Tuesday, July 13, 2010
If you are a Twitter enthusiast, you may already be using Twitter in the K-12 classroom. This microblogging social 
media application is not only a powerful web-based communication tool, Twitter's 140-character limit provides teachers with an excellent platform for teaching precise writing, which is critical in today's world of achievement testing.
Like many social media and Web 2.0 applications, Twitter also has a problem -- many school districts' firewalls block Twitter, so students can't access it at school.
Enter Edmodo, a new microblogging tool that is similar to Twitter in many ways, with one gigantic difference -- Edmodo is designed for the digital classroom.
Like Twitter, Edmodo takes on the look of a microblogging platform, with a slick center panel that has a note section that appears to be limited to short written responses. However, Edmodo does not have a 140-character limit, so teachers can instruct students to write lengthier responses, if necessary.
In the hands of teachers, Edmodo is much more than Twitter, as it provides a wide variety of educational tools, all contained in one all-inclusive web site, completely controlled by the teacher.
In the digital classroom, savvy tech teachers are always looking for new Web 2.0 applications to enhance education. Twitter is a wonderful social media tool that definitely has a place in the classroom.
Although it's still relatively young, upon closer look, one has to wonder if Edmodo is not the K-12 world's next Twitter.
