Item: Edmodo
Rating: 7
Author: Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Edmodo

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Edmodo was used by GEAR UP to educate and counsel students grades 6-12 in math, science, language arts, and higher education processes. It is being used across the entire GEAR UP organization within the classroom. It addresses the issue of bridging the gap of computer and internet proficiency among low income middle and high school students.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Edmodo allows students and teachers to post real time, group wide status updates. This is a strength because it keeps the class actively engaged across multiple mediums (web, and face to face contact).
Similar to other social media platforms, Edmodo allows students to engage with other users that they may not normally contact. This encourages social development.
Edmodo allows students to post photos to their profiles. This encourages personal expression.

Cons

Edmodo could improve by allowing users to create more diverse profiles with special backgrounds, cover photos, and about me sections. Young students like to be creative and express their interests with others.
Edmodo could allow for a parent login functionality that allows them to view student work without actively participating in classroom discussion. Grades could also be submitted to parents.
Edmodo could allow teachers to share assignments with other teachers outside of their network. This would allow for more creative lesson creation and collaboration with other industry professionals.

Return on Investment

Edmodo allows for more students to become comfortable with internet technology.
Edmodo allows students to share their responses across the class.
Edmodo is online, which always gets students excited, so they return to school to share with friends that Gear Up uses Edmodo. Thus, spreading information about the GEAR UP program.

Alternatives Considered

Facebook Pages

Since we use Edmodo within the classroom only, it allows students to work in a function that is similar to that of Facebook, without the concern of them becoming distracted with status updates that are posted outside of the classroom. There are no distracting pages, likes, or feeds to encourage the student from deviating from their regular classroom assignment.

Likelihood to Recommend

Edmodo is well suited for instructional learning, but less suitable for counseling situations where students and counselors value privacy. Key questions are, "Do you want this to be a private conversation between student and instructor?", "Should fellow students have access to this information?" etc.

There aren't necessarily key questions to ask, but since Edmodo is on the internet, there is always a risk of losing or hacking student information. The website must be secure.

Comments

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Edmodo is Great for GEAR UP

Software Version

Modules Used