I have to admit, I thought I had written a post about Edmodo. Why wouldn’t I? Ever since I discovered it, it has been a staple in my 5th grade class. However, I realized I didn’t, when I read another post, “Edmodo, yes”! from the blog Technology Chatter. How could I have forgotten to write about Edmodo, which has made my life wonderfully easy. How? When I describe it to colleagues, I call it the “Facebook for Educators”, but it’s more than that. I post assignments on Edmodo every day. Not just “read page 43 in your textbook” assignments either. I can post images, videos, questions, tests, worksheets, polls, have discussions online. Any work I have them “turn in” can be graded online, and their grades are posted privately. No paper! So, it’s environmentally friendly as well. I have created groups for every subject. It even has communities where teachers can connect, our own little PLN. And now, they have Edmodo for Parents, still unexplored territory for me.
But my favorite part of Edmodo is my Pen Pal group. I joined the Language Arts community and asked if anyone was interested in being pen pals. Mrs.T and I, not only have our classes write to each other, but we also formed a Pen Pal group on Edmodo. Our classes have shared photos, movie clips, comments, birthday wishes, weekend happenings, weather updates, and our latest, Voki conversations. I already had a Voki and Mrs.T was kind enough to email me instructions on how to post it. The first thing my kids do in the morning is check Edmodo to see if their pen pals wrote them, they are so excited! Recently Mrs.T sent pics of the beach, after I sent pics of the kids in the snow.:) It’s just a great way for them to communicate with students outside of their school, outside of their state! The students are writing and Mrs. T and I are sharing ideas. I know as the year progresses, I am sure we will discover more ways we can connect our classes. In the meantime, I will continue to use Edmodo in my class, my own little piece of educator heaven.:)
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER 
Comments on: "Edmodo- Gotta Love It!" (9)
I’ve been very intrigued by Edmodo for quite some time. I have an account and messed around with it. It seems like it could be a great tool. BUT… I don’t know how it would go over without everyone having a computer, or access to a computer every day.
Do you have a 1:1 classroom? How do you manage the computer use?
Hi Justin. I use Edmodo every day, however, Iam fortunate enough to have wireless laptops in my classroom. They are shared with the other classes, but the other teachers rarely borrow them. I also have 5 desktop computers in my room. I imagine it would be difficult without enough computers, but if the students have Internet access at home, I can still see how it could be helpful.Hope this helps!
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It’s nice to read about other teachers using Edmodo. I’ve been using Edmodo to encourage discussions about Internet safety issues within students in my tech classes. It has worked very well and students enjoy participating in this online environment. I just posted about our last lesson using Edmodo in my blog: http://mbthinking.blogspot.com/2011/03/social-networks-in-elementary-classroom.html
Yes, Marybell, I agree. My students love the online environment, and so do I. Most of our work in class is paperless at this point. We also hooked up with another class in NJ, and we are using Edmodo to communicate.
Hi from NE Kansas! I teach 4th grade and have been using Edmodo for two years. Love it!!! Does you just have a teacher account or has your school moved to a building or district account? Right now, there’s only a couple of using Edmodo. I’ve attended webinars on upgrading to district level, but don’t know if it really matters right now. Thanks in advance, Jan
Hi Jan! I have a teacher account. I just started using it this year, I had never heard of it before this year. Many teachers don’t know of it’s existence, but I am conducting a workshop on websites I use, and I will definitely mention Edmodo!
What grades/ages do you recommend for Edmodo? Our school is just starting, but only for 5th grade so far.
Hey Becky, I recommend it for any age. There are so many uses and our kids are quick learners. Remember, you can post videos and websites that enhance learning. Parents can also take advantage of what you post to help their child. So, i say, any age! 🙂