This blog has been revised to share that Edmodo is no more available. We can see the history and also submit a good amount of appreciation to the makers who made us know a wonderful LMS. Edmodo gave me great support while I worked on EduSoMedia Initiatives at MMU Mullana.
Technology is imperative to education now. If one can walk hand in glove with the latest innovations and integrations of technology into education, it is possible to survive with rewards. Teachers are the ones who need to win this battle for survival because everyone can use technology but everyone cannot teach.
There has been a flood of resources and tools that are offered to the teaching community as a guaranteed solution to classroom management. There is certainly no denial to the supremacy of a teacher and none can actually lead a classroom to learn. But, the ones, who handle the class or manage the students just as we see the control over wild animals in a zoo, actually are not the teachers here. Hence when we want to decode the need for a Learning Management and Class Management System of Teachers, we do mean the ones who are well-versed in the nuances of guiding a class in real.
An LMS is a vertical of e-learning now. It is not just an application/software which is offered by few. Educational institutions have developed their own LMS software now. An LMS is being used to train people, knowledge retention, education and in-service training of professionals.
To simplify, an LMS is a software application that manages the teaching-learning, assessment, documentation, performance, administration, tracking, reporting, and delivery of educational courses. To us, the primary utility and usage are in education and in e-learning aka online learning.
Functions of an LMS:
- Create
- Organize
- Deliver
- Assessment and Evaluation
- Report
Edmodo as an Assessment Tool:
Edmodo, as an LMS being used worldwide, has been integral to those who got exposed to its utility, even once. Edmodo has an assessment and evaluation segment as well where the teacher can create and execute a quiz-based assessment. Besides giving assignments and grading them, the Quiz feature gives us an opportunity to conduct a real-time, online assessment.
The questions that can be added in large numbers can be of various types:
- Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), where the educator can add the correct response in advance, making it possible for Edmodo to count the score automatically.
- True/False questions also provide a detailed scope of evaluation based on objective aspects and understanding. The answers are added in advance in this one as well.
- Short Answer-type questions can also be asked. The teacher evaluates and awards credit out of the marks assigned to that particular question.
- Matching Questions are also there the way we do them in written exams. This one is also a type of MCQs framing.
- Fill in the Blanks work as Objective type questions.
- There can be some questions where the students can give multiple answers. The teachers assign marks to each question and also fixes the time allowed to answer.
The Validity and Reliability of Edmodo’s Evaluation/Assessment Function
- Teacher Sets a DUE DATE for the Quiz Submission. After that Date and TIME, the quiz is locked and no submission is possible.
- The Quiz is given a TIME LIMIT for each participant. If this is 10 minutes or 30 minutes, once the participant enters TAKE QUIZ, the calculation of time starts.
- The students receive questions in random order. No two students sitting near each other may get the same question at the same time. This discourages cheating or looking into the device of the neighbour.
- The Results are added to a Gradebook and can be made visible to students, once the assessment is complete. If the quiz has MCQs or Questions with Correct Answers added in advance, the results are visible instantly after completion. But, in the case of short answer questions, once the teacher checks and awards the marks, the total result of the quiz is available to the student.
- The teacher/admin of the class can decide to hide the Grades from the students and can make them public later.
The feature of setting a DUE DATE and TIME LIMIT makes it possible for the institution to rely on Edmodo to a large extent. The due Date is asked when the Quiz is Assigned to a Class. A Quiz stays in the Library and can be prepared in advance by the teacher. Questions can also be copied from pre-made quizzes (Question Banks). The E-tivities (e-Activities) under the Discover segment take us to GAMES, and that's worth exploring.
Edmodo has been wonderful to me in this whole session. I had joined Edmodo in 2014. Google Classroom has been used for more than 02 years, at three different institutions. The ease that I felt after using Edmodo is unique. There is no denial of the fact that Google Classroom is a comprehensive package. This limitation of Edmodo makes it easy to use.
The teaching journey since I started learning from students has been wonderful since 2007. In all these years, the primary focus has been on the establishment of a real, rational, and reliable model of Blended Learning. At Amity University NOIDA, around 7 years were given to EduSoMedia 1.0 and the experiment turned out to be the world’s first ‘spread’ of in-hand innovative tools to the classroom. Today, the 2.0 of EduSoMedia is bringing Eklavyaism and the Life Long Learning philosophy to life.
It does have a library like Google Drive. It works with Online Office and can upload documents to the library from Google Drive and One Drive in addition to the local storage uploads. Edmodo has the Quiz Creation tool and automated assessment of the Objective Quizzes. It also allows space to check Subjective answers and update the grades.
Parents can join Edmodo or the students can add them so that regular updates are received by them as Edmodo sends them by default. The special and motivational feature of Awarding Badges to the learners who accomplish a unique feat is most impressive. The teacher can see whether some students have done the ‘VIEW’ of the assignment but have not submitted or prepared it.
Overall, Edmodo allows the teacher to lead the students and at the same time leaves ample space for the kids to grow among themselves. It is just one app that does the magic of Collaborative and Innovative Learning. This is an excellent platform to be used for Blended Learning.
Experience it once!
