Using Edmodo to Personalise Learning

USING EDMODO TO PERSONALIZE LEARNING January 2017 Contents of this training manual have been extracted from Edmodo’s Support pages and have been modified for the training session.

Dr M. S. Xavier Pradheep Singh Assistant Professor, PG & Research Department of English, St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli - 620002 Tamilnadu, India.

Mobile: +91 82207773131 Email: pradheepxing@gmail.com

1. What is Edmodo?

Edmodo is a social learning network and secure microblogging platform where teachers and students can interact and collaborate online. It has an interface similar to Facebook. However it is much more secure since it is a closed network. Both teachers and students can share notes, links, files and resources with each other.

In addition to this, teachers have the ability to post alerts, assignments, grades, reminders, conduct a poll and share events. Students have the ability to participate in online discussions on the message board, submit homework, view grades, and communicate with their teacher. Also, transmission is fast, and it saves paper.

Edmodo is also one of the best means of teacher-student communication. It allows students and teachers to stay connected via sending notes , replying to posts and checking messages and upcoming events while away from the classroom.

2. Sign Up as a Teacher Follow these three simple steps to create a Teacher Account: 1. Go to www.edmodo.com. Select the "I'm a Teacher" button.

2. Fill out the registration form and select the “Sign Up” button to complete the sign up process.

3. Check your e-mail for a confirmation to view the next steps for setting up your Edmodo Account.

3. Join a Group Joining a Group as either a Student or a Teacher is easy! All you need to do is get the Group Code or the Join URL from the Teacher who owns the Group. Then, follow these simple steps: If you have a Group Code: 1. Log in, and click "Join a Group" on the bottom of the Groups list, on the left of your Edmodo home page.

2. Enter the Group Code and click "Join." You must get this code from the Teacher who owns the Group or a co-teacher.

3. If the Group Code is unlocked, you'll be added right to the Group! If it's locked, then you'll be added to an approval queue and must wait for the Teacher or Co-Teacher of the Group to approve your join request.

If you have a Join URL for the Group: 1. Just enter the Join URL in to your browser and log in to Edmodo.

2. Click the "Send Join Request" button. You'll be placed in an approval queue for the Group, and the group owner or a co-teacher can approve your join request. Then you'll be in the Group!

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Remember  It is important to understand the differences between the Group Code and the Join Group URL, to determine which group-join method that is best for you and your students.  The group code is a private piece of information that, when unlocked, gives immediate membership to your group to anyone who uses it. The group code should only be given out privately to individuals you want to join your group.

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Group codes will lock automatically after two weeks to ensure that the group owner maintains control over who can use the group code to join their group. After a group code has been locked, it can still be used to join your group. However, when a student uses a locked code, they will be placed in an approval queue for the group, and the group owner will receive a notification about a group join request, and has the option to approve or deny the join requests.

The join group URL is a more open way of inviting people to join your group, and requires the group owner to approve membership requests. The join URL can be shared publicly.

Group codes can be reset to generate a new group code. Join URLs always stay the same.

4. Create a Group Groups are like your classrooms and creating a Group is the first step to interacting with your students on Edmodo. To create a Group: 1. Select the "Create a Group" button towards the bottom of the Groups list.

2. Enter the information and click "Create." If your Group spans multiple grade levels, click "Range" and then set the range of grade levels.

3. Then invite students or other teachers to join the Group! Locate the 6-digit Group code and give it to your students so they can join your Group.

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Remember  You cannot have two Groups with the same name.  It is a good idea to enter unique identifiers in your Group name (eg.

General English 2017) if you plan to use similar Group names over time.

5. Have Students Join Your Group Your students can use your group's Group Code or Group's Join URL to sign up for a student account and to join your group.

Using the Group Code 1. Provide students with the 6-digit Group Code. [If you click on your Group name, you'll find the Group Code on the top of the right column.]

2. Print a PDF handout showing the Group's code and instructions for joining for both new Edmodo Students and Students who already have accounts.

Have your students follow the steps below to create an account and join: 1. Visit Edmodo.com and select the “I'm a Student” button.

2. Fill out the registration form with the Group Code, a unique username and password. An email address is optional for student sign up.

3. Select the “Sign up” button.

6. Group Member Management Group owners have many tools to manage the students in their Group, including looking up usernames and resetting passwords, removing students from a Group, and looking up their Parent Codes. To manage Members: 1. Go to the Group page by clicking on the Group on your home page.

2. Click the "Members" tab.

3. Click "Manage" to the right of a group member name to see management options.

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7. Add a Co-Teacher to your Group Follow the steps below to add a fellow teacher as a co-teacher in your Group: 1. Invite the co-teacher to join the Group with the same 6-digit Group code or “Join Group URL” used to invite students. The co-teacher must create an account ‘as a teacher’ 2. After the co-teacher joins the Group, Click the “Members” tab from the middle panel.

3. Find the teacher in the member list.

4. Select the “Manage” drop-down arrow to the right of the teacher's name and choose “CoTeacher” from the menu options.

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Remember  Student accounts cannot be given co-teacher access. You must have a Teacher Account to be given co-teacher access.  From the Notifications section, co-teachers can also view students’ Assignment submissions. The notification is synced on both teachers’ home pages, so if a teacher grades an Assignment, the co-teacher’s notification for that Assignment will disappear.  The co-teacher has all the same abilities as the Group owner except for the following:  Archive or delete a Group.  Upgrade another teacher to co-teacher status.  Remove the Group’s creator from the Group.  Install an Edmodo app to the group.

8. Your Library The Edmodo Library has unlimited space and allows you to store, organize, share, and manage documents, all within your Edmodo account. There are two ways you can see the management options for a Library item: 1. Click the "down arrow" to the right of an item. This shows up when you hover the mouse over it 2. Right-click on the item. This is necessary when selecting multiple items at once.

Folder Options  Edit: Rename any Library item.  Move: Move an item to another location, such an inside a Folder.  Copy: Create a copy of an item in another location. Use this to have an item live in multiple Folders.  Share: Shares a Folder with a Group that you select

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Delete: Permanently remove an item from your Library. Deleting Folders deletes all of the contents inside, so be careful with this one!

File Options  Attach to Note: Send a file straight to a Group as an attachment, directly from the Library.  Download: Download a copy of the item to your computer  Share To Spotlight: Share your Resources with the Edmodo educators community.  Open In Office: For certain file types, you can choose to open them in Office Online for quick online revision and editing.

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Remember  You can select multiple items at once! Use the "control" or "shift" keys to select multiple items. Then, right-click on an item to see the management options.

9. Assignment 9.A. Create a new Assignment To post a new assignment to one or more of your groups, follow these instructions.

1. Select the “Assignment” tab located in the post bubble at the top of your Edmodo Homepage or within your group’s page.

2. Fill out the following details for the Assignment:  Assignment title  Description of the Assignment  Due date (set by clicking on the calendar icon)  Due time (select a time deadline for the assignment on the due date) 3. Check the "Lock this assignment after its due date" box to restrict students from turning in the assignment after it's due.

4. Check the “Add to Gradebook” box to include the students’ scores in the group’s Progress Book.

5. Click in the Send to field to choose which group you would like to receive the Assignment. Enter the names of all groups to which you want to post the assignment.

6. Click “File”, “Link” or “Library” to attach any items to the Assignment.

7. Choose to Send Now or Send Later:  Send Now: Clicking the "Send" button will send the post immediately (posts will appear on the Post Stream in the order they were sent.)  Send Later: Clicking the "Send Later" icon - - will automatically send the post at the chosen time - available in 30 minute increments. Make sure the time zone listed in your account settings is the same for all teachers and students.) Also, if you choose to “Schedule” the post, it will only save in your Load Assignment bank once it has sent to the Group. After you select the date and time to schedule the assignment, hit "Send" to add it to your scheduled posts queue.

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Remember If you send an Assignment to individual students, instead of to the whole group, it won't show up automatically in the Progress Book. You will have to navigate to the Assignment results in the Progress Book, enter the assignment if it’s not there already, and manually enter the student’s score.

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9.B. Grade an Assignment After your students have turned in Assignments, you will need to grade the Assignments.

1. View the Assignment post in your Group or on your main Post Stream or find it in your notifications.

2. Click the “Turned In" button located on the Assignment post to view a list of all work that needs grading. You will also receive an Alert in your Notifications section any time a student turns in an Assignment.

3. Select a particular student’s name from the left panel to review the Assignment.

4. Grade the Assignment by doing the following:  Numerical Grade - type in the boxes at the top right (you can also change grade in the Progress book). Once you enter a denominator, that number will prepopulate in the denominator position for all assignments, however, it can be changed manually. If you prefer non-numerical grades you can enter them here as well. The numerator and denominator can be filled with any number, letter or combination of the two.  Provide Feedback/Comment (optional) - type in the text box and attach a file, link or library document if necessary.  Select “Grade" to submit the grade. Grades will remain editable.

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Remember When a comment and/or grade is provided, students will receive a notification. You can also update students’ numerical grades directly from within the Progress Book. Assignments that are only assigned to individual students (not to entire groups) will not appear in the Progress Book. As a workaround, you can grade them using the steps above, then manually add them to the Progress Book.

9.C. Annotate an Assignment Sometimes it is easier to annotate an Assignment to give your feedback rather than writing lengthy comments. Below you will find instructions on how to annotate a student's Assignment submission using Office Online.

1. View the Assignment post in your Group or on your main Post Stream.

2. Click the “Turned In" button located on the Assignment post to view a list of all work that needs grading. (You will also receive an alert in your Notifications section any time a student turns in an Assignment.)

3. Select a particular student’s name from the left panel to review the Assignment.

4. Select the “Open" button below the Assignment title in Office Online.

5. Click the "Edit in Browser" button within Office Online. From here, it is possible to use Office Online and its features (comments, highlights, strikethrough, etc) to Annotate your Students' Assignments.

10. Quizzes 10.A. Create a new Quiz It's easy to get started creating Quizzes for your classes. Once you have created the Quiz, then you need to send the Quiz to your class so they can complete the Quiz. To get started, do the following: 1. Select the “Quiz” tab located in the post bubble at the top of your Edmodo Homepage.

2. Click “Create a Quiz” to create a new Quiz or follow the instructions if you are loading a previously created Quiz.

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3. Fill in the following details of your Quiz:  Time Limit - set a time limit for students to complete the Quiz, maximum time limit is 1440 minutes or 24 hours.  Description - complete the “About this Quiz” field on the right panel to describe the Quiz.  Results - check the box under “Quiz Options” to show students their Quiz results when they are finished, including the questions they got right and wrong.  Random - check the box under “Quiz Options” to randomize questions for each student taking the Quiz.

4. Select the question type from the Type drop-down. Choose from multiple choice, true/false, short answer, fill in the blank or matching. (You may also click the “Load First Question” link to the right to load a previously created question from your question bank.)

5. Click the “+Add First Question” button and type in the question in the “Question Prompt” field. (Below you will see the option to attach any links or files to the question).

6. Add responses. The response fields will vary depending on the type of question. (For Fill in the Blank use ‘_’(underscores) to specify where you would like a blank to appear in the question. Complete the response options and mark the correct one by selecting the “Set as Correct Answer” link.) By default, you have two response fields, if you want to add more, click the "Add Response" button below the second response field, to add more responses.

7. Change the “Point” field if you would like to weight the question (the question is automatically set to 1 point, but you can set it to a higher number to give it more weight.

You cannot make a question be worth less than 1 point.)

8. Select the “+” button on the left side panel to add a new question. You can go back and edit questions, by selecting the question number from the left panel. Click the "Load" link next to the "+" button to load previously created questions.

9. Select the question number in the left side panel and click the “Remove Question” button from the top right corner to delete a question.

10. Drag and drop the question numbers on the left side panel to reorder the questions.

11. Select the “Preview Quiz” link under the “Assign Quiz” button to preview the Quiz.

12. Select the "Print" link to print a hard copy of the Quiz that you can give to students to complete.

13. Click the “Done” button at the top right corner of the page to post the Quiz.

14. Fill out the following details of your Quiz:

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Select a due date by clicking in the due date field and a due time.

Check Add to Gradebook to automatically add the quiz and your students’ scores to your Progress Book.  Choose to Send Now or Scheduled:  Send Now – will send the post immediately.  Send Later - will automatically send the post at the chosen time.  Include the Groups or Students that will take the Quiz in the Send To field.

(When assigning Quizzes to multiple Groups, please send it to each Group individually. That way, if you want to delete a Quiz from one Group, you can easily do so, and it will only be removed from that individual Group.)

15. Select “Send” to post the Quiz.

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Remember If you send a Quiz to individual students, rather than the whole class, the results will not be added automatically to your Progress Book. You will have to navigate to the Quiz results in your Post Stream and then manually enter the grades into your Progress Book.

10.B. Grade a Quiz Once your students have submitted a Quiz, you can view their results and grade any questions that still need grading. To grade a Quiz: 1. View the Quiz post in your Group or on your main Post Stream.

2. Click the “Turned In” button located on the Quiz post to view a list of all work that needs grading. (You will also receive an alert in your Notifications section any time a student turns in a Quiz.)

3. You’ll automatically be taken to the Quiz Overview page, where you can see who has completed the Quiz, received high scores, and a pie chart that shows a collective breakdown of correct/incorrect answers for each Quiz question.

4. Select a particular student’s name from the left side panel to review the responses on the Quiz. Grading the responses will differ based on the question/response type:  Multiple choice, Fill in the Blank, True/False - the questions will already be marked correct/incorrect based on which response you specified when creating the Quiz  Short Answer - you will need to read the response and mark the answer correct or incorrect. You may also mark short answers partially correct. To do this, mark the question correct, and signify the number of points earned in the space provided.

5. Click in the "Comments" field in order to leave a comment. Anything you type in the Comments field will be saved automatically; you do not have to click a button to save your comment (this is different than an Assignment Comment).

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Remember Your students' grades will automatically populate in your Progress Book. To view all students' grades on a Quiz: 1. Locate the Quiz post and click "Turned In." 2. Click on the blue "All Submissions" link underneath the Quiz title.

3. All of your students' grades on the Quiz will be displayed. A blue box around a student means one or more of the questions has not been graded.

11. Spotlight Apps Apps are a great supplement to normal class instruction. They are useful for both reviewing and learning new material. Edmodo’s engaging, easy-to-use apps meet a digital generation of students precisely where they are. These apps connect to core features like Badges, Assignments, and the Planner in order to create highly effective learning experiences.

There are hundreds of free and paid educational apps available for you and your students in Edmodo Spotlight. Getting and using Edmodo apps is simple and students can immediately access any apps you install to their Groups. To install apps to your Groups: 1. Visit Edmodo Spotlight.

2. Enter the name of an app in the top Search Bar, or browse for apps by scrolling through the suggested apps or selecting a subject in the left panel.

3. Click on an app to go that app’s page. Each app’s page describes the app in detail, provides information about the app’s publisher and shows other Edmodo users' reviews of the app.

4. Select the "Assign App To Group" button within the resource page.

5. Choose the Groups where you would like to the App to appear.

6. Select Install.

The following are a few interesting and useful apps for English Language Teachers.

EDpuzzle EDpuzzle is a fantastic tool that you can use to turn nearly any internet video (from YouTube, Khan Academy, Learn Zillion, etc. or upload your own) into a lesson by including quizzes and pauses in the video to discuss certain topics. And, as an Edmodo app, you can assign EDpuzzle to any classroom you’ve set up as a group.

Zaption Zaption is a fantastic web app that gives teachers the power to create their own video lessons using a variety of multimedia. Combining still images, YouTube clips, and more, teachers can design the perfect video to share with their students. They can also add interactive elements like quizzes and drawings.

Actively Learn Actively Learn is the only interactive reading platform that makes it possible to implement best practices for teaching and learning. Make reading meaningful for every student. Choose from a diverse catalog of thousands of texts or upload an internet article, google doc, or PDF. Use our pre-created instruction or add your own by embedding questions, notes, and multimedia exactly where it can most help your students.

Words With Friends EDU Words With Friends EDU is a fantastic way to integrate language learning into classroom using a proven, familiar, game design. Students learn new words as they play in a safe environment with their classmates, and teachers and parents track students’ progress using custom teacher dashboards.

Rewordify This is a great tool for students of English as a foreign language. It allows you to make a text simpler and also to study vocabulary by giving definitions and explanations of various items. It also allows you to create activities which aim at improving vocabulary. The tool can be used online and it is really helpful when students have to cope with texts that are difficult for them.

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12. Practical Ideas to Use Edmodo [Adapted and modified from https://support.edmodo.com/hc/en-us/articles/205007974-20Ways-to-Use-Edmodo-Teacher-] 1. Assessments Utilize the Edmodo quiz builder or poll feature to assess students’ learning during or after a unit of study.

2. Peer Reviews & Critiques Place students in small groups and have them post their work to their group for peer review and feedback.

3. Writing Projects Enable students to tap into individualism and build self-esteem by sharing their writing projects with each other in Edmodo.

4. Build Digital Citizenship Skills Enforce online etiquette guidelines for students when using Edmodo to help them build digital citizenship skills.

5. Foreign Language Practice Encourage students to practice their language skills, as well as spelling and grammar, through conversations in Edmodo.

6. Book Clubs Organize a book group in Edmodo to encourage students to read and discuss novels with each other.

7. Professional Development Workshops Set up an Edmodo group for your next PD workshop to enable teachers within your school to discuss ideas and share content before, during and after the workshop.

8. Cultural Exchange Projects Give students the opportunity to learn about other world cultures by connecting your classroom with classrooms around the globe via an Edmodo group.

9. Sub-Hub Use Edmodo to communicate with your students when you’re out of the classroom, or provide updates to students who are absent from class.

10. Backchannel Discussions Inspire real-time discussions and extend learning beyond the classroom walls by hosting a backchannel in Edmodo.

11. Mobile Learning Integrate the Edmodo mobile app into classroom curriculum to make learning interactive anytime, anywhere.

12. Planning Committees If you’re planning a school play, the annual fundraiser or next year’s curriculum, create an Edmodo group to help committee members collaborate.

13. Gamification Use Edmodo Badges to help motivate Students to push their learning and increase their practice time on new topics. Badges let Students show off their accomplishments.

14. Project Based Learning Facilitate project based learning in your classroom by leveraging Edmodo’s small-group feature.

15. Differentiated Instruction Deliver differentiated content in your classroom through the use of small groups and shared folders.

16. Professional Learning Join an Edmodo Community to connect with other educators around the globe and share resources, exchange ideas or get advice.

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17. School Clubs If you’re part of a school club or sports team, create an Edmodo group to coordinate meets, practices and games, as well as post results.

18. Alumni Groups After the school year ends, keep in touch with students and help them stay connected with each other by creating an Edmodo Alumni group.

13. Sample Lesson Plans In the following pages, you will read five sample lesson plans using Edmodo. They were submitted by various teachers for a competition held by Edmodo. Go through them to get more ideas for your classes.

1. Edmodo for In-­­Class Journaling Submitted by Joshua Vasquez I mainly use EdModo as a replacement for in class journaling. I typically post a writing challenge on Sunday afternoons. The challenges are due the following Thursday. They range from short paragraphs to longer responses, up to three paragraphs.

This year, I made the first few writing challenges all expository prompts: what's your favorite place to be, what's something you are good at and how did you get good at it, etc. This allowed me to learn about my students' personal lives. When I graded them, I was sure to stay positive but also offer some areas for improvement.

As the year has progressed, the challenges have become more formal and less journal like.

Students have been more willing to try because of that early success and fun we had. Most importantly, I have managed to have students write at least 40 more paragraphs using EdModo than otherwise possible-­­-­­that's eight more 5-­­paragraph essays! I also find my feedback has improved since I can type really quick responses.

2. New Year’s Resolutions Submitted by Edmodo 1. Create a group titled “2012 Resolutions” and share the group code with your students.

2. Create a post with the following message: “Share with the class ONE resolution you will make for your academic success in 2012.” Encourage students to set realistic and measurable goals. Examples may include: I promise to read at least three books that are not assigned; I promise not to be late on my homework more than twice.

3. Award badges, extra credit or small prizes at the end of the semester to those students who lived up to their commitment.

3. Best and Worst of ________ Submitted by Edmodo 1. Create a group titled “Best and Worst of 2011” and invite all your students to join.

2. Create an assignment that asks students to submit two nominations: The best learning experience of the year to date. This can be a lesson, a discussion, a video they watched, a game they played or an assignment they completed that they really enjoyed.

The worst moment of the year to date – same as above, with a gentle reminder about appropriate ways to provide constructive feedback.

3. Create a poll with the top 5 responses for each question and let the voting begin.

4. At your class holiday party, count down the top events of the year — break out the confetti when you get to #1!

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4. Digital Photography Through a Student's Eyes Submitted by Patrick Sweeney Digital Photography Through a Student's Eyes Using Edmodo As A Gallery and Critiquing Tool 1. Teach background of vocabulary of The Principals of Art and Design-足足-足足 what is contrast, symmetry, texture, rhythm, space, color, and line?

2. Organize a photo safari around your school, playground, or community using student's or school set of digital cameras. You would be surprised if you surveyed students, parents, and administrators as to the availability of cheap digital cameras. Every year my class grows in ownership with this year totaling over 75%.

3. Have students download photographs, edit (I use the free version of Google's Picasa), and upload to an Edmodo created class or folder.

4. Have students leave a critique comment/reply of another student's photo using language taken from the prior taught art vocabulary.

Extensions of this assignment can lead to infinite amounts of corresponding lessons in writing, journalism, culture, etc.. Students will begin to view their world in a whole new artistic way and start to see and share the beauty in lives.

5. Introducing Book Trailers Submitted by Denise Yamashita This is for introducing the concept of Book Trailers. I just used this for my Grade 10 students and it worked well.

1. Create a poll that asks students to consider what makes a movie trailer effective (e.g. Story highlights, clips from the film, use of sound, pacing, etc.)

2. Embed samples of great book trailers for students to watch. Discuss as a class.

3. Create an assignment entitled Book Trailer Planning and attach an organizer document for students to complete and submit.

4. Post links and information to get them started (e.g. copyright, images, sound, software) 5. Use the poll to find out what the students require more information on to help facilitate more effective learning and time management.

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