The most effective web-tool in my classroom is...

The most effective web-tool in my classroom is Edmodo.com and it is much more effeceint than other platforms such as EdLine.  I pretty much eliminated the use of EdLine except to post grades via GradeQuick.  Edmodo is much more efficient due to the fact that you can make changes at the level you are working at rather than five levels deep.  Edmodo is formatted like Facebook and the students recognize this.  The students are able to communicate with one another but the teacher can adjust settings to allow full communications between students or to read-only.  I tell my students that they have many other platforms to communicate with one another in regards to aspects of life outside of class.


On the first couple days of school I get my students on the laptop lab and have them log onto Edmodo. As a teacher, you create classes and in turn it give you are group code for specific classes that you give to your students.  Initially the students will sign up by creating a username and password and they would submit the group code at this time.  There is no need for the teacher to create a roster.  If the students follow the steps correctly, the roster creates itself.  Also, as a teacher you have access to the members of the class and their usernames, but you do not have access to passwords.  It gives students the responsibility to know their password.  The teacher also has the option to change a password and tell the student that this is temporary password and they need to change it on their own.  Once a student has an account on Edmodo, they can use a group code from another teacher to use on the same account.

How do I use Edmodo:

• Post documents, photos, web links, and other files to students as a whole class, group, or individual students
• If a student is absent, I can send a note to the student about what they had missed in class that day.  The student can check at home in the evening and be ready the next day.
• Add website and documents to the library to keep as safekeeping
• Create assignments for students to complete online and submit via Edmodo
• Assign activities and notices for specific groups of students
• Create multiple choice or short answer quizzes that is graded by Edmodo
• Create small groups
• Network with other teachers from other parts of the nation and even the world
• Join communities of educators that have similar interests as you 
• Observe recent activity to see which specific students have opened certain assignments
• Create and assign badges to students as incentives to complete tasks
• Encourage parents to get involved by giving them a link to see what their child sees on Edmodo
• Add grades and effectively use it as a gradebook
• Use the Planner (calendar) to post future tasks and assignments for entire classes, groups, or individual students
• Use the Planner daily to post prompts for Question of the Day (example:  bellringers) for those students who are absent or neglect to complete the task

In recent months, Edmodo has added apps.  Some of the apps are free and many cost money.  I would tell you to do a search and find ones you think would be effective for your instruction, but otherwise save your money.

As a teacher, I use Edmodo on a daily basis, even many times a day.  I use this as a communication tool for my students and as a way to distribute content.  I try to post PowerPoints, notes, video links, or photos that were part of the day's instruction on a daily basis so students have access to it.

The students do not use Edmodo on a daily basis, but when I do make a post, the students' account will by default alert them by email that something has been posted for them.  The students usually access Edmodo as part of instruction on average once a week.  There are some weeks they do not use it in class, and some weeks they use it every day.

Edmodo gives teachers the opportunity to customize the way they communicate to students at no cost.  Students need to be able to access specific information for their classes and this is the perfect platform as this.  There are other websites such as Edmodo, but this is a site that I have used for 2 years and it has evolved to serve my needs.

You can use this website on any web browser and check the Apple App Store for iOS app for iPad and iPhone and the Google Play Store for use on Android devices.  These apps are not as full-featured as the web browser version.