Social media platforms have become part and parcel of the daily lives of professionals, students and organizations. These platforms are increasingly essential as a mode of communication and up to date information. Students and professionals alike gather valuable knowledge from these applications, and they encourage interactions that would otherwise be difficult on face to face modes of communication. There are, however, risks associated with these applications in terms of having vital information stolen and cyberbullying. Ellaway, Coral, Topps and Topps (2015) posit that the threat reduced when users maintained the ability to deliberate on accountability and ethical practices when using social media platforms. As such, this paper discusses “Edmodo”, a social media platform adapted by teachers to improve and connect students’ participation in classroom discussions. A discussion of the perspectives on the pros and cons of the platform and recommendations for the ethical challenges in the use of Edmodo will be done.
Edmodo Social Network
Edmodo is a social platform founded in 2008 (Bloomberg L.P., 2019). Edmodo is a subsidiary company of Best Assistant Education Online Limited based in San Mateo, California. Edmodo recently partnered with IBN Watson to make learning a better experience (Bloomberg L.P., 2019). Teachers can create and manage an online community classroom for free on this website. The community consists of a teacher, students and parents. The site is secure, and only the teacher can add new members. The controlled structure of the site enables teachers to maintain proper moral and ethical online practices by giving guidelines on content allowed on the website. It runs on a closed system, making it safe for the teacher and students to use. Similarly, the teacher can see everything a student is doing online, therefore, it discourages cheating. It is user-friendly and enables the extension of learning beyond school.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Social, Moral and Ethical Implications of Edmodo
Some of the moral implications affecting most online platforms are the code of conduct, online bullying, intellectual property rights, and professional reputation and responsibility. With Edmodo, online learning runs in a safe environment, and, therefore, these issues are not prominent. In their research, Liaw, Huang, Liaw and Liaw (2016) discovered that students’ learning attitudes could affect how they adapted to social e-learning. The study concluded that students placed under the online group developed higher positive attitudes than those in the face to face classroom. Students in the social program possessed self-confidence due to the satisfaction derived from the online self-regulation class. The school superintendent should give guidelines to the teacher on the use of online platforms, and advise on the use of the code of conduct for the online social media platform. Guidance on conduct should allow for free participation by presenting their views, but they should also be sensitive and respectful.
Positive Perspectives
Social e-learning has many benefits to all the concerned parties. Yin, Yusof, Lok and Zakariya (2018) postulate that online learning improves the students’ performance when compared to those not on the online learning program because they can access the platform from anywhere and at any time. The student's interest in learning increases with the online platform and their self-confidence boosted with collaborative problem-solving. More student participation is achieved through the use of mobile phones because students spend most of their time on their mobile phones, and they enjoy using this gadget to learn. Moreover, Edmodo allows for quick retrieval of information with ease, and the teacher can communicate with students and parents efficiently by utilizing this platform.
Negative Perspectives
The disadvantages of Edmodo are the lack of control over the internet. This platform could be wrongly used due to access to the internet. Students may take advantage of the internet and browse other programs, which are not education-related during study time. The Edmodo application is also not compatible with the school's grade books and registers. This make is cumbersome to manually enter the students’ grades and class attendance such that some teachers prefer not to use it at all. Besides, the app does not allow for edits, and once an assignment uploads, it cannot be retrieved. The app also lacks a chat option, which limits direct interactions between teachers and students. Younger children are not able to use the app because it is too complicated for them, thus, not user-friendly. Edmodo is only accessible through the internet. Hence, some students may not be able to access it when they at home meaning that they may not get announcements and assignments sent online leading to inconveniences. Additionally, there is always the risk of internet fraud caused by hackers, which can jeopardize the security of all those connected.
Recommendations to the Challenges of Edmodo
Some of the challenges to the social platform are inherent, and they are guided by the fear of the unknown and resistance to change. These challenges need addressing in an open forum with the entire school board, preferably before the introduction of the online classroom. This can be done by formally introducing the social platform through a demonstration outlining the features of the app and how it works. Not everyone is tech savvy, and even though the app may seem easy to use, it may present a challenge to others. Fenwick and Edwards (2015) recommend that discussions on the implications of professional responsibility should be encouraged on a continual basis. Technology is ever-changing, hence, these advancements come with increased responsibilities. The superintendent should be up to date with new guidelines on internet use, intellectual property restrictions, and code of conduct. These codes should be displayed out in the open as a constant reminder to all internet users.
Moreover, the permanent decision-making process should instill ethical examination to check/justify that all standards are adhered to. Teachers are mandated to be the administrators to their online classrooms on Edmodo. Thus, they should get support to encourage them to perform their tasks effectively and efficiently. Improved performance is through the creation of awareness to the leader’s role and offer them proper training on the platform use, and how they can enhance and guide their online lessons. Lastly, the school should invest in antivirus programs to insure themselves from hackers. Proper use of the internet should also be enforced by blocking unauthorized downloads into insecure websites. The school IT department should be diligent in securing the school servers.
Conclusion
Edmodo social media offers a vibrant e-learning platform that is benefiting many scholars all around the world. Various researchers indicate the positive results in the performance of students due to the increase in participation in discussions and problem-solving. Learners’ attitudes have also improved, and self-confidence boosted through the development of self-drive. Shy students who find it difficult to speak in face to face classrooms find their voice online and become part of the online community classroom. The superintendent should strive to keep the online class a safe environment by outlining guidelines and codes to be strictly adhered to, for the benefit of everyone involved in the community. The superintendent should also ensure that the school has protection from lawsuits and online vandalism by ensuring proper guidelines are in place. Edmodo’s benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Thus, it is a viable application that the school should embrace. The challenges that come with the platform ought to be checked by getting a customized application that will fit the school’s needs.
References
Bloomberg L.P. (2019). Company Overview of Edmodo, Inc. Retrieved from https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=46997752
Ellaway, R., Coral, J., Topps, D., & Topps, M. (2015). Exploring digital professionalism. Medical Teacher , 37 (9), 844-849. doi: 10.3109/0142159x.2015.1044956
Fenwick, T., & Edwards, R. (2015). Exploring the impact of digital technologies on professional responsibilities and education. European Educational Research Journal , 15 (1), 117-131. doi: 10.1177/1474904115608387
Liaw, S.S., Huang, H.M., Liaw, Y.T.A. & Liaw, Y.H.A. (2016). Exploring learners’ attitudes toward a social e-learning system: A case study of the Edmodo. In Proceedings of EdMedia 2016--World Conference on Educational Media and Technology (pp. 764-769). Vancouver, BC, Canada: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).
Yin, K. Y., Yusof, R., Lok, S. Y. P., & Zakariya, Z. (2018). The Effects of Collaborative Mobile Learning Using Edmodo among Economics Undergraduates . International Journal of Academic Research and Development, 7(3).
