edmodo guide
DESCRIPTION
Training Guide created for To the Cloud Conference, 2012.TRANSCRIPT
Teacher’s Guide
Tracene Nechamkin
@nechamkin
www.edmodo.yolasite.com
www.campustechnology.org
1
Table of Contents
Introduction to Edmodo Page 2
Getting Started for Teachers Page 3 – 4
Signing Up, Group Code, Settings
Getting Started for Students Page 5
Group Options for Teachers Page 6 – 7
Settings, Members, Feeds, Public Page
Getting Started for Parents Page 8
Posting on Edmodo Page 9 – 11
Posting Notes, Posting Alerts, Posting Polls, Spotlight,
Filters, Tags, Posting Assignments, Loading Assignments,
Editing Posts
Grading Page 12 - 13
Turned in Assignments, Grading Assignments
Library Page 13
Calendar Page 14
Communities and Connections Page 15
2
What is Edmodo? Edmodo is an educational site that uses the ideas of a social network to create a classroom
website. Students can contact teachers and teachers can contact students by sharing ideas, problems,
assignments, videos, and helpful tips. Students can ask the teacher or other students for help. A teacher
can assign and grade work through Edmodo. It is a safe environment. There is no bullying or
inappropriate content, because the teacher can see (and delete) everything that is posted on Edmodo.
Parents can also join a class with limited use; they can send a message to the teacher or to their student
and view calendars.
Edmodo can complement your teaching and allows you to improve methods of communication with
your students outside the classroom. One great feature of Edmodo is the free iPhone/Android app. This
allows students and teachers to receive view assignments, ask questions, or answer questions all
through their phones. When a message is sent, the student/teacher can receive a text message on their
phones, allowing for easy access to Edmodo anytime and anywhere.
Some of the Features of Edmodo
Calendar After Hours Communication
Edmodo iPhone/Android App
Connections Gradebook
Folders Library
3
Getting Started for Teachers
Signing up
On the home page, www.wylieisd.edmodo.com, simply click I’m the Teacher. A new dialogue
box will open up. Complete the information and click Sign up.
Group Code
Once you have completed signing up, you can create your groups. Groups are classes for
students to join. To do this, click on Create in the Groups area of Edmodo.
A new window will open prompting you to name the group, assign it a grade level, and define
the subject that is taught. You also have a read-only option, which allows the students to read
what is posted, but does not allow them to post anything. Click Create.
4
After you have created the group, Edmodo will post the group code to your Edmodo home page.
This code can be distributed to students so they can sign up, allowing them to join your group
and all the privileges that go with it.
Settings
Click on Settings in the tool bar at the top of the page. Here you can set up your profile picture,
change your password, choose your school, and choose options for receiving messages.
You can change your profile picture by choosing a photo provided or you can upload a
photo from your files.
Select your school.
Select privacy settings.
Select your settings to receive notifications.
Here you have the option to receive e-mail notifications or text messages to your phone.
There are free Android and iPhone apps for Edmodo, so if you choose to have messages
sent to your phones, you can also respond using the app.
5
Getting Started for Students
Once you have created your Group, you will need your students to join it. First have the students
go to www.wylieisd.edmodo.com and click on I’m a Student. They will need the Group code you
received when you sign up.
The students will then enter the Group code. Entering an e-mail address is optional. Students
will not receive junk mail or e-mail from Edmodo unless they set-up e-mail notifications (in
which case they will receive only notifications from Edmodo if a message is posted). For user
names, I would recommend a name they will remember and you will be able to identify easily,
such as first name and last initial. To help students remember their passwords, it is helpful for
them to use their student id numbers.
If students have signed up before, they do not need a new account. They can join the group. To
do this they will need to sign into Edmodo. On the left hand side of the page, they will see their
classes they have already joined. Have the students click on Join and type in the Group code.
Under settings, the students have the same options for changing their profile picture as well as
receiving notifications.
6
Group Options for Teachers
Settings
The teacher has many options available for the groups created. To get these options, click on
group settings on the top right hand side of the page. You can change the name of the group,
reset your Group code, and change the grade or subject area.
Members
When you click on manage, you will see the student’s full name, their username, a drop down
menu with type of account (student or read-only), and four icons.
1. If a student violates acceptable use, you can change the type of account so that they can
only read information and not be able to post.
2. Parent Code: Allows parents to join the group in a limited capacity.
3. Grade Icon: Shows the grades of that student, if entered.
4. Password Icon: If a student forgets their password, the teacher can reset the password
here. The teacher cannot view a student’s password, only reset it.
5. Remove Student: Will remove the student from the group, along with their posts, files,
and grades. There is no way to retrieve their information if removed.
1 2 3 4 5
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Feeds
Clicking on the Subscribe Group to Feed option will allow you to add an RSS (Really Simple
Syndication) feed to your group. For example, you can add a teacher blog by clicking on Add a
Feed to your groups and enter the feed giving your blog. Example shown is from my blog,
www.nechamkin.posterous.com.
Public Page
The Public Page feature allows you to make certain posts (notes, assignments, or polls) available
for anyone to see. There is no need to be a part of the group or even Edmodo to view it. This is a
great feature for those who use Twitter. After posting a note or assignment, click on Public. To
get the link, click on More. You can copy the link provided and post to Twitter, or e-mail the
link, perhaps reminding students and parents of an upcoming test or another important
message.
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Getting Started for Parents
The parent code is a feature found in the members section under Manage. A different code is
created for each student and allows parents to join the group in a limited capacity. To get the
code for a specific student, click on Manage under the Members section. Then, click on the
parent icon, .
For parents to sign up, they need to go to www.wylieisd.edmodo.com and click on Parent Sign
Up.
Parents will need to enter the code to join the Group. Parents can only view information sent
from the teacher or from their student (which includes grades on assignments, if you use that
feature). Parents cannot send any messages to other students or parents. However, parents can
send messages to the teacher or to their student.
A template for a parent e-mail to introduce Edmodo and give parents their code is available at
http://goo.gl/VCu5i ; the template is also available on Edmodo.
9
Posting on Edmodo
Posting Notes
Type your message in the section marked Type your note here…, in the Send to… section you will
choose which group(s) will receive the note. Then, click Send. You can also attach a file, link, or
attach something from the library you have already stored in Edmodo.
Posting Alerts
Alerts are used to send important messages to groups. It is done the same way but will appear
in a larger font and in bold. It will also appear in the Spotlight. To create an Alert, click on Alert
at the top of the Comment Bubble. It is then the same as creating a note.
Posting Polls
You can create multiple choice questions and have groups vote on them. Click on Poll at the top
of the Comment Bubble to get started. Then write the question and different choices. Initially,
you will have two choices, but you can add several more. Choose the group(s) to send it to and
click Send.
10
Spotlight
This is a feature to get a quick idea of recent updates. It will tell you if you have any new Direct
Messages, Replies, Turned in Assignments, or Alerts. To view the information, simply click on
what you want to see.
Filters
Once you begin posting, you may notice it will be harder to find previous messages or replies.
You can use the filters to display only certain information. If you want to see only the
assignments, click on the Assignments filter on the pull down screen under Everything. You will
see everything disappear except for the assignments. This applies to all the categories listed.
Tags
Tags acts like filters, but they depend on what you define. For example, you may want to add
video tutorials. If you create a tag labeled Video Tutorials, you can tag all of the videos making it
easy for you or your students to locate. To do this, select Tag once you have posted an item.
Click New Tag. Add the title of the tag. Now the tag can be used to share with others by
Managing the Tags on the right hand side of the page. The tags can be just for you or they can
be shared.
11
Posting Assignment
You create an assignment by clicking on Assignment. Fill in the necessary fields: Title, Describe
the assignment, due date, and Send to…, and attach files and links. If you have already added a
file to Edmodo, you can attach it by clicking on Library.
The assignment will also appear in the Calendar section. Note: Assignments can be a document
you have written in Google Docs and loaded here. This allows students that may not have access
to Microsoft Office to still view and complete the assignment. Students can complete the
assignment and turn it in, all through Edmodo.
Loading Assignments
If you have already written an assignment and want to use it again for another class, simply click
on Load Assignment and it will load the assignment. Find the assignment you want to load and
click on it. The description and all files that were attached with the original will be attached to
this one as well. You will only have to select the due date and group(s) to send the assignment.
Editing Posts
You can edit a post by scrolling the mouse over the top right-hand side of the post. Click on the
pencil icon to edit. At this time, you are unable to add or delete any attachments. You can also
delete the post by clicking on the x icon.
12
Grading
Turned in Assignments
When you look at the top of the assignment, it will tell you how many students have submitted
it through Edmodo. To see the detailed list, click on Turned In, and it will take you there.
When you click on Not Graded, it will take you to the grading page to enter notes and grades.
In the Default Total, at the top right corner, type in the total possible points and click on Set.
Then click on a student’s name in the list on the left. Their assignment will show up on the right.
Grade their work, then assign the grade and, if desired, post a comment about their grade or
attach a rubric.
When you click Grade, it will immediately show up on the student’s Edmodo as well. If you make
a mistake, you can always click Clear and input a new grade. You can also edit, delete, or
reattach anything you like. The student will be alerted immediately about the comment and the
grade.
If a student has not turned in an assignment, you can send a direct message from the grading
page to remind the student it has not been turned in.
13
Grading Assignments
To look at all grades, click on Grades at the top of the page. A drop down menu will appear and
you choose the group you would like to view.
You will be able to see who has turned in the assignment, what grade was assigned, or if it
needs to be graded. To see only one student, click on their name. Grades can also be exported
to a csv file (Excel).
Library
Every file (document, picture, video, hyperlink) that gets uploadedon Edmodo can be found in
the library.
To add something to the library, you can attach it to a post or assignment, or click Add to Library
in the Library window.
On the left hand side you can create Folders that you can add uploaded files to. To create a
folder, click on the Folder with the plus sign. Type a name for the folder and then look and find
the file you wish to add. Then click where it says Add to Folder and select your folder.
14
Calendar
Every assignment you post on Edmodo will automatically be added to the calendar and the
student’s calendar.
To add an event, just click on a date, type in the description, and then click on which group(s) or
people you would like to send it to. Upcoming events will show up in the spotlight as well as the
calendar to help you and your students keep up with everything that is going on.
Students can also add events to their own calendar. Only the student will see those events.
15
Communities
Communities will allow you to connect to other teachers around the world through Edmodo.
You can share ideas, help other teachers, ask questions, and join relevant discussions from
others. You are automatically joined with the Support Community when you sign up for
Edmodo. If you have any questions or problems, you can post a question in the Support
Community. They usually respond within one day.
To find communities of interest to you, locate Communities at the bottom of the home page.
Click on a community.
You can either follow the community (top right) or request posting rights (top left). This is a
great way to create a personal learning network.
Connections
You can connect with other teachers from your school or by name. On the right hand side of
your home page, there is a section called Suggestions. Some teachers will be displayed if there
are teachers from your campus on Edmodo. You can also search for teachers here. Click on
Search and enter the teacher’s name. Then click on Add Connection.
Once the connection is confirmed, you will be able to communicate directly and share
documents with that teacher.