Edmodo--Evading the Traps of Social Networking

"Facebook in the classroom?" "I don't want the kids to see my personal information!" "Kids don't want me in their facebook world!" "My Space won't go through the filter!"

Do these comments sound familiar? Social networking is an integral part of the lives of students. Accessing social networking is instantly engaging to students, but the security issue presents a problem for the classroom. How do we avoid the traps of social networking? Let me introduce you to Edmodo.com

Edmodo is a site which allows teachers to set up a social network for the classroom. Teachers and students can communicate within the social network through alerts, notes, and posts that function like status updates. You can think of this as combination of facebook and twitter for the classroom. Teachers have the ability to create assignments for students. These assignments can be turned in and graded digitally. The ability to embed links, photos, movie clips, and documents gives teachers and students the ability to share academic information in a safe environment. Teachers can create polls to gather information for continuous improvement. Students can post questions and get tutoring assistance from their classmates and from the teacher. RSS feeds provide teachers the ability to send alerts concerning deadlines and announcements directly to cell phones--without giving out personal cell phone numbers.

Social Networking can be used for academic purposes! Check out more by going to the Edmodo Blog Best of all? This social networking site is free!!!

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