Collaborative Tools

Collaborative Tools I am now aware of thanks to this class are Google Docs, Wikispaces, Twitter, Skype, Jing, Google Sketchup, Interactive White Boards such as a Mimio, Edmodo, Mindmeister, Prezi, Facebook, Artsonia, YouTube, and Blogs through websites such at blogger.com.  I have used several of these resources in other classes of mine, just this year and plan on using them in my next school years to come and later on in my classroom.  One tool I found interesting and a neat idea was Edmodo.  Another group used this is their final PBL project and I think it would come in very useful in keeping communication strong and reliable with parents and students.  It is very similar as Facebook's set up by having a place for a picture, statuses, upcoming events, and photos.  I think this would be a perfect way to share photos of the students and projects they do with parents online, would be a great way to alert parents of upcoming assignments and events, along with a communication tool if the parents or students have any questions, concerns, or comments.  Parents can see grades their child recieves and what they did well or need to improve on.  Also it could come in handy if the teacher needed parents to sign a permission slip, they could post it or attach it to the page and have parents print it off and send it with their child the next day.
With anything new that implements change, there always is some sort of resistance or problems that tag along with it.  Some parents may not have convenient access to internet or a computer, some may forget to check updates on the website, and some may not like their students being online.  It is still crucial to keep the website updated and vital to include face-to-face meetings with parents.  If things take off and parents and students are very receptive to Edmodo, it may become too technology based and lose the personal interactions that should take place between parents and teachers.  I also feel using Edmodo would be beneficial because it exercises students computer and typing skills that will be necessary in almost every job they will encounter during their lifetime.

Since I had never heard of it but find it valuable to keep communication between the teacher, parents and students strong, here is where you can find and sign up for Edmodo!

This is an example of how Edmodo can be used in the classroom with students and parents.

Here is the URL where I found this image from Google.