LTC report – group 1

Thanks to Sam for this report on on how he has used Edmodo to encourage independent learning:

‘Our LTC has been looking at independent learning. The various subjects and departments seem to implement this in different ways and we have benefited from sharing our different approaches. I was also keen to try something new, so booked the iPads.

I used Edmodo as the core of the lesson. This is an app which works very much like Facebook. It allows you to create polls and quizzes, or uploads documents and videos for the learners to work on.

Assigned with an iPad between two, I gave the learners a list of 4 tasks to complete. Two involved working on paper and two were to be completed on Edmodo – updating the group ‘newsfeed’ with information from internet research, and completing a quiz I had created. What was really nice, for RE particularly, was the ease with which learners can comment on one another’s posts and engage in debate. I was also projecting this discussion on the main screen.

Edmodo is also useful for extension work and homework, as well as uploading work for absent learners.

There’s a lot more that can be done with iPads and there’s certainly huge potential for independent learning. An advantage I’m noticing over computers is the flexibility and comparative ease with which learners can switch in and out of IT-focussed tasks, or switch between individual, pair, group and whole class learning.’