Using Edmodo to Differentiate and Engage

While I sometimes question the amount of screen time our younger generation is experiencing,  I do believe in the theory of moderation. I do believe technology gives us an advantage in the education world and culturally that we’ve never experienced before. When I was growing up I couldn’t just talk to somebody on the other side of the world and learn something new with them with the click of a button. Today, our children can. So I try to keep up with the newest trends in technology.  Plus I try to teach my students that technology is an amazing tool but they have an obligation to stay healthy and that requires movement.

One tool I’ve been playing around with for a while Is Edmodo. I used it some last year. Then did some more research this summer and I attended the 2015 EdmodoCon and I was sold. The features are unbelievable.  

As I stated previously, I started dabbling with Edmodo last year when I came across the Global Read Aloud.  A teacher from Australia and I used it to create small groups that met once a week to collaborate and discuss Jennifer Holm's The Fourteenth Goldfish. It was amazing! My students were so excited to use a platform similar to Facebook to meet with others their age. Their excitement crossed over to their love of The Fourteenth Goldfish not only because it is an amazing book but they were in control of their learning. They were able to ask questions and share connections with peers on the other side of the world.

Today I'm going to share with you how I'm using Edmodo to create self-regulated learners in my intervention classroom.  I’m using it with my sixth graders this year because they have a 1:1 classroom and they are able to bring their laptops down to my room.  

I want to share some amazing features I’m using to make learning more engaging!

Here’s what the group page looks like:

                                         

You can see the group setting and the ability to create small groups within your class group. This makes differentiating so much more simple.

Then I’ve highlighted the middle “post” portion. This is very similar to Facebook except it has education features that allow the teacher to create assignments, tests, quizzes and polls. Students can post but you need to remind them that their post are not private and can be read by all members of the group including yourself.

There is an Assignment Center for the students to quickly find assignments and all their assignment details. I don’t assign “homework” but they do have assignments that they work on in class. I’ve already found that even my reluctant speakers will ask questions in a post this way.  And I can only imagine the relief it would be for parents if there was an assigned time in the evenings that a teacher would answer any questions on Edmodo for homework help at home. The possibilities are endless.

Last but certainly not least, my apps! I’m just going to highlight the apps I'm using right now but you should definitely check it out for yourself because there are more apps then you could ever imagine.

My number one favorite is Snapshot. 

This app gives you the formative assessments needed to ensure coverage of standards. You choose the standards, your students take a short test,  the app gives you reports. Then it  offers lessons for students who may need more direct instruction regarding the standard they're not meeting. I'm using these reports as part of my students' goals & reflections notebook work. Click on the graphic to learn more about snapshot.  

 This is my second favorite app. My goal for all my students is to become self-regulated learners. With my 6th grade group I'm able to give them opportunities  to practice setting goals, asking essential questions and their ELA standards using this app. This is where I create their lessons. I give brf mini lessons, release them to work on their Blendspace assignments then  I meet with individual students to conference regarding goals, lessons and reflections. Click on the graphic to learn more about blendspace. 

I'm just now in the beginning stage of introducing this app but I felt like it was worth the mention. It's similar to GoodReads but it's for kids. They can find books, write book reviews, read others' reviews, and much more. 

I'll be posting more on my experiences with Edmodo on Looney's Literacy so be sure to follow along here. 

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Planning for Project Based Learning

Hello, everyone! I am Susan from First Grade Friendly Froggies. I am so excited to be a part of this amazing group of bloggers!  I'm learning so much and getting so many wonderful ideas for my classroom.  I hope you are, too!  

I want to share how I plan projects for and with my students!  Our school's charter emphasizes hands on learning with two different pedogogical methods: Project Based Learning and Integrated Thematic Instruction.  Project Based Learning (PBL) is the buzz word (or phrase) in education these days, but what is it?  It's so many different things depending on where you look!  If you are interested in learning about PBL, I encourage you to check it out here: The Buck Institute!  Integrated Thematic Instruction or ITI emphasizes the integration of all subject areas into units of study.  You can read about it here....there is so much more to it!  The key to planning great units is collaboration!  I am so fortunate to work with a team of first grade teachers that supports each other and at a school where collaboration is encouraged and supported.  Every Tuesday afternoon is reserved for collaboration with grade level teams!  This time is essential for quality planning.  Every year each project seems to get better and it can only happen with our whole team's input!

I find that once we get started on a project,  the project almost runs itself...with the help of the students! 

The Froggy Express Post Office

I'm using my current project, our school post office project, as an example for this post!  Every year, our First Graders run the Froggy Express Post Office for our school!  All of the students look forward to it!

Our first grade team met recently and mapped out the dates for the project.  This includes the launch date, announcements to the classrooms, mailbox arrival, first pick up, first delivery, last pick up and last delivery!  We then drafted a letter to the teachers giving the dates and details for the project.  

Once the overall project timeline is established, we break it down to when and how we will introduce the details to our little postal workers.    To plan for the kick off of this project, we first discuss the mission...why do the post office?  With the involvementWe develop a "mission statement" for our post office:  

To provide a fun way to write letters to our friends on campus and to deliver the mail in a timely manner!

Like any great project or unit, I look for several great books to introduce the theme or topic.  I seem to add more books each year!  :) This year I added these books to my collection with the focus on letter writing.  Reading quality literature that engages the students is a perfect way to launch a project! Here are a few titles that are perfect for this project!

This year, after reading Letters from a Desperate Dog, we then talked about the parts of the letter!  

This serves as an anchor chart for students' reference.

This led nicely into writing our own letters!  We start off writing to our first grade friends in the other classes.  (This also ensures that each child will receive a letter on the first delivery day!) :) The students use the sample above to plan their letters.  They make sure they include all of the necesary parts of the letter.  You can grab an assortment of stationery by clicking the picture below! 

This is also that time of year when handwriting seems to slip!  Does that happen in your classroom, too?  Writing letters is the perfect way to encourage students to use their best penmanship!  This is also a great opportunity to review asking and telling sentences and conventions!  Before they can reach for an envelope, they have to show me the letter and I look for penmanship, punctuation, and capitals!

                                   

Next, it's time to learn how to properly address an envelope!  We had to come up with addresses for each classroom and displayed this an anchor chart, as well!  The students helped develop appropriate addresses for the classrooms.

Our amazing art teacher integrated a lesson into our unit this year!  She prepared a presentation for the kids about how postage stamps are designed!  Then after looking at lots of  images,  each  student had the opportunity to design their own beautiful postage stamp!  I took their artwork and shrunk them down, color copied them and now they have those to cut and glue onto their envelopes! This was a great addition to our unit this year!

                                   

Postal Jobs
Then we get to learn our jobs!  Yay! We learn four jobs for the post office.  Nixie Clerk, Facer, Sorter/Bundler and Mail Carrier.  This is when the excitement really begins!

Our little "Nixie Clerks"  have to check for return address, delivery address, and stamps!  Once this is done they get to "cancel" the stamps with rubber stamps, and stamp the envelope "return to sender" or "postage due" if necessary!

                                      

The next job is that of the "facer".  The "facers" get to highlight the routes and sort by color.  Then all of the envelopes are "faced" in the same direction!  This makes it much easier for the next group, "the sorters", to sort the mail by room number!

 Ok, hold on to your envelopes, because the next job is the most coveted! Mail Carrier!  Woohoo!  After the mail has been sorted and bundled,  the mail carriers deliver the mail to the individual classrooms on their route!

Don't turn me into the USPS!  These cool mail tubs were donated along with the official shirts!  How cool is that?  

Being there experiences, study trips, are so important to every project!  Soon we will take this project on the road and take a field trip to the post office to mail some letters in the US mail!  First we will write a letter to the President!  Did you know that your students can write letters to the President of the United States?  Check out this page on Enchanted Learning which has some information for your students.   Next,  we will also write letters to our favorite Disney Characters!  To prepare for these two activities, I asked for each student to provide two stamped envelopes with their return address on the envelopes.  What  a great way to give your students an authentic audience!

So that is a brief, whirlwind look at how I plan for PBL.  I hope you'll check out my blog, First Grade Friendly Froggies and see what fun projects we're learning about!

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