Edmodo

Edmodo is basically a mini social network for students and teachers. Some entire classes are taught on Edmodo, but in my case, I've used it as an extension of my classroom and another way for kids to connect with me. With over 300 students, the idea of personally communicating with all of them was daunting, so I began with just one grade level focused on one project. Every year my entire 5th grade puts on a musical, and Edmodo was my way of communicating rehearsal times, questions, etc. Each scene, dance, or special job (lighting design, stage managers) had a small group set up so we could share lighting examples, recordings of the choreography for students who missed rehearsal, and to ask questions regarding that particular role. With the entire group, I made polls that quizzed them on lines or the plot of the show, and also posted fun assignments such as changing their avatar to look like their character. Other teachers involved in the show connected as well to communicate with students.

My students loved this. In fact, they may have used it more than they should have! A few students that do not open up to me in the hustle and bustle of classrooms and rehearsals found their voice and asked questions. Several students opened up to say that they were nervous and other students responded with encouragement even before I could. I received some "ah ha!" moments that students had with posts time stamped during other classes and even at 2 am (so please be sure to have a talk about when the time is appropriate to be online). Every night I opened my Edmodo app and found students communicating with each other and myself. Often they would ask for their costume letters or rehearsal schedules and I would have to scramble to work ahead at their pace. The musical was no longer just a lunch and recess activity - it was now on their minds all day. The excitement and momentum was felt throughout the whole school. The level of communication between students and teachers was truly remarkable. Those hard-to-reach students were leading discussions!

The way it works is that you create a group, and students log in with the group code to gain access. My students signed a code of conduct before logging in. No email is necessary, but if your students all have google accounts, we use those. There is also a place for parents to sign in to see their students' work and posts, but I did not use that feature. I had my students all sign in during one period of music to make sure they were all connected, and a coworker more familiar with the program helped me. They used their google logins so that it was easy to remember and because I had access to all their passwords if someone had a problem (I work with elementary - passwords are often easily forgotten).

Pros: Parents can connect to their child's Edmodo page to view their posts and interactions. You can assign quizzes that are graded automatically. Students can reach you at any time. Students that struggle to speak up in class can connect with you in a more comfortable format.

Cons: Students can reach you at any time - set limits as to how soon you will respond and monitor their activity.

Quiz results Edmodo generates a quick summary of student quiz results.
Edmodo You can use Edmodo on the web or as a free app. the interface is very similar for both.
Teacher view Here's a view of my teacher interface, where I can see all of my posts, assignments, and alerts. I can easily view the results of assigned work or student uploads.
Small groups Create small groups for specific students tasks like lighting design, an acting scene, etc.