This document summarizes Therese Rothenbach's experience using various online learning tools and platforms like Edmodo, Voki, and Lino in her classroom. She found that Edmodo allowed for effective communication between students, teachers, and parents. Tools like Voki and Lino engaged students and helped organize long-term projects. However, she also noted concerns about the time required to learn new tools and unreliable access for some students.

1. Building Online Learning
Communities
Final Presentation
Therese Rothenbach
October 2012

2. Recently, my school district moved to Edmodo
as the communication platform of choice for
classrooms. Prior to this course, I spent a little
bit of time on Edmodo, but I didn’t take the time
to explore all of its possibilities. Now, I can see
that the possibilities are endless: creating a
space for students to store resources, post
work, and ask questions; allowing parents to get
a daily glimpse into the classroom; and providing
countless ways for teachers to engage students
meaningfully and creatively. I have truly enjoyed
the opportunity to spend time on Edmodo
playing, learning, and planning future lessons.

3. What fun! I have to admit that I might enjoy this tool more than the
students. Creating my own Voki reminded me of making a “Mii” for the
“Wii.” Once I decided on the look and the voice, I started to think about
where I could use the Voki in the classroom. My first thought was to grab
students’ attention as soon as they walk through the door. Who could
ignore an avatar saying, “Hello”, and giving directions? Then I started to
wonder about using Vokis for student responses. Listening to twenty-
three oral presentations can get a bit long. Vokis would add
interest, reduce nervousness, and give all of the students a chance to
shine.
Lino is another easy to use tool with great potential. I decided to use Lino as
a place to store information on long-term projects. Last year, after
teaching my 6th graders the basics on the Scientific Method, they were
required to compete a lab to be entered into our Science Fair. At the
time, I thought that I had prepared adequately with
emails, timelines, forms, and examples. I was shocked with all of the
parent emails requesting that I re-explain the assignment, send out
multiple copies of forms, and provide additional examples. Creating a
Lino board would have given me a place to store all of this information.
Parents and students would have been able to learn from each other
while using the board to post ideas and questions. As the teacher, I
could have provided better direction to the class by fully answering
concerns in a timely fashion for all to see. This year, Lino will rescue us

4. Time
With growing access to technology and truly incredible tools, I spend more and
more time each year trying to integrate technology into meaningful lessons.
Mostly, I am pleased with the outcome, but I worry that we are often using
technology in the place of solid teaching. All of these new sites and tools require
time devoted to learning them. I want to be sure that this time is well spent. For
example, I wanted to use Prezi as the platform for this final project. I created a
new account and began working. After much time and frustration, I decided to
save Prezi for another project. I could not justify the amount of time I was
spending with the little progress that I was making. Sometimes we need to hold
back on the bells and whistles and use what we know.
Access
After being introduced to the extensive list of classroom-friendly tools, I am so
excited to develop ways for my students to benefit. As I do, this one question
repeats in my mind: “What about the kids who don’t have access?” I wonder if we
are causing the gap between the “haves and have nots” in our own classrooms to
grow. I also had issues with the reliability of access. I was attempting to post work
to Edmodo a few nights ago, but the site was down for hours. I followed a link to
Twitter, where a running blog contained information about the problem. I read
numerous posts from students complaining that they couldn’t do their homework.
Besides server unreliability, I had a few issues with sites bumping me out or
passwords not working. With all of these issues cropping up, I would assume that
a classroom of students would have similar struggles.

5. I was nervous to use Moodle when I signed up for
this, my first online course. I had never heard of
Moodle before and I wasn’t sure if my limited
knowledge of online learning management systems
would be enough to carry me through the class. I
soon learned that Moodle is a wonderful way to
connect students. I was able to complete coursework
from multiple locations without difficulty and I was
able to use the links provided to find additional
resources when needed. I enjoyed the ability to
repeat lessons and to skip to the sections where I
required clarification. In my opinion, Moodle’s look
and design would best fit with secondary
students, but the ability to direct
learning, communicate with groups, and submit work
is remarkable.

6. Contents are housed on Edmodo
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Rubrics
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Differentiated Instruction
Lessons
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wRubric&rubric_id t=267&width=200
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7. Quizzes