Secure Social networking for the classroom using Edmodo

I had the opportunity to interview Jeff O’Hara, co- founder of the social networking application called Edmodo. After 10 years of managing the infrastructure for a Chicago suburban school district, Jeff formulated the idea of a safe secure social network. One that teachers and schools can use to allow students to learn the benefit of social networking while avoiding outside influences. It is the same concept used in social networks like Facebook, Myspace and Twitter but in a controlled environment managed by the classroom teacher. I particularly like the use of a group code to restrict access to a class. Students are given a code to access a group and the teacher has the ability to change that code so students cannot give access to unapproved users.

Edmodo is a terrific opportunity for schools and school boards – to not only give students some important digital skills but also to allow opportunities for parents to connect with their child’s classroom. The application is free to teachers and schools. If you are a teacher and you wish to set up a classroom using Edmodo register at www.edmodo.com It is also a good fit for school boards wanting to reduce infrastructure costs and support issues. Contact Jeff O’ Hara for more information.

Some schools are currently using Edmodo to connect with parents in their schools. Parent accounts are in the near future and Jeff is looking for your advice and feedback on how to best structure parent access to a classroom network using Edmodo. If you could drop your comments to this post, I will pass them on to Jeff.

Please listen to the recorded show.

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