Disclaimer: Edmodo has permanently shutdown since Sept’ 2022.
We all know active involvement from both parents and teachers is essential to a child’s education. In the old days, though, we would have to rely on our kids as couriers: taking notes between you and the teacher and vice versa. Edmodo is a service that aims to change that and so much more.
Edmodo is a digital classroom service that keeps teachers, students, and parents connected with quick access to discussion boards, grades, and upcoming assignments. It may be one of many services that do this but, unlike its competitors, Edmodo is entirely free.
What Is Edmodo, Exactly?
As described by the site itself, Edmodo is a “free and secure social learning network.” It’s Facebook for the classroom. Teachers can upload things such as assignments, discussion boards, student polls, and even give out awards. Edmodo’s focus is on providing quick and straightforward communication between teachers and their parents. To go one step further, teachers also have access to quite a few resources to help them out. For U.S. users, Edmodo has something called Snapshot that gives them insight on the education standards of their area and how they compare to it. Teachers also have access to a global community of teachers where they can share and find ideas for lessons and other material.
To go along with that, Edmodo has a feature called Spotlight that highlights some of the best educational content on the site. Teachers can share their material with others and, if they are feeling confident, they can even sell it for some extra cash.
As a Facebook-esque site, students are also allowed to communicate with one another. This is both a good and bad thing because it allows for tangents and unrelated conversation. If teachers allow their students to chat like this, they should probably monitor it.
Take Edmodo Anywhere
Another great thing about Edmodo is its availability on mobile devices. The service has apps for both Android and iOS. While it doesn’t support Windows Phone, you can still access Edmodo from virtually any Windows device (made especially easier by Windows 10). There are two separate apps for Edmodo: one for students and teachers and another for parents. The original Edmodo app does pretty much what you think it would. It allows faculty and students to communicate and post on discussion boards, post and view assignments, and check grades. You can even upload files on the app, which is especially handy for teachers.
The parent app has similar functions. You can see your child’s assignments and view teacher announcements. You will also get notified when assignments are turned in, so you will always be on the up with your child’s work. If you have multiple children who have Edmodo classrooms, you can sync all of them to the app, which is just super convenient. Edmodo is available on Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store
The Verdict
I would consider Edmodo a must use service for teachers, students, and parents alike. It’s simple, social media-inspired design is easy to use, and it provides everyone with a way to communicate quickly and efficiently. Combine that with the ability to post grades and share files, and it is hard to see why we even have physical classrooms. The best thing about it, of course, is that the whole service is entirely free. Edmodo is a must.