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Bridging Traditional Classrooms to Students Interests with Edmodo

Ralph M. Andrews Jr.


Wilkes University

Author Note
Ralph Andrews, Wilkes University, ED 585-INA Integrating Technology in Curriculum.
Correspondence with this article should be addressed to Ralph Andrews, 1036
Delaware Ave, Fountain Hill, 18015. Email: randrews@palmerton.org

Bridging Traditional Classrooms to Students Interests with Edmodo


With as much importance on the Palmerton Area School Districts administrators, school
board, teachers, and even students to consistently show improvement by rising up to state

standards while combatting a shrinking budget; our school district needs to invest in their
education wisely. Across the curriculums along all the grades, our district spends a lot of money
on tools that try to engage the student into the lessons that are being taught. It is obvious how
much engagement can have on someones willingness to learn. Think about something you were
truly engaged and it was probably something that you liked doing and likely because you were
comfortable with or even good at it.
Social networking is that engagement that our youth seeks. Babies used to grab books out
of mothers hands but now they grab for their electronic device and thats the new way of our
society. Older students cannot bear to be without their cell phone for a class period let alone a
school day. Instead of resisting it, we need to educate the students, and the staff from top to
bottom, about how to use the internet safely and properly especially within the confines of the
educational process. Edmodo can provide this format that merges this networking into the
tradition school platform.
Edmodo makes school look like the rest of our lives do (Tate). With students rushing
between classes to get to their locker to check their phones, or rushing home to jump onto a
computer, it only makes sense to incorporate their education in this process. Edmodo allows
students to collaborate with the teacher and peers in a controlled online social setting. Motivation
and engagement are two key components of students having success in the classroom. Using
programs that mirrors their personal use of technology will promote both and produce a
classroom of students that are excited about learning.
Since its start in 2008, Edmodo has 48 million registered users as it has grown to one of
the largest user bases in education (Empson). Edmodo is a web-based platform that provides
students and teachers to share notes, lessons, resources, activities, videos, homework, grades, and

important dates. It gives you features of a website like Facebook except with sound security. The
groups are controlled and managed by the teacher. Students cant make anonymous or private
posts and the teacher can delete posts. Not only can Edmodo appeal to students but Edmodo even
has feature to provide parental access to see posts in the classroom (Educational Technology and
Mobile Learning).
We need the educational process to evolve with a technological world that revolves
around us. Embracing Edmodo within our classrooms aligns with our mission statement to
integrate technology that promotes life-long learning. We shall no longer resists the gains of
technology but incorporate them into our curriculum. I respectfully urge the district to consider
improving student engagement which will run parallel to raising student achievement with the
implementing, educating, and properly use of Edmodo.

Bibliography

Education Technology and Mobile Learning. (2014, Aug 20). Edmodo Resources for
Teachers a Comprehensive Chart. EducatorsTechonology.com. Retrieved from
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2014/08/edmodo-resources-forteachers.html on (2015 Feb 23).

Empson, Rip. (2013, Mar 6). Now 18M Users Strong, Edmodo Makes Its First
Acquisition in Root-1 to become the App Market for Education.
TechCrunch.com. Retrieved from http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/06/now-18musers-strong-edmodo-makes-its-first-acquisition-in-root-1-to-become-the-appmarket-for-education/ (2015, Feb. 21)

Tate, Ryan. (2014 Jun 17). The Next Big Thing You Missed: A Social Network that
could Truly Reform Our Schools. Wired.com. Retrieved from
http://www.wired.com/2014/06/edmodo/ (2015 Feb 21).

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