Tangible Success in the Classroom (Edmodo)

Tangible Success in the Classroom


Name: Cecilia Monserrat
School: Enrique Carbó School (one of the three I work in)
City: Paraná
State: Entre Ríos - Argentina
Twitter Handle: @cecilia1454
Blog or Website: http://geekteacherspeaking.blogspot.com.ar/

Favorite Edmodo Feature: Posts/ Link to Google Drive.




These are my students at the Technical School where I work. I am a teacher of English in a Spanish speaking country. Though my students are in contact with the language through music or television, it is very difficult for them to learn vocabulary and expressions just meeting once a week. We needed to extend our class beyond the school boundaries and create our own collection of activities for every student of this class to see.


Edmodo was the solution.Once accounts were created, my students enjoyed just posting their thoughts. Quite a challenge! They had to write everything in English!

Storyboard. We created a story.
We were in touch almost daily. 

Then came the quizzes and assignments to practice the language and get used to working online. We filled library and backpacks with files and links to sites and apps.So many resources had to be organized differently. Theory and practice had to be seen at a glance.It was time to create a collaborative file (Word Document) to be used as a guide. And Edmodo had the way to do it.



Link to Google Drive



We linked to Google Drive and created a folder with files to be written collaboratively. We also used Google Forms to provide feedback on a task.




Our shared file in Google Drive
Both and the daily tasks at Edmodo proved to be exactly what we needed.

It was simply great. Their knowledge and confidence improved. Also their motivation to do activities and to search for their own piece of information. True collaboration was there, they did everything for their classmates too. Even the ones who were absent could follow the class rythm easily just looking at what had been taught and practised. Project work was not just words only the teacher knew, it was the way they wanted to go on learning new things.


The features we used were mainly posts to be in contact, quizzes and assignments to check writing, vocabulary and grammar.

We also used the apps available like Storyboard.

Quizzes



Storyboard





We also used external sites through the links from my library.




We tried flipped classroom.
I provided the link to a video on theory and another for the fist practice.







  • Progress
















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  • A tool that became invaluable was 'Progress'. They could see their marks up to date and do the necessary remedial work.








Conclusion

Our way of learning changed. We shared much more as people working together for a final goal.
Their grades raise due to the fact they coud practise more and enjoy doing it. 

Technology helped to achieve not only the main goal of learning the English Language but also helped create a final project working at school or from home, no matter the device or the time of day.

We, my nine students from the Technical School and I shared thoughts and feelings and an open mind towards what's new or unknown based on trust. 

We knew we could do it together and we did!






Cecilia Monserrat.

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