My quest to learn new ways of strengthening our classroom community continues! Another teacher recently introduced me to Edmodo. Although I had heard that students enjoyed using it, I had never checked into it myself until this teacher added me to his classroom's Edmodo account as a way to "try it out." For years, I had been posting things on our classroom website, but it wasn't as interactive between students as Edmodo is.
The students can chat with each other about assignment requirements, ask questions, share information about school activities, etc. This helps to create an atmosphere of support and encouragement between peers, as opposed to contentious competitiveness, both inside and outside the classroom. Now that school is out, they are still chatting about the World Cup scores, their summer vacations, and family activities.
This is a great way for students to keep in touch over the summer in a "safe" way--each user gets an email whenever a user posts something, so there is no danger of "cyberbullying" on this site. If a student ever posts anything improper, which is highly unlikely, the teacher can discuss it with them immediately, and if necessary, block them from using the site.
Edmodo is yet another way to keep students connected to your classroom activities, but most importantly, to each other!
