Edmodo Revs Education Social Networking Service
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 07/05/11
The new bump functionality in the mobile editions of Edmodo |
Education social networking service Edmodo has received several upgrades. Enhancements within this free online and mobile tool, intended primarily for teachers and students, include an updated home page, revised teacher profiles, and an upgraded library. Edmodo provides users with a secure way to post classroom materials, share links and videos, and access homework, grades, and school notices. They can store and share digital materials, including blogs, links, pictures, video, documents, and presentations. District and school administrators can also access special institutional features that helps them implement the features of the social network within their domains.
Changes to the library, which acts as the repository for files, include tweaks for viewing and sharing items.
The teacher profiles have been modified to make it easier for users to showcase their interests, highlight their professional experiences, and connect with other teachers globally. They can also now create personal profile URLs in order to share their Edmodo profiles.
The UI has also been enhanced with streamlined graphics, fonts, and layout for easier navigation. It also sports new filtering options that allows the user to sift messages by type, such as alerts, assignment feeds, polls, and recent replies.
"We live in a connected world, and our goal is to provide teachers with the tools they need to collaborate not only with their colleague across the hall, but with their peers across the globe," said Edmodo CEO Nic Borg. "Teacher profiles make it easier for educators to find each other, make professional connections and expand personal learning networks, which are all critical to the teaching and learning process."
At the same time, the company has updated its Apple iPhone/iPad and Google Android apps. The apps now include built-in Bump functionality, allowing teachers to share contact details by bumping their mobile devices. They also allow the mobile user to view library content and join groups directly from the app.
Edmodo reported it has 2 million users but didn't specify how many of those are active in the service.
About the Author
Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.