Microblogging+in+the+classroom

Visit the twitter page for an overview of microblogging.

edmodo[[image:edmodo_logo.jpg width="305" height="103" align="right"]]
media type="youtube" key="TzPHQr1ONaA" height="385" width="480" edmodo is a microblogging application specifically for use in the classroom, designed and developed by a teacher. Follow edmodo on twitter for quick access to news and announcements

Users can designate themselves as teachers or students. Teachers can create groups that students join when students create their accounts (students can join multiple groups and teachers can create and/or join multiple groups); when a group is created, the site generates a group code that must be entered to join. Messages, files, links, and assignments can be sent to entire groups. The assignments can have due dates and file attachments; similarly, students can either complete the assignment by replying or can upload a file. It is easy for a teacher to manage several groups and cross post to multiple groups.

Teachers sign up for accounts, and then create groups. Each group has a unique code the teacher must share with the class. Students then sign up (no email address required) and join the group using the code.
 * How does it work?**

All users can add any post or reply to their locker. After posts have been added to a user's locker, they can be organized and filtered using tags. Posts can also be sent directly to a user's own locker.
 * What is the locker?**

Privacy: Edmodo can be totally private or totally public, or a mix of public and private. (edmodo, cont’d)

• Have a “backchannel” discussion about topics and ideas, providing real-time feedback and simultaneous discussion • Have a “backchannel” discussion about topics and ideas, providing real-time feedback and simultaneous discussion • Synthesize and post about particular content, concepts, and ideas • Storytelling and poetry – sequential or single-post writing • Search for a particular topic and find twitter postings (“tweets”) that express different viewpoints about that topic • Just in time questions/answers • Provide real-time updates about real-world experiences such as this middle school teacher’s one week travel to Africa (http://twitter.com/Brownell2Kenya) • Follow a famous person and create a timeline (for example, President Obama during his election campaign) • Share resources and websites easily • Posting news, announcements, updates
 * Microblogging in the Classroom Ideas:**

The Edmodo Help Center has easy to follow guides and screen shots, and edmodo's webinars are a great source of information as well. Watch these edmodo teacher stories (videos).

Here are my bookmarks about Edmodo in the classroom. Edmodo goes beyond Twitter, in that it is easy to share documents, message, and manage multiple groups (classes) with ease, with varying levels of privacy available.