Edmodo for Education
Updated November 28, 2014
Edmodo for Education
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Edmodo
Edmodo is a fantastic program that provides a means for communication and collaboration in several different facets, within select departments. Currently, we are not using Edmodo for cross-district purposes; however, this does not minimize the instructional impact this program has had for the teachers who use it within their own classrooms. Edmodo provides an easy-to-use interface for student use and includes a large quantity of online storage space for assignments and resources. Students can access Edmodo from any web-enabled device, allowing communication and collaboration to occur beyond traditional school hours.
- Edmodo has an easy-to-use, appealing graphic design that puts even the most tech-resistant user at ease.
- Edmodo's assessment features such as quizzes and polls allow users to gain data in a quick, meaningful format that includes individualized tracking and group graphics.
- Edmodo provides a means of motivation for student users through the awarding of badges.
- Edmodo's personal app store allows students who do not have access to a mobile device the opportunity to participate in various programs and activities otherwise inaccessible.
- Edmodo provides an excellent source of professional resources as users can connect with other users and groups who have a shared interest.
- As Edmodo expands from a teacher/student use, it would be great to see common options such as badges offered for teacher/teacher use.
- The new view of Edmodo provides generic avatars, replacing unique clip art options. While this does help to streamline the overall view of the website, students enjoyed having the opportunity to select a personalized avatar that reflected their own interests.
- Uploading documents to the Edmodo library is quick and seamless. The downloading and transfer process is a bit more cumbersome.
- In my department, Edmodo has provided better customer service for teachers seeking out a digital way to increase communication and collaboration within their departments and with students.
Using Edmodo
4275 - The majority of our Edmodo accounts are student accounts as there are more students than teachers in our district. Due to the increased numbers in high school, the majority of our student users are from that level.
9 - There are nine instructional technology resource teachers who are trained in using Edmodo and available to provide professional development in the program if needed. We have found that the best support personnel for Edmodo are the users themselves as they support one another.
- Provide timely assessment data for instructional use.
- Create a safe environment for communication thoughts and ideas.
- Providing a digital forum for collaboration on projects and assignments.
- One class used Edmodo for conflict resolution over playing kickball at recess. Each student was allowed to have a voice through digital communication posts (even shy students who never felt their voices had been heard before), and students learned first-hand the power of compromise. This led to a stronger classroom culture of acceptance and camaraderie.
- Several teachers used Edmodo to "flip" their classroom instruction. This framework model has content viewed by the student at home then practice provided in the classroom the next day with the teacher present to provide support as needed.
- One fifth grade class used Edmodo to partner with a kindergarten class to research animals. The kindergarten class would post their questions and the fifth graders would research their question and post their answers.
- Edmodo could be used to "flip" a faculty meeting where teachers view/read content prior to the actual meeting to save time, posting questions and concerns on the site.
- Edmodo could be used as a platform for providing district level information regarding professional development opportunities or training using the Planner and school groups.
- Edmodo could be used an a viable option for online storage to house frequently used documents, flyers, or programs.
Evaluating Edmodo and Competitors
- Price
- Product Features
- Product Usability
- Product Reputation
- Prior Experience with the Product
As a public school institution, price is always an important factor in the decision making process.
No changes needed.
Edmodo Implementation
- Implemented in-house
Yes - My team is available to provide district level professional development on any software or instructional tool used with students. For Edmodo, I provide two levels of training. Level 1 has participants using Edmodo as a student user to gain insight from that perspective, then we create accounts and practice basic features such a posting comments and exploring groups. Level 2 provides more in-depth training with creating quizzes/polls, accessing the gradebook, using the planner, downloading apps from the Edmodo App Store and more.
Change management was a small part of the implementation and was well-handled - When we implemented our district domain, all users were asked to enter a school-specific code to sync their Edmodo account with the new redirect link. By having one contact person available for information, questions, and concerns, the process was streamlined and efficient.
- Communication to district personnel about which code to enter during transfer/account setup
Edmodo Training
- Self-taught
It was relatively easy to learn on a surface level, but a trainer would be recommended to gain the full impact of Edmodo on instruction.
Edmodo Support
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Quick Resolution Good followup Knowledgeable team Problems get solved Kept well informed No escalation required Immediate help available Support understands my problem Support cares about my success Quick Initial Response | None |
Yes - Absolutely! Edmodo teams are always looking for feedback and directing the response to the necessary department. They are also great about providing updates and resolution status notes.
Shortly after they went through a design overhaul, I could not find an option that would allow me to toggle between my educator and district admin account. Shortly after notifying the Edmodo Support Team, they addressed and fixed the issue in a timely, professional, efficient manner. Their support team is highly recommended for their pleasant nature and willingness to assist in resolving issues.
Using Edmodo
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Technical support not required Well integrated Consistent Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using Familiar | None |
- Posting comments
- Creating quizzes
- Creating polls
- Navigating through the app store can be confusing to a new user.
- Downloading content from the library to a computer.
Yes - It has limitations, so we recommend students use the web version for uploading documents.