Edmodo is a great tool that teachers of any grade and subject can use to enhance their instruction. I find it to be particularly beneficial for ELA instruction. Edmodo is set up like a social networking site, very similar to Facebook. For this reason, I think students would be very interested and excited to use it for their class. It allows the teacher to interact with the students outside of the classroom. It is also a great way for the teacher to post assignments and reminders that the students can check at home with their parents.
In terms of ELA specifically, the possibilities are limitless. The first thing that comes to mind is the simple fact that students have to read the posts and write a response. In doing this, they are already incorporating these literacy skills without giving it much thought. Furthermore, the teacher can post an assignment such as reading a given article that the students then have to post a response to and answer questions. Since the students are doing this through Edmodo they will be a lot more motivated to complete this assignment rather than reading an article in class. Moreover, the teacher can also have the students post poems, lyrics, essays, whatever topic and skill they may be working on in class can easily be incorporated on Edmodo. Another fun idea would be to have the students post about their favorite book. They can post a picture of the cover of the book with a simple summary. They could also explain to their classmates why they like this book and why they think everyone should read it. From there, the students can chose a book posted by their peers to read. Once they have read it they can reply to the original post describing how they liked the book. They can also discuss their favorite parts of the book, maybe parts they didn't like, etc. In this manner it would become a collaborative conversation between the students about the book. Again, the possibilities of ways to enhance ELA instruction are limitless, these are just a few of the ideas that came to my mind.
Although I think Edmodo is a really great tool, I feel it is better for middle school- high school than elementary because of its social networking type set up. Students of this age group would have a much easier time logging on and completing the assignments than those in younger grades, unless a parent was helping them.
I agree when you say Edmodo is more realistic or middle and high school students. Kindergarden through fourth grade elementary students are just a little less knowledgable when it comes to blogging. They would need step by step instructions and constant help to complete some of the tasks. In a small elementary classroom setting, it might be easy to work one-on-one with students and show them how to do it. After a few months, they may be able to try it themselves.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that Edmodo is geared more towards middle or high school students due to its social networking aspect. Having students post their favorite book is a great idea. It would be neat to have them start a book club using Edmodo. They can then comment on each chapter and have a sort of book report composed by the end of the book. Christina-- I agree that elementary students are very unfamiliar with blogging, but I do find they know about social networking more than I would ever have thought.
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