Thinking Outside the Box with Edmodo
I am using Edmodo this summer for continuing science instruction and workforce skills for ESL/GED students.
The current GED test
preparation websites are excellent.
However their text heavy content is often not suitable for ELL’s. With the combination of ESL and GED instruction,
the instructor must not only choose appropriate content presentation but
integrate second language acquisition pedagogy at the same time. Edmodo allows me to choose a combination of
ESL appropriate and GED test preparation resources that align with my students’
needs.
The multiple resources available from the
Edmodo:
·
As an instructor, I have immediate access
to multiple grade level, subject, and topic resources.
·
It is a safe space for teachers to
interact and connect.
·
It is both information aggregation and
social media connection.
·
Its design is similar to Facebook; the
familiarity facilitates using it for both students and teachers.
·
Subject and publisher communities promote
their products within a network environment open for evaluation.
·
Each member has an RSS feed for receiving
updates from chosen learning communities.
·
Badge system of rewards for teachers and
students encourages exploration of the site.
·
I can continue connections with learners
this summer and fall, supporting their learning with educational technology beyond
the classroom due to budgetary constraints.
As
Blackboard is our current education technology resource, our students will not be
able to maintain their Blackboard login eligibility after classes are completed
and they are no longer officially enrolled. They can
maintain their participation in Edmodo pages indefinitely.
I
have invited my colleagues from Illinois Central College as well as my fellow
students from the Teaching and Learning Master’s Program at ISU to view and
share on my page, “ICC ESL/GED”. I have
received one response so far this week, and I responded to her with
appreciation. I look forward to maintaining my professional connections with her and
others who are interested. I also invited my previous professors
from Bradley University and ISU to potentially view and share on the page.
In
order to contribute to other teachers, I must offer insightful questions and
new resources and ideas that service their teaching demographics. For this reason,
the Edmodo networking is inspirational in that it forces me to think “outside
the box” and analyze how my pedagogy could potentially benefit other teachers. My particular
experiences and teaching paradigms are specific to ELL’s and adult learners. This
is narrow in scope, compared to my to my colleagues who teach elementary and
secondary grades in public schools. I seek universal teaching
strategies while pursuing those pedagogies that target ELL’s in
particular. The
potential benefit for mainstream teachers is to gain valuable information about
their ELL’s.
My
first impression is that mainstream elementary, middle, and high school
teachers in central Illinois have their plates completely filled without
addressing specific needs of ELL’s. That concerns me not only for the students’
learning success and welfare, but for that of the teachers as well. It
is difficult enough to teach with differentiation within the same language. Having other native language speakers in the classroom
presents another level of curriculum planning and differentiation.
Mainstream
teachers in Illinois are now required to be endorsed in bilingual education or ESL, due to
growing numbers of English language learners in the school district. We have a growing need to address the needs of teachers, as
well as students in this changing demographic.
Because
of my research of Edmodo, and thinking “outside the box”, I have contacted some of my students to accompany me to a
Peoria Pubic School Board meeting in April, 2016. I am finalizing a proposal that offers
instruction from my international students as mentors in the primary and
secondary grades to share language, culture, and social science education that
aligns with the P21Partnership for 21st Century Learning in Global
Education. My students would benefit from volunteer experience and
exposure to English speaking learning circles. Our elementary and secondary
students need exposure to real people with authentic stories that can change
their mindsets to be more globally accepting and appreciative. This is a real need in our communities! I worked with a young man in high school last
year who talked about his international classmates and the “funny way they
smell and talk.” He was a junior in a
well-respected high school with zero tolerance for bullying. He did not bully
the students, but clearly he had no understanding of the differences of students
in our schools that invite celebration, not ridicule.
We
need our students to be exposed to real people and share conversations. Our students need to know how to investigate global
challenges and improve critical thinking and thoughtful and analytical perspectives.
This could be enhanced with technology and connections established with Edmodo.
I discovered Virtual Job Shadowing and Pebblego Science from Edmodo’s
publisher listings. I am presenting these two digital learning
programs to my supervisor for possible financial support in purchasing them for
the classroom. I have received a quote to purchase both of these digital
platforms. I volunteer every summer to extend the learning of my ELL’s. They lose linguistic proficiency without
support during the three months of no scheduled ESL classes. Last summer we
studied driver’s license test preparation, and participated in a conversation club. This summer I can offer
enhanced technology extensions of Edmodo, Virtual Job Shadowing, and Pebblego
Science in a summer course, maintaining the flow of learning English as a
second language, workforce skill development through digital job shadowing, and GED
science concepts presented in an interactive digital platform. I look forward
to evaluating the results and will share these on Edmodo as well.
