Edmodocon did not disappoint, as a matter of fact, it gets better every year. What made it so special? Well, it includes 9 hours of FREE professional development in the comfort of your own home, plus some rockstar educator presenters. The presenters create Edmodo groups.They post valuable information from their presentations in these groups. This allows the learning to continue long after they finish presenting.
Randy Fairfield’s Edmodo group is, “Culture of Caring: Building a Support Community with Students and Parents.” You can request to join this group through Edmodo. He states that Edmodo allows a teacher to become a “Facilitator of Learning” and students become “Learners.” He sees that Edmodo supports the Social Learning Theory since students learn from each other. I also agree with Randy Fairfield that Edmodo allows the learning to continue long after the doors of our classroom close. I have seen it give a voice to voiceless students in my class. They are brave enough to ask questions after class and submit work before it is due to make sure they are doing it correctly. This alleviates their anxiety and helps them feel more confident in class.
Another amazing presenter, Kathy Pittinger, discussed global connections. Her Edmodo group is called, “No Passport Required: Global Classroom Collaboration in Action.” She also has a postcard exchange group for elementary teachers you can check out at this link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0545a5a62ea2fe3-thepostcard10
New Jersey is already taken, but many states are still available. I am looking to make some global connections this year through Edmodo and Skype. If you would like to connect our classes just message me or contact me on Edmodo. There are many Edmodo communities you can join through this Google Doc link: http://bit.ly/1GFIIii
Another presenter, John Choins, discusses the topic of flipping your classroom. His Edmodo group is called, “Tradition + Technology = The Perfect Equation to Flip Your Classroom.” His presentation is interactive and creative. He makes the audience post on his Edmodo page just like he has his students post nightly. I love his idea of having students take a picture of their work and uploading it to the Edmodo class page. He talks about using YouTube and SchoolTube. He feels SchoolTube is a safer environment, but that his students cannot stop and restart his video lessons without going back to the beginning of the video. Youtube is sometimes blocked at his school, so that is why he uses both. I agree that with this strategy because if you feel as though something is valuable to use with your learners, you do not make excuses, you find a way to make it work! He also shares his YouTube channel and encourages others to use his math videos. You can find him at youtube.com/user/mrchoins
This is only a small glimpse into Edmodocon. In a few weeks, Edmodo will release the presentations for everyone to view. So, if you missed live Edmodocon 2015, it will be available shortly.
