Showcase of Excellence in Digital Learning
Delaware Center for Educational Technology
Delaware Department of Education
District:Smyrna
School:Smyrna High School
Teacher:Alissa Quinlan
Grade Level:9-12
Subject:World Languages: French
Title:How I use Edmodo in the World Languages Classroom
Description:My Edmodo page is my “virtual classroom”. I post my daily Power Points on it, homework assignments, and notes or study tips. Students are always encouraged to contact me through Edmodo since their messages go straight to my phone, and they are also encouraged to ask questions to their classmates on the site as well. In my “library” I continuously add interesting and helpful websites for students to complete projects or homework assignments for class, or just to help them become better overall students. I just recently discovered “voki” and embedded one on my Edmodo page in French as an assignment for them to look at and listen to, and I’ve also posted videos or websites for them to review outside of class. I sometimes use “badges” to help reward them for posting or doing different things on Edmodo as a type of positive reinforcement. Also, students always have the option to submit their homework assignments through Edmodo instead of turning them into me during class, making it more convenient for them.
Aside from Edmodo being my “virtual classroom” for students to access my class information and get assistance for my class, I use Edmodo as a conversational tool. Occasionally they’ll be assigned to “post” something on Edmodo on a specific topic, in French. They are then encouraged to respond to and add to their classmates posts, in French. In addition, I have paired up with 3 other teachers from the US and Canada and we have created joint groups where our students can post things to each other and ask each other questions, all in French. The students really enjoy the social aspect of the site and of practicing the language, and the more often I can get them to visit the site, the more likely they are to return and continue to use it socially and academically.
Lastly, my personal favorite part of Edmodo is the “teacher connections” and “communities”. I’m in a few groups where teachers post new technologies or different lesson plans they’ve found and they’ve used in class. It’s a lot easier to keep abreast of all the new technologies out there and how teachers are using them in classes (and if they are worth it or not for you to try it!) when you are constantly getting updates and responses from teachers around the world. I often spend my planning period looking at new ideas and new websites recommended by other teachers and I feel that it really influences my lesson plans and what technology I try with my students. In addition, I can connect with other French or Spanish teachers from France or Spain or other countries and see how they’re teaching a specific topic, or just get instant feedback or information from a native source.
Overall, I feel Edmodo is a great tool for students and teachers. I think it would be valuable school wide because students would get used to using it (and hopefully would use it more often), teachers could share ideas more easily, and teachers could keep more in contact with their students and coworkers (which is what social networking is all about!). I absolutely love Edmodo and I would recommend it to any teacher!