology. With this technology, teachers are free to post questions which are then answered by students. While the process seems simple and rudimentary on paper, edmodo offers many innovative ways for teachers to assist with student learning. They can post the aforementioned questions, assignments, quizzes, and polls, which gives a wide variety of options to educators. In addition, they can use theories of gamification (such as awarding badges and medals) to further reinforce student learning. This process benefits all: students can have alerts sent to email or cell phones to tell them when someone has responded to a comment or query of theirs (or, indeed, download the edmodo application available for iPhones or Andriod devices), increasing involvement; additionally, this cuts down on costs to schools by eliminating the need for paper assignments in many cases.


 * Project Video: **

Creating an account: media type="youtube" key="8pZau8-lxME" height="315" width="420"

Creating groups and posting: media type="youtube" key="zIqrN2_05qg" height="315" width="420"

Other tools: media type="youtube" key="ag3R9wh-Ao8" height="315" width="420"

(Please excuse the quality--I couldn't find a single video capturing software that would work on my junker computer! Aside from that, the information's all there.)

Since it isn't tied to a certain curriculum and simply acts as a general functional tool for all educators, edmodo is a website that is useful across all content areas. It can be used in many ways by many different teachers to start comment threads, assign homework, start conversation, or test cumulative learning. For example, an assignment in edmodo might look like this for different content areas (these are real edmodo assignments from teachers!): Ponyboy finds himself "in a daze" when he realizes that the authorities are considering putting him in a "boy's home." 1) Do you think Ponyboy would benefit from this arrangement? Why or why not? 2) Do you think the other Greasers would benefit from this arrangement? Why or why not?
 * Content uses of this technology: **
 * LANGUAGE ARTS** - Read chapter 7 in //The Outsiders.// Then//, p//lease answer one of the following two questions with three sentences, at minimum. Please number your prompt so that I am sure which question to which you are responding. Be sure to use proper capitalization and punctuation.
 * SCIENCE -** Color your periodic table. DUE: **Oct 20, 2011.** It needs to have a key! See the attached file for colors/key.
 * SOCIAL STUDIES -** Each individual take Cornell notes on your section. Then, as a group, write a paragraph explaining what piece of land your section is talking about, who the US got the land from, and how they got it. Turn it in on this page.
 * MATH -** Review your chapter 6 notes, then take this quiz on the chapter.

As previously stated, this tool is useful across all content areas and has many different functions for educators to use. In terms of differentiation, this website works well because it encourages students to work together to solve problems, and allowing students to work off of each other's ideas always brings about positive results. Additionally, as computers are such a ubiquitous piece of modern technology, having students log onto a website is normally not a problem (expecially if they can do so sometime during the school day in a computer lab or study hall).
 * Pedagogical Considerations for this technology: **

This technology is available for no cost at edmodo.com to all educators.
 * Where to purchase or acquire: **


 * Additional Resources: **

Three Reasons Teachers Should Use edmodo

[|10 Reasons I Love Edmodo & Recommend It For Educators]

[|Enhancing Communication]