School of Post Graduate UHAMKA, Jakarta
English is an international language that has been used by most of people in the
world. People of non native speakers speak English as a foreign or second
language for communication in many different kinds of social situations with different purposes. In
Indonesia English is used as a foreign language. It is the first foreign language taught in
schools.
In
Indonesia, English as a target language in many schools around the world
including Indonesia. Harmer said “Probably the greatest number of language
students in the world do it because it is on the student curriculum whether
they like it or not!”. According Harmer statement
that student learn the language because it has been stated in curriculum. So
that English as a target language is important to be mastered by the students.
From
the situation above, a lot of students have problems in learning English.
Learning English is learn language outside of students’ mother tongue. The
students can find the difficulties in learning activities, especially in
comprehending the four skills, such as listening, speaking, reading, and
writing.
When
the writer was a student feel that all of the subjects at school can be
interesting if the teacher can explain them clearly, especially to learn
English.
The
writer want to share experience in using the Edmodo
for teaching language courses in English with different levels, for learning
terminology, and ESP (English for Specific Purposes). The writer focus will be
on how the web-based environment can be used for supporting student-centered
learning, increasing student motivation and cooperation in creating the
study-materials. The writer analyze how the ICT solutions can be used as a
support for different classroom activities, group-work and pair-work
assignments; for independent work; for enforcing student-centered learning.
ICT
is generally defined as technology functioning to support the process of
conveying information and communication. By developing of ICT, the teacher and the
student can communicate each other through internet, email, video conference,
and another program in social media. Hartoyo states that There are some
advantages of utilizing ICT-computer in language learning. For example, (1) ICT
serves as the ‘media’ bridging and enabling the learning process or event
direct communicator between students and teacher although they are not present
in the same room or place; (2) ICT can be created to enable students to learn
the lessons with the guidance, instruction, information, or further explanation
for specific terms merged on the program such as ‘tutorial’; (3) ICT-computer
in language learning is that it can be an inseparable; (4) ICT-computer can
serve as a peer for students in playing educational games, or as source of
learning material, which can give illustration for verbally difficult to
explain concepts as well as other interactive and attractive illustration. Moreover, ICT as a medium for teaching is
becoming more and more acknowledged.
In
this article the writer share some aspects of using ICT especially in Edmodo program that have proved the topic from two points of view:
(1) what is edmodo, and (2) advantages and disadvantages
both for students and the teacher.
What is Edmodo?
Edmodo was Founded in Chicago, Illinois, when two
school district employees set out to bridge the gap between how students live
their lives and how they learn in school, Edmodo was created to bring education
into a 21st century environment. Today,
Edmodo is based in San Mateo, California. Thanks to those who guided and
supported us in the beginning, we’re now the number one K-12 social learning
network in the world, dedicated to connecting all learners with the people and
resources they need to reach their full potential.
Edmodo is an educational site that
uses the ideas of a social network to create a classroom website. Students can
contact teachers and teachers can contact students by sharing ideas, problems,
assignments, videos, and helpful tips. Students can ask the teacher or other
students for help. A teacher can assign and grade work through Edmodo. It is a
safe environment. There is no bullying or inappropriate content, because the
teacher can see (and delete) everything that is posted on Edmodo. Parents can
also join a class with limited use; they can send a message to the teacher or
to their student and view calendars.
Edmodo can allows the teacher to improve methods of
communication with the students outside the classroom. One great feature of
Edmodo is the free iPhone/Android app. This allows students and teachers to
receive view assignments, ask questions, or answer questions all through their
phones. When a message is sent, the student/teacher can receive a text message
on their phones, allowing for easy access to Edmodo anytime and anywhere. Glenn
states that ”The goal of Edmodo is to help educators harness the
power of social media to allow easy customization of your classroom”.
From the explanation above can be
concluded that edmodo is a "social learning platform" website for
teachers, students, and parents. It is marketed as the facebook for education.
Some
of the Features Edmodo
First, The
teacher has many options available for the groups created. To get these
options, click on group settings on the top right hand side of the page. You
can change the name of the group, reset your Group code, and change the grade
or subject area.
Second, the teacher can post a notes , by type your
message in the section marked Type your note here…, in the Send to…
section you will choose which group(s) will receive the note. Then, click Send.
You can also attach a file, link, or attach something from the library you have
already stored in Edmodo.
Third, the teacher can create multiple choice
questions and have groups vote on them. Click on Poll at the top of the Comment
Bubble to get started. Then write the question and different choices.
Initially, you will have two choices, but you can add several more. Choose the
group(s) to send it to and click Send.
Fourth, This is
a feature to get a quick idea of recent updates. It will tell you if you have
any new Direct Messages, Replies, Turned in Assignments,
or Alerts. To view the information, simply click on what you want to
see. Once you begin posting, you may notice it will be harder to find previous
messages or replies. You can use the filters to display only certain
information. If you want to see only the assignments, click on the Assignments
filter on the pull down screen under Everything. You will see
everything disappear except for the assignments. This applies to all the
categories listed.
Fifth, students can easily
download a document from Edmodo, use it in another app (like a
PDF annotation app) and then upload it again onto Edmodo to
submit it as an ‘assignment’. This solves the whole ‘work-flow’ problem that
many teachers faced upon the introduction of iPads into the classroom.
Worksheets, handouts, task sheets, graphic organizers, anything you want the
students to work on, just upload it into your library, add it to a folder that
you share with the students or attach it to a post, then they access it and
open it in another app. Once they have finished, they need to upload it into
their ‘backpacks’ and then submit it as an attachment to an ‘assignment’ that
you posted.
The last, the teacher can create an assignment
by clicking on Assignment. Fill in the necessary fields: Title, Describe
the assignment, due date, and Send to…, and attach files and
links. If you have already added a file to Edmodo, you can attach it by
clicking on Library. The assignment will also appear in the Calendar
section. Note: Assignments can be a document you have written in Google Docs
and loaded here. This allows students that may not have access to Microsoft
Office to still view and complete the assignment. Students can complete the
assignment and turn it in, all through Edmodo.
The Advantages of edmodo
Edmodo
enables teachers and students to share resources, send notices to each other
and generally keep in touch regarding school matters. Teachers could use it to
set assignments, inform students of their deadlines or of school or college
events, among other things. Students could use it to
send queries to the teachers or even to send links to their work, if
it can be found online, like in a blog or personal web page. The key is that
one single message gets delivered to everyone in the group instantly.
Edmodo is the first of these platforms to have been designed by people
involved in education specifically for use in the classroom by teachers and
students. However, Edmodo is by
definition a specialist network of educators and students, so the risks of
being contacted by strangers for non academic purposes are greatly reduced,
thereby providing a safer environment in which students and teachers
or lecturers can safely interact and collaborate.
The
disadvantages of Edmodo
There are so many advantages, but
Edmodo also has a disadvantages. For example, when any students upload the
assignment another students can see the assignement that students. It means
that students are able to know the answer if the teacher makes the assignment
in the group of the students.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Edmodo is a joyfull website for all teachers and students.
Edmodo allow all students to receive assignments, quizzes, etc. either at home
or at school. Edmodo also allow students to become familiar with uploading
assignments and taking quizzes online similar to online college classes.
.
References
Hartoyo. 2012. ICT in language learning. Semarang:
Pelita Insani Semarang.
Harmer, Jeremy (1991). The Practice of English Language Teaching New
York: Longman
See
Hartoyo. 2012. ICT in language learning. Semarang: Pelita Insani Semarang. For further
study please visit: https://hartoyo.wordpress.com/2009/07/07/ict-in-the-learning-of-efl/
