Jada Hazlett: Edmodo - Winthrop University

1
Jada Hazlett
November 17, 2010
Jada.Hazlett@gmail.com
This white paper was written as an assignment for Dr. Marshall G. Jones's EDUC 651 class at
Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC. All rights reserved by the author. Permission is granted to
use this white paper provided the user notifies the author in writing prior to use.

2
Edmodo
Overview
The phrase social networking has come to be common terminology in today’s world.
There is Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Foursquare, Flicker, and many more. There is some type
of social networking site to fit almost any person, no matter what age, race, religion, or
personality. People of all ages are involved in it. People use social networking sites for all types
of reasons. They can be used for networking, entertainment, business, and even education. This
white paper is specifically discussing the education specific social networking site Edmodo.
Edmodo is a social networking site that can be used by teachers and students. Edmodo
prides itself on being “secure social networking for teachers and students”. Edmodo can be
found at www.edmodo.com. To begin working, a teacher must create an account. The teacher
is given a group code that is used to when students join. When students join, they go through
the same process and use the group code to join the class. Teachers will need to decide
whether or not the students can create their own profiles. It may be more beneficial for the
teacher to create each students’ profile if they are younger. Once Edmodo has been set up, a
teacher can post discussion questions, polls, assignments, calendar events, and many other
things to get students interacting with the website. It can be used for strictly educational
purposes, but also for fun, non-educational things.
Cost Information
Edmodo is a free service and there are no fees or requirements. It requires a computer
with internet access.
How to Use Edmodo
To use Edmodo, first you must create an account. To create an account, go to
www.edmodo.com. Click on the “I’m a Teacher” button. Continue through the instructions to
create your account. Then, come back to the homepage and log into the website.

3
Picture is a screenshot from Edmodo’s website.
At this point, you will need to decide what categories you want to break your students
down into. It could be by achievement levels, subject area, similar interests, or simply by the
classes you teach. It is important to remember that students that are placed in the same group
can interact with each other. If you know some students will be distracted by the opportunity
to get off task with another student, you can create different groups for different students in
the same class. If you intend to use Edmodo to differentiate in the classroom with different
activities, you will need to create a different group for each of the differentiated levels.
However you decide to break down the students, you will need to create a “group” for
each of those categories. To do this, on the left side of the screen, under the “Groups” tab, click
on “Create”. A box will appear and you should type in the category name for the group, choose
grade level, and choose the subject area. After you do this, a new post will appear on your
homepage that is from Edmodo. It will have the group code for people to join.

4
Picture is a screenshot from Edmodo’s website.
For students to be able to join the group, each student must have the group code.
Depending upon the age of the students, the students can create their own accounts or the
teacher can do it for them. If the teacher creates the profiles for each student, he or she is then
in control of all usernames and passwords and also who has an account and who does not. If
students create their own profiles, the teacher will need to decide on what guidelines to give
students concerning usernames and passwords. It is important to keep in mind that a teacher
does not have access to passwords, but does have the ability to reset a student’s password if
needed.
If the teacher decides that it is best to create the accounts for the students, you must
log out of the teacher account and go back to the website entrance. Whether the students or
teachers are creating the accounts, you complete the following process. Instead of clicking on
“I’m a Teacher”, click on “I’m a Student”. Whoever is setting up the account will enter the
group code, the desired username, desired password, and name. This will allow the student to
be involved in only the groups they have the code for. Students’ full names are not displayed on
their profiles if privacy is a concern.
For students to have anything to do on Edmodo, teachers must assign things for them to
do. A teacher can choose to assign discussion starters, polls, notes, and alerts.
Discussion starters are used for a teacher to pose a question for students to
answer on the website. All discussions are moderated by the teacher. All
answers can be seen by other students in the group. Students can respond
publicly to one another throughout the discussion as well.

Polls are surveys that the teacher can pose for students to take part in. Students
log on and answer the question. The results are displayed in percentages.
Notes can be written by the teacher to tell the students about upcoming
assignments, homework, or any non-urgent information that needs to be shared.
Alerts are posted by the teacher to “alert” students of urgent upcoming
information. This could include a project reminder, test reminder, etc.
In the box at the top of the screen, you will start typing in what you have decided (from
the above list) to assign. After typing in the details, click on the words that correspond with the
type of assignment it is. Then you will type in what group you want to assign it to. If you have
differentiated groups inside of one classroom, you will have to go through the same process as
many times as necessary to make sure that each student has an activity to complete.
Students can also turn in assignments. They can type their assignments directly into
Edmodo or they can upload a file as an attachment. Afterwards, the teacher can log in, view the
assignment, and post the grade. Students can log back in and view their grades. The teacher
can also add comments and feedback to the assignment. Students can view their grade, read
comments, and know what they need to change or work on for the next time. To do this,
teachers must first post an assignment through their account. Then, the students must log on
to their account, click on “Assignments” in the right corner and upload their file or type in their
response. The teacher can now log in and view the file, post the grade on the right side in the
boxes, and add comments.
If a teacher needs to reset a password, you must first log into the teacher’s account. On
the left side, locate where your groups are listed. Then, scroll the mouse over the group that
the student is in and a tab will appear. Click on “Members”. By clicking on this, Edmodo will
take you to a webpage that has all the members and their usernames listed. On the right side of
the list, click on the safety lock symbol. This will allow you to change the password. This may be
necessary if students forget their passwords.
Edmodo has many uses in the classroom and it is important to find out what uses would
best benefit your classroom and execute those in the classroom.
5
Benefits/Drawbacks
Benefits Problems/Issues
Students get to work on educational
assignments while using a fun platform.
Teachers can easily differentiate
assignments for students on different
achievement levels. Teachers can provide
remedial assignments, extension
assignments, or different assignments to
Students can easily get off task and work
on something else on the computer.
Students can use inappropriate language
or discuss inappropriate topics before the
teacher can check and monitor the posts.
It is time consuming to set up and keep up
to date.

students as needed.
Students usually enjoy “social
networking”. This combines something
they use in their everyday lives with
education.
Students can work individually or
cooperatively.
6
Environmental Factors
Students may not be able to complete
assignments at home, because of a lack of
internet access or computer access.
Parents may be concerned with their
children being involved with a social
networking website.
When using any new tool in the classroom, it is important to consider the environmental
issues. For Edmodo, it is important to remember that students can post and add their own
comments to a discussion board that is visible to all students. Although the teacher can
moderate the comments, comments are available instantly. If a student posts something
inappropriate, other students may see and read it before the teacher can delete it. This can be
dealt with if students are given clear expectations and consequences for behavior on the
website.
Also, as with any other time that students are using technology, there is the possibility
that students can get off task very easily. When planning to use Edmodo, the teacher must plan
to be able to closely monitor students if distraction is a problem. If the teacher implements
time restrictions and engaging assignments, this could help stop this problem before it starts.
Students need to see that using the website is a privilege and it is not necessary. If they
know this, it will greatly decrease the possibility of these issues happening.
If a teacher wants to use it with students under thirteen, it may be required to send
home parent permission forms.
Possible Uses in Various Subject Areas
Edmodo can easily be used in several subject areas. For many teachers, it can be
integrated into every core subject. Since the teacher is in charge of what is on the website, as
far as examples and discussion starters, students can use Edmodo in nearly any subject.
Language Arts/Literacy: The teacher can post discussion starters relating to the current
literature circles or reading. The teacher can also post writing prompts and tips for
making students’ writing better.
Math: Teachers can post homework problems, extension activities for high level
students, remedial work for low level students, and daily math activities for math
workshops.

Science: Teachers can post discussion starters for science topics, pose research
questions about current science content, and allow students to discuss science content
in discussion boards.
Social Studies: Teachers can use Edmodo as a tool for students to discuss social studies
topics, debate learned information, and research new topics.
Edmodo can always be used to post differentiated activities and assignments for
students. Edmodo also helps teachers integrate writing and reading into other subject
areas. When discussing, reading and writing are definitely needed to participate in the
discussion.
7
National Education Technology Standards
Standard How this technology addresses the standard
1. Creativity and Innovation:
Students demonstrate creative thinking,
construct knowledge, and develop
innovative products and processes using
technology.
2. Communication and Collaboration:
Students use digital media and
environments to communicate and work
collaboratively, including at a distance, to
support individual learning and contribute
to the learning of others.
3. Research and Information Fluency:
Students apply digital tools to gather,
evaluate, and use information
The technology can be the facilitator of this
standard. Whether or not it helps students
develop creative thinking and develop
innovative products depends on what the
teacher posts for students to work on.
Edmodo is a great tool for students, but the
teacher has to pose questioning, assignments,
and discussions that develop these higher
levels of thinking.
This technology helps students to collaborate
with other students through discussion boards
on the website. Students can directly discuss a
question that the teacher asks. The students
keep the discussion going through each other.
Students will grow in their understanding and
help others grow in their understandings
through participating in discussion boards. It
helps students develop their electronic
communication skills.
A teacher could use Edmodo to pose
questions and post assignments that would
allow students to use the internet, online
encyclopedias, and other technology tools.
Students would have to use their skills and
develop their skills to be better researchers
for assignments. The teacher must make sure
the discussions and assignments that are
posted will allow students to work towards

4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and
Decision Making:
Students use critical thinking skills to plan
and conduct research, manage projects,
solve problems, and make informed
decisions using appropriate digital tools
and resources.
5. Digital Citizenship:
Students understand human, cultural, and
societal issues related to technology and
practice legal and ethical behavior.
6. Technology Operations and Concepts:
Students demonstrate a sound
understanding of technology concepts,
systems, and operations.
http://www.edmodo.com/
http://blog.edmodo.com/
8
Resources
this standard.
Edmodo allows students to manage their own
accounts on the website. Students must make
responsible decisions to manage their
assignments on the website. Students have to
use the website to guide their daily work and
to guide their research and problem solving.
Again, the teacher must align the assignments
with this standard.
When using Edmodo, students’ comments are
not anonymous. When answering discussion
questions and polls, students must be
sensitive and responsible with their
comments. The teacher has the ability to
monitor all comments and can deal with
problems if they arise. However, students
should know that all of their comments will be
read by the teacher and can be seen by
everyone in the class.
Edmodo would help students to become more
familiar with basic concepts concerning
computers and the internet. It will help them
become more comfortable with using other
internet sites and the computer in general.
This is especially great for students who do
not have access to a computer and/or internet
at home.
http://teachingthatsticks.blogspot.com/2010/02/using-edmodo-in-classroom-five-days.html
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2009/01/edmodo-microblogging-for-students.html