Instructional Use of Edmodo

Description/Experience 


Last seminar we were introduced to a social networking site called Edmodo. I was fascinated with this site because it is essentially Facebook, but classroom appropriate. Facebook was big when I was in high school and has continued to expand greatly every day. High school students would definitely be big fans of this site if used properly in the classroom, which is something I would like to use as a future teacher.

Application

Assuming that my students have already made their Edmodo accounts, I would incorporate the website with whatever novel the class would be reading/discussing at the time. Hypothetically, we'll say "To Kill a Mockingbird." I would have each student post their favorite quote, who said it, why they personally like it, and finally, what connected the quote has with any theme in the novel we've previously discussed. This should be designed for any high school student, grades 9 - 12. The learners will gain insight on fellow students' thoughts, the class thoughts as a whole, and also be able to share their own opinions on the novel. They will see how every person can interpret literature differently and how various outlooks and opinions can open up their own eyes to new ideas. For assessment purposes, I would have the students get into small groups for the day, and later on during test time, have them write a short essay on what they learned during the lesson.

First, the students would post their quote in the appropriate place on Edmodo - the quote, who the speaker was, and the connection it has with any theme we've previously discussed. After, they would get into small groups based on similar quotes (same speaker, same idea/concept, etc.). They would discuss their quotes and opinions/analysis in their groups, then we would go around the classroom and discuss out loud what each group has discovered/concluded. Later, during an exam on the novel, they will have an opportunity to explain what they learned during the specific lesson in a brief essay.

Reflection

Pedagogy-Content:

·      I would represent the content for students' comprehension giving them an example on what they are supposed to do. I would show them my own favorite quote and how I tie it into existing themes. Hopefully this will give them an idea on how to produce their own post. Some conceptions/pre-conceptions students might have towards this content would be doubt towards themselves and their peers. They might think, possibly from previous experience, that just because you "like" a quote, doesn't mean it has any value towards the theme/message of the novel. They might also be very big fans of the activity because they each have something personal to say.

Technology:

·      This technology allows students and teachers to be on a social networking site. They can all see what each one of their classmates post (unless stated otherwise) and the teacher is the overseer of everything that goes on. Each student has their own personal profile and can post anything that is needed of them. It's accessibility is quite easy and can be accessed from any devise with the internet.

Technology-Pedagogy:

·       The technology would come in use when the students need to post their quotes online. Rather than just me seeing it, the entire class would see everyones' different quotes. This would change the way the activity is taught because everyone gets to see each other's answers, rather than just discuss them. I would need to consider a higher level of classroom management because it IS a social networking site. I would have to step up my behavior monitoring and just make sure that everyone is staying on track...it should only take a few minutes for them to post then get into groups.

Technology-Content:

·       This technology would change the way content is represented because multiple perspectives would be shown, not just mine or the specific student. It would change the way students understand/practice the content because it would all be contained in one spot. There would be no need to flipping through the book, highlighting quotes and writing notes in the margins. Instead, it would all be nicely grouped on a computer screen for simple access.

Technology-Pedagogy-Content:

·      This technology would enhance content to be more in depth and more specific. Quotes could be short, yet they could be very long. It would terminate the need to hand write long quotes and allow the students to focus on multiple quotes, all from their classmates, right on a computer screen. It would allow me to teach using a bigger picture, rather than focusing on one or two quotes as a class. I would choose teaching strategies based on encouraging very personal insight. I would go about the lesson keeping students in mind that no answer is right or wrong, as long as you can explain yourself and backup your analysis, everyone will do fine. I would keep it a very fun and light hearted lesson/activit