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Edmodo: An Emerged Technology within the Last Five Years

1.     Identify a current technology that has emerged in the last few years that shapes learning or productivity in education.
Edmodo, a free social networking site for education, was founded in September 2008 by Nicolas Borg and Jeff O’Hara.  Currently having over 30 million users, Edmodo allows teachers to explore the use of social networking in the classroom with students (Hutter, C., 2014).  Students are able to collaborate with other students, post assignments, take quizzes and polls, and share multimedia files with class.  Teachers are able to provide instant feedback to students on their progress, keep parents informed and up-to-date, and facilitate online collaboration to enhance learning in the classroom. 
2.     What problems or challenges have been associated with this technology?
One of the major challenges with this tool is the criticism of others that believe social networking should not be allowed in schools.  Zaidieh (2012) argues that users are continuing to display too much personal information on these social networking sites, especially in direct messages and on group wall posts.  Teachers will need to monitor closely the interactions of their students to watch for signs of cyberbullying or hate crimes that are likely to occur, especially among middle and high school students. 
3.     What societal need does it meet? What are its benefits?
Edmodo provides students with the opportunity of collaborating with other students in order to support and develop shared knowledge.  As students work as a community, they are able to share information and resources with one another and enhance individual learning through knowledge building activities, such as collaboration, communication, and exploration.
4.     What would make this technology better, avoiding the pitfalls identified?
Prior to implementing social networking in the classroom, teachers should be provided with professional development opportunities that include an overview of effective strategies in improving instructional practices using social networking in the classroom. Instead of expecting teachers to automatically understand how best to use this technology with their students, educational leaders need to ensure that teachers receive the support needed.
5.     Graphic and link to website
https://www.edmodo.com/
https://www.edmodo.com/about?language=en
References:
Hutter, C. (2014, January). Crystal Hutter: Teachers will connect to drive change in 2014. EdSurge 2014 Outlook. Retrieved from: https://www.edsurge.com/n/2014-01-01-crystal-hutter-teachers-will-connect-to-drive-change-in-2014.

Zaidieh, A.J.Y. (2012). The use of social networking in education: Challenges and Opportunities. World of Computer Science and Information Technology Journal, 2(1) 18-21



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