Link: www.edmodo.com
Quick overview: Looking for a new way to start the school year? Edmodo is an online tool that allows you to create an interactive class website. Unlike a traditional class website, Edmodo allows your students to engage in group discussions, submit/receive assignments, vote in polls, share links, or consult your class calendar. Edmodo looks similar to Facebook but is specifically designed to be used in eduction. The best part is that it’s also easy to use and setup! There’s an iPad, iPod, and iPhone app too. Well established, secure, and free.
How do I set it up? Upon signing up for Edmodo, you’ll be provided with a unique “class passcode” to share with your group of students. Students enter the passcode when they sign-up. Edmodo can also be used as a communication platform for teachers in a Learning Circle or a Personal Learning Network.
How safe is it for my students? To discourage cyber-bulling, students can send messages to the group or the teacher, but not privately to each other. All content is teacher moderated and only your own students can join the group. Since Edmodo is not Facebook, it’s not blocked in schools. As an added layer of security, some teachers like to change the group passcode once all of their students are accounted for as to avoid any “uninvited guests” being unintentionally invited later in the school year. (Source: Flip Teaching Secondary Mathematics – Best Practices in Action at ISTE 2012, San Diego)
