The initial problem that I chose to address for my Wicked Project was providing immediate feedback to students as a way to promote achievement. As a solution to this problem I decided that one way to address the issue of immediate feedback in the classroom is to use social networking tools. Social networks allow teachers to create a collaborative work environment so the teacher and the students can provide immediate feedback to one another. I decided to use the technology tool Edmodo. With Edmodo I am able to create classes, form discussions; post projects and resources, post polls and surveys, and allow students to turn in work. This allows me to stay in constant communication with my students. Using Edmodo in the classroom not only allows me to provide instant feedback to my students, but it allows students to provide instant feedback to one another.
I know that this will be successful because the Edmodo social network for the classroom will be embedded into my curriculum. Students are going to have daily assignments that will require them to access the Edmodo social network to complete specific tasks. Students will also be utilizing blogs in my classroom. I am going to have students use the Edmodo site to share their blogs with one another. For example, students will have daily bell work. The bell work will be a discussion question for the day (relating to a recently covered concept). Students will be required to log into their blogs and respond to the discussion board question. When they finish, they will be responsible for posting the link to their blog entry into a daily discussion forum on the Edmodo site so other students and I can access and provide feedback on their entries. I will consider my solution a success once I am able to see students and myself successfully collaborating with one another on the Edmodo site. Successfully collaborating would be responding to each other questions and blog entries in a constructive and meaningful manner, sharing ideas, responding to polls and surveys and other short assessments, and using the site as a homework portal.
I think using Edmodo to create a social network for my classes will be extremely beneficial for all. We will be in constant communication with other providing feedback on all concepts that will be covered. I think this will be a great way for students to work together collaboratively. This will also be a wonderful way to give and receive immediate feedback as a teacher and as a student.
If I were a student in your class, I would think this is so cool. How would you grade the students? Just for a completion of a blog post, a response to a blog of classmates, or would you read each blog for content. Or would you vary the assessment? I would reccommend that you keep them guessing what you are going to grade. One week the response, another the quality of the blog, etc... Again, I would love to hear how this turns out.
ReplyDeleteDave Crewes
With the daily log ins, do students have access to desktops or laptops in the classroom? Or are they supposed to look at the question before they come to class? I think it would be a good idea to give feedback on their first discussion, but not a grade. This can be the model for the type of work you expect of them, and show them how to respond to one another constructively and in a meaningful way.
ReplyDeleteI agree Christine, most of my students have probably not done this before and really need to know what a quality response is. My classroom is a computer lab, so students have their own computer stations.
ReplyDeleteJeff,
ReplyDeleteI love that you truly want to give immediate feedback to your students. Have you considered a testing site like www.quizstar.com? Are you also going to continue using the student response clickers?