Edmodo Part 9: Scheduling Posts

This post is the next in a series of posts to help schools and teachers that I work with get started with Edmodo.

With all the work that teachers have to do, wouldn't it be nice to have your Edmodo posts all planned out and ready to go? If you post that quiz too early, students might take it before they (or you) are ready! The ability to schedule posts can really help you become organized and stay on top of things. Here's a quick video explaining how it's done. 

Any kind of post can be scheduled: notes, assignments, quizzes, and polls.

1. Click the Schedule icon.
2. Select the day and time that you want the Post to be sent and click OK.
3. Click Send.

You can find more detailed instructions on Scheduling Posts in the Edmodo help files.

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Edmodo Part 8: Parent Accounts

This post is the next in a series of posts to help schools and teachers that I work with get started with Edmodo.

Parent accounts on Edmodo are a great way to communicate with parents and offer a level of transparency for your class. There are two ways parent accounts can be useful for your class.

First, with their Edmodo account parents can see what assignments and grades their child has. This enables them to stay on top of their child's work and be actively engaged in their education. Parents can only see their child's work and cannot see posts in the main Edmodo message stream for your groups. This ensure a level of security and privacy since there is no way for an Edmodo parent to interact with another child other than their own.

Second, teachers can send messages to parents by posting Notes to the Parent's Group. Instead of typing up and printing out a weekly newsletter describing classroom events and activities, teachers can simply post this same information to the Parent Group.

This 3 minute video describes what Edmodo looks like from a parent account.

Parent accounts are easy to set up. Here is a sample letter you can send home to parents describing Edmodo and how it will be used in the classroom. The second page has directions parents will follow to create their account. Since each parent account is tied to their child's account, they will need to enter a unique code. To get that code, follow these directions.

1. Open your class group and click on the Members tab.
2. Click Member Options near the top of the page.
3. Click Print.
4. Select Parent Code and click Generate Page.

After printing the codes you can hand write them on the handout above prior to distributing to parents.

Just like with your student groups, you can send Notes with or without links and attachments, and even schedule them. To send to the parent group, start typing the name of your student group and you'll see group_name (parents) in the list.

How do you know which parents have created their account? Go to your group page and click the Members tab. Each student who has a parent with an account will have a little "Parent" icon next to their name.

You can find more detailed instructions on Parent Accounts in the Edmodo help files.

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Edmodo Part 7: Small Groups

This post is the next in a series of posts to help schools and teachers that I work with get started with Edmodo.

Now that you've been using Edmodo, you've discovered how powerful it can be for creating engaging lessons and tracking student work and progress. How about if you want to be able to differentiate assignments for your students? Edmodo allows you to create Small Groups within your main group. These small groups could be created so students could collaborate on assignments, to post different assignments based on ability or level, or for any type of grouping strategy you want to employ. Check out this short video to see how it easy it is to create Small Groups.

Here are a few suggestions on how you can make use of Small Groups in Edmodo. Let me know in the comments if you have any other ideas!

• Create small groups for different novels students read and discuss. 
• Let students help each other using Small Groups. For instance, when they are working on a literary genre project, create Small Groups for each assigned genre (e.g. romance, science fiction) and have group members post the best resources they each find.
• Use Small Groups when students are working on creating book trailers, by creating a Small Group for each type of software (e.g. Animoto, MovieMaker) and have them post problems as well as tips/solutions they learn.
• Use Small Groups to prepare for a debate. Create two small groups and divide students accordingly. Assign each small group a specific stance on a chosen issue. Have students research the issue. Within their small group, student can discuss and post their finding, without the opposing group being able to view.
• Use gamification and Small Groups to "level-up" your students. Check out more details on this idea.

What other ways could you use Small Groups?

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Edmodo Part 6: Snapshot

This post is the next in a series of posts to help schools and teachers that I work with get started with Edmodo.

If you want a quick and easy way to assess your students progress on the CCSS, Edmodo's new Snapshot tool is for you. Snapshot is a new micro-assessment tool that allows you to quickly create short, CCSS targeted formative assessment quizzes. Snapshots can be assigned to large or small groups, are automatically graded, and can target any of the CCSS in grades 3-12.

This 4 minute video gives you a good overview of Snapshot.

Create a Snapshot

Creating a Snapshot is super easy. You can create one by clicking on the Snapshot tab in the main message area or by clicking on the Snapshot icon on the far right of your screen.

1. Select a student group.
2. Choose the subject.
3. Choose the grade level.
4. Select the standards you want and it will add 4 questions per standard.
5. Name your Snapshot, add a due date, and create a time limit. Add a note if desired. For example at the beginning of a unit you might add "I know we haven't covered this material, but I want to find out what you know."
6. Click Student Preview to see examples of questions students will be asked. When you are satisfied click Assign Now or Plan Later.

Snapshots appear just like any other assessment in the student's post stream when they log in.

Schedule

Snapshots can be created and scheduled for a future date. When you launch Snapshot and click on the Schedule tab you'll see all of the Snapshots you've created.

Source: Edmodo

Reports

Viewing student results is just as easy as creating the Snapshot. After you launch Snapshot click the Reports tab. There are 3 types of reports showing you how many students have taken the Snapshot and how the group did overall, individual student results, and how students performed on each standard.

From these reports you can quickly see which students still need help on certain standards. Edmodo even links to other online resources that might help you teach those standards.

You can find more detailed instructions on Snapshot in the Edmodo help files.

Are you ready to try out Edmodo Snapshots? Download the Edmodo Snapshots Technology Integration Challenge and see what you can do!

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Cool and useful website: Bingo Baker

I came across this cool website discussed in a blog that I follow. I immediately saw how useful it would be in the classroom. Bingo Baker is a website you can use to create bingo cards on any subject. The cards can be randomized, printed as a pdf or played on an iPad.

Check out the Snapguide below to see how easy it is to setup.

Check out How to Create & Play Bingo on Your iPad by Lisa Johnson on Snapguide.

Here's a few suggested ways of using this in the classroom:

• Kindergarten teachers can help students learn the sounds that correspond to the letters of the alphabet. Place the single letters on the bingo card, then call out the letter sounds or say a short word and have students identify the beginning sound.
• Any subject or grade level can use it for vocabulary practice. Put the vocabulary words on the card and the teacher reads out the definition.
• In math you can place answers to math problems (basic facts, fractions, rounding, etc) on the board and the teacher reads out the problem.
• Use it to reinforce facts from your content area. Place the "facts" on the chart and the teacher calls out a statement with that fact as the answer. For example, "How many planets are in the solar system?".

What other ways can you think of to use bingo in your classroom?

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Edmodo Part 5: Gradebook

This post is the next in a series of posts to help schools and teachers that I work with get started with Edmodo.

Now that you've created assignments, quizzes, and polls, you need a way to track scores and progress. Edmodo has a built in grade book that will do this for you. They refer to the grade book as Progress and it can be accessed from the main toolbar.

Select the group you want. You'll have a list of students down the left side and assignments across the top. The grade book scores will appear as you grade assignments and as students complete quizzes. From this screen you can do several things.

• You can click a student's name and see their individual progress.
• You can edit a grade directly by clicking in that cell and entering the information.
• You can add assignments from outside of Edmodo by clicking the New Grade button.

image source: support.edmodo.com

You can find more detailed instructions on polls in the Edmodo help files.

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Displaying your iPad on your classroom projector

Updated: added information about a WIFI adapter when using Airserver/Reflector.

With many classes using iPads, teachers are anxious to display work that students are doing on their iPads to their classroom projectors. This can easily be done for a minimal cost. There are a few different options depending on your classroom setup.

Wired

The simplest way is to plug the iPad into the projector using an adapter and video cable. If your projector has an HDMI input then you can use the adapter on the right from Apple (30-pin, Lightning) and an HDMI cable.

VGA Adapter

HMDI Adapter. source: Apple.com

If your projector only has VGA input then you can use the adapter on the left (30-pin, Lightning) and a standard VGA cable.

There are a few drawbacks to this setup. The first is that you are tied to the projector. You can get cables of various lengths, but you are still tied to that cable and can't wander around the room. Secondly, if your classroom computer is also connected to the projector then you'll constantly be disconnecting one device and then another.

If you have audio from your iPad you want to play, you'll also need an audio cable from the iPad headphone jack to your classroom speakers.

However, despite those drawbacks, this method is very reliable. Since you are connected directly to the projector you don't have to worry about the reliability of your wireless connection.

Wireless

There are several options that allow you to be anywhere in the classroom while still displaying your iPad on the projector.

Apple TV

Source: Apple.com

Apple's ubiquitous media streaming device also serves as a great way to display your content. Connect the Apple TV to your projector with an HDMI cable and you can wirelessly connect your iPad using AirPlay. If your projector does not have HDMI then you'll need extra equipment to connect the Apple TV via VGA. Check out this blog post for the list of equipment, totaling about $40.

That list doesn't include audio cables. The audio from your iPad will stream wirelessly to the Apple TV, but you'll need to connect the Apple TV to a set of speakers.

Also, the Apple TV and the iPad must be on the same wireless network.

AirServer/Reflector

AirServer and Reflector are two software solutions that allow you to stream video and audio to your computer. You download a little program to your computer and have it running. The iPad would then connect to that program via AirPlay. The computer would then be connected to the projector for video and speakers for audio. As with the Apple TV, both the iPad and the computer must be on the same wireless network.

AirServer costs about $15 for an education license, per machine, and is available for Mac and PC. 

Reflector costs about $13, per machine, and is also available for Mac and PC.

Both programs stream video and audio to your computer. Because your iPad appears on your computer in its own window, both programs also allow you to record whatever you do on the iPad.

It's also important to note that both programs require the iPad and the computer be on the same wireless network. If you're using a laptop that's usually not a problem. If your computer is a desktop then you'll need to buy a WIFI adapter. Amazon has an inexpensive one that gets good reviews. It will plug in to a USB port and add WIFI connectivity to your desktop.

You'll want to have a robust wireless network for these programs. In my real world usage, AirServer was a bit more reliable, but there have been updates to Reflector since that time that have made it more stable.

If you would like to display your iPad on a bigger screen for your class to see, there are several options available, depending on your setup. Think through your goals and pick the solution that will work for you!

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