Using Edmodo in the

Classroom

By: Tracy Castleberry

ITEC 7445
Dr. Clark
What is Edmodo?
• As teachers, we struggle and
plan everyday to keep our
students engaged

• Edmodo is a FREE classroom

"social network", with a familiar
layout, similar to Facebook

• Edmodo allows students,

teachers and parents to connect
in a safe, bully-free setting to
deliver class content, practice,
and get help from the entire
class
 Cherokee County Schools • The Cherokee County school District supports
a population of 38,600 students that are served
by 2800 Georgia Certified Educators and 1730
non-certified staff members. The District is
comprised of:

• 9 elementary schools, composed of

kindergarten through 6th grade

• 10 elementary schools, composed of

kindergarten through 5th grade

• 3 elementary schools, composed of

kindergarten through 4th grade

• 1 intermediate school, grades 5 and 6

• 3 middle schools, grades 7 and 8

• 4 middle schools, grades 6 through 8

• 6 high schools, grades 9 through 12

• Crossroads Alternative MS/HS

• Polaris Evening School

• L.R. Tippens Education Center

• Ralph Bunche & Little River Pre K for Head

Start
http://portal.cherokee.k12.ga.us/departments/technology/Documents/StateTechPlan-2011-2014.pdf
 CCSD Technology Plan
• Integration for students, teachers, administrators and the community:

• Hands-on technology to improve student achievement in the core areas of Language Arts, Mathematics,
Social Studies and Science as well as the additional areas of Career Technical, Fine Arts, Health and
Physical Education across all grade levels.

• Enhance critical thinking as well as problem-solving and decision-making skills

• Teachers will support students’ academic needs through the integration of technology in standards-based
lessons.

• Collaborative learning through teacher facilitation

• Administrators will closely monitor the use of technology within their school, focusing on its primary goal
of enhancing student learning.

• Technology is integrated into all curricular areas in all classrooms

• Community members will support technology-engaged learning within the schools.

• Provide real-life learning to achieve a globally successful work force

p://portal.cherokee.k12.ga.us/departments/technology/Documents/
Technology in Cherokee County
• Cherokee County schools, thanks to technology integration plans like TEACH21 and
MEDIA21 has plenty of technology to go around

• Wireless laptop computers are available in many classrooms

• Multiple computer labs provide students with access

• Networks are stable and well-maintained

• Classrooms are equipped with SMART boards (middle and high school) and
Promethean boards (elementary schools)

• Teachers are also provided with a laptop with wireless access for school use

• Most schools have adopted the BYLD (Bring Your Learning Device) program, which
allows students to use their own technology (laptops, smart phones, tablets) in the
classroom, with teacher permission
 Edmodo and Technology
• Edmodo gives students and teachers, as well as parents access to
classrooms in a safe, collaborative environment

• Students can receive help from the entire classroom environment

• Parents can join as well and see what is going on in the classroom

• The environment is engaging, user friendly and easy to use

• Edmodo is a online tool that complements the technology plan of

Cherokee County Schools
 Ways to Use Edmodo
• Teachers can post notes and alerts for their classes (groups)
in Edmodo

• Teachers can send messages to whole groups or individual

students

• Teachers can post assignments, polls, quizzes

• Teachers can grade assignments and post comments

• Every assignment added to the Edmodo calendar is also

added to every user’s calendar
 Implementation of Edmodo in
Cherokee County Schools
• 1- Adopt the use of Edmodo in the classroom, decide
which classes/teachers will decide to participate

• 2- Purchase additional equipment (if needed)

• 3- Train teachers about the features and uses of Edmodo

• 4- Each teacher will then introduce and train their

students
Implementation, cont.
 Levels of
 Behavioral Indicators of Level
Use
 VI. Renewal • CBAM (concerns-based
The user is seeking more effective alternatives
to the established use of the innovation. adoption model of change)
integration shown at left.
 V. The user is making deliberate efforts to
Integration coordinate with others in using the innovation.
• In order for Edmodo to be
 IVB. The user is making changes to increase
Refinement outcomes. successful school wide,
 IVA. The user is making few or no changes and teachers would need to reach
Routine has an established pattern of use. the refinement level or higher
 III. The user is making changes to better organize
Mechanical use of the innovation. • This would set the foundation
 II. The user has definite plans to begin using the
Preparation innovation. for Edmodo to become an
 0I. The user is taking the initiative to learn more effective tool in the classroom
Orientation about the innovation.
 0 . Non-Use The user has no interest, is taking no action.  

http://www.nas.edu/rise/backg4a.htm
 Cost of Edmodo
• Edmodo is totally FREE for teachers, students and
parents to use

• No special funding will be needed, unless additional

computers are purchased

• If more computers are needed, funding could come

from SPLOST, which currently funds technology for
the classroom in Cherokee County or school funds
used for technology
 Technology Standards
• Use of Edmodo in the classroom supports the
following NETS standards for technology:

• For Teachers: NETS 1, 2, 3 & 4 (facilitate, design,

model and promote digital learning)

• For Students: NETS 2, 5 & 6 (communicate and

collaborate, digital citizenship, technology
operations and concepts)
Content Standards

• Because Edmodo is
so versatile and can
be loaded with any
class content, it will
fit and content
standards for any
subject
 Research-Based Learning
• Students can blog on Edmodo, taking on a role and
communicating their research about a topic

• For example, students could take on the role of a geneticist or a

doctor, research a bio-ethics issue such as cloning, and report
their findings on Edmodo

• Their classmates can then respond to their post, and a class

discussion is born!

• This is student-centered, the teacher needs to moderate by

reading posts, and can also respond and give feedback to the
learner
 Authentic Learning
• Edmodo is real-world appropriate and authentic because
students can collaborate and communicate with their
classmates

• Using Edmodo will stimulate the real-world aspect of

learning because students are communicating and
learning how to be good digital citizens

• This is a needed skill for the students, because they will

be expected to be able to do this in college and in their
future careers
 Higher Order Thinking Skills

• Edmodo is very flexible, teachers can set up the

delivery of content in many different ways

• Activities that require analyzing data, comparing

concepts and predicting outcomes can be easily
designed by the teacher and uploaded on Edmodo
 Collaboration and
Differentiation

• Teachers can design and upload choice boards for

differentiated learning, as well as putting together
ability groups

• Collaboration is very easy with Edmodo, because

students can participate in group activities and
discussions
 Instructional Design and
Diversity
• Edmodo is appropriate to all school age students

• Might be especially effective for middle and high school students because of it's
similarity to Facebook

• It is easy to use for all ages

• Edmodo can be tailored by the teacher for the needs of his or her classes

• Students with disabilities that perform better in a digital environment would benefit

• ELL students would be able to access the class in a stress free setting, working at their
own pace

• Students that don't have computer access at home can use classroom computers and
computer labs at school
Technology Needed for Edmodo

• Students and teachers need

access to computers with
internet access

• Printers might be needed for

students that want their own
copy of class resources

• Special software is not

needed because Edmodo is
an online resource
 Tech Support

• Tech support for computers, keeping them running,

virus free and connecting to the internet

• Network maintenance and control is also needed, a

stable network (especially wireless) is necessary
because a lot of teachers have student laptop carts with
wifi
 Limitations
• Not all students have a computer and internet access at
homes

• Students are not able to message on another on

Edmodo

• Teaching with Edmodo does cause the teacher to have

to pay close attention to what’s being posted so
something can be removed if needed
 Edmodo Research
• teachinghistory.org states:

• ”Designed specifically for use by teachers and schools,

Edmodo is a free online and mobile tool that provides a
safe way for your class to connect and collaborate; share
content; and access homework, grades, and school
announcements. The goal of Edmodo is to help
educators harness the power of social media to allow
easy customization of your classroom.” (
teachinghistory.org, 2014)
 Research, Cont.

• In his research, Benjamin Nevas concludes:

• “Throughout the course of my interventions, I have

noted increased student engagement over time with
students’ usage of Edmodo, and improving quality
of collaborative conversation between students.”
(Nevas, 2014).
 Parental Involvement
• Teachers can provide a parent code, so that parents can
see what’s going on in the class

• Parents can see assignments, due dates, their child’s

grade

• This feature fosters a great opportunity for the

community to be involved and see the wonderful
things that are going on in the classroom
 Safety
• Edmodo is totally safe for students to use, because the
teacher creates the class and the students join with a code

• Anything posted can be seen and taken down if needed by

the teacher

• Students will be held accountable for their digital citizenship

• Students can’t send messages to each other, this cuts down

on the chances of cyber-bullying
 Reflection
• I have a confession to make! There’s this nice lady that I teach with at
Woodstock that’s been trying to get me to use Edmodo for two years, and I
haven’t tried it yet. I tried a couple of other online content models and wasn’t
impressed, so I thought I’d feel the same way about Edmodo. Actually, I am
quite surprised to say that I think that Edmodo might really work in my
classroom. It’s highly customizable, I have control over everything that is posted,
and it would most definitely allow students to collaborate. Differentiation would
be easy to handle on Edmodo, and the thing that I want to try the most are the
quizzes and the polls.

• While researching Edmodo, I learned that just hearing about it really didn't do it
justice. Once I got my hands dirty and tried it, I realized that this could really be
the way that I want my classroom to go. I am going to start the year off using
Edmodo in my honors biology classes with plans to integrate into my regular
classes 2015-2016.
 Sources
Research Based Blogging Using Edmodo. (n.d.). prezi.com. Retrieved July 9, 2014, from
http://prezi.com/chf7yi-ghokf/research-based-blogging-using-edmodo/

Cauley, P. (n.d.). . . Retrieved July 9, 2014, from http://www.csub.edu/~tfernandez_ulloa/Edmodo%20User%20guide.pdf

. (n.d.). . Retrieved July 9, 2014, from http://portal.cherokee.k12.ga.us/departments/technology/Documents/StateTechPlan-2011-2014.pdf

Hord, S., Rutherford, W., Huling-Austin, L., & Hall, G. (n.d.). The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM): A Model for Change in Individuals. The
Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM): A Model for Change in Individuals. Retrieved July 9, 2014, from http://www.nas.edu/rise/backg4a.htm

Teaching History.org, home of the National History Education Clearinghouse. (n.d.). Edmodo. Retrieved July 10, 2014, from
http://teachinghistory.org/digital-classroom/tech-for-teachers/25425

Nevas, B. (n.d.). Edmodo Research. Scribd. Retrieved July 10, 2014, from http://www.scribd.com/doc/27372047/Edmodo-Research

Limitations and concerns. (n.d.). edmodo-in-the-classroom -. Retrieved July 10, 2014, from
http://edmodo-in-the-classroom.wikispaces.com/Limitations+and+concerns

Edmodo | Where Learning Happens | Sign up, Sign In. (n.d.). . Retrieved July 10, 2014, from http://www.edmodo.com/