Comparison between EDMODO
and Cengage Learning : MindTap.
I
decided this week to take a look at the Edmodo system an investigated another CMS
system that was not as well know and selected the Cengage educational developed
system called MindTap.
Prior to the comparison of both
platforms I consider a Learning Theory that would connect well with the
analysis of both these CMS platforms and selected Conversation Theory by Gordon
Pask. This Learning Theory focuses on “that
learning occurs through conversations about a subject matter which serve to
make knowledge explicit. Conversations can be conducted at a number of
different levels: natural language (general discussion), object languages (for
discussing the subject matter), and metalanguages (for talking about
learning/language).” In order to
facilitate learning, Pask argued that subject matter should be
represented in the form of structures which show what is to be
learned. These structures exist in a variety of different levels
depending upon the extent of the relationships displayed. The
critical method of learning according to Conversation
Theory is "teachback"
in which one person teaches another what they have learned. Since both these platforms
that we are about to review have the ability of blogging as well as thread
communication, it facilitates the objectives singled out by Pask theory.
Mindtap
is described as a “highly personalized, complete online learning solution” that
is “more than an eBook and different from a learning management system.” Using
MindTap, instructors are able to personalize the learning experience by adding
their own content in the system’s “Learning Path” through apps that integrate
with learning management systems. Though not a LMS itself, it’s certainly a
product that can enrich the LMS experience.
Edmodo is described as a secure, social learning platform for teachers,
students, schools and districts. It provides a safe and easy way for classes to
connect and collaborate, share content and access homework, grades and school
notices. Edmodos’ goal is to help educators harness the power of social media and
to customize the classroom for each and every learner. Using
Edmodo, students and teachers can reach out to one another and connect by
sharing ideas, problems, and helpful tips. A teacher can assign and grade work
on Edmodo; students can get help from the entire class on Edmodo. It is a safe
environment. There is no bullying or inappropriate content, because the teacher
can see everything that is posted on Edmodo. Also parents can join the class to
bring a level of transparency that is difficult to achieve without technology.
What I like best about Edmodo:
Students seem
to like the interface and find it easy to use. It has a feel of a social
network such as Facebook, which most students are familiar with. Due to the similarities with social media,
students feel as if I am communicating with them in a way that they relate to
and understand. Unlike facebook it does
not lack the controls or management
tools necessary to be a strong management system; Students can comment on posts
and see other post that are important in discussions, but students cannot just
send messages to other students since the teacher maintains control. A teacher
can allow other teachers in as co teachers; this is a great feature for aides,
student teachers, co teachers, and learning support.
Some of the affordances
of Edmodo are that teachers can communicate, organize, create small groups,
create, assign, and grade quizzes, create resources and folders for classes,
assign and check homework within edmodo.
Other affordances are to send out quick reminders to students, utilize
apps or tools that are connected to edmodo such as :Zaption, edpuzzle. In addition,
to all other classroom aspects, as an educator, I can connect with other
educators, participate in discussions, get ideas and participate in
professional development opportunities. Some of the best features of Edmodo are
the blog and how open it is to have users be involved in sharing, the best part
is that Edmond is FREE! There are apps that have fees such as the Snapshot
feature, it would be positive that the
tracking and report component in the pay version were available for free. But
overall, Edmodo allows students and teachers to communicate, administer,
evaluate, and collaborate all in one place!
What I like best about Mindtap?
When you open MindTap, you can review recent progress
of your students on the dashboard. The dashboard consists of the Week View, the
Unit View, and the Date View. The App
Dock is the central location for accessing the student and instructor
apps in MindTap. Some of the affordances of The AppDock View:
- provides access to assignable
homework like Aplia and CengageNOW
- includes the Progress App to
review individual student and class standings
- gives students a one-stop shop
for organizational study tools like the MyNotes app, Luvo, Search, and
ReadSpeaker
The Message Center app helps instructors quickly and
easily to contact students directly from the MindTap platform. Any message posted in the Message Center is
e-mailed to each student enrolled in the course. The Progress App helps track
student progress in the course:
- allows you to track student
grades, progress, and the level of engagement in real time
- gives students the opportunity
to review grades and levels of engagement relative to their peers
- helps with early intervention
and adaptation of lecture and content to improve course outcomes
Student engagement data is calculated based on:
- time spent,
- activities engaged, and
- pages accessed relative to
other students in the same course.
The Overview
Tab provides a bird’s eye view of the course content and how the class
is engaging in the content:
- shows all assigned materials,
the average grade of each, and the number of student completions
The
Analytics Tab provides a snapshot of student engagement, time in course, and
activities accessed relative to other students in the course:
- helps improve outcomes by
focusing on material that may require more attention
- shows students how their
activity and time in course relates to the class averages
The Gradebook
Tab shows grades for every student in the course. Students can see their
own grades from this view:
- provides a high level view of
student grades
- gives instructors a bird’s eye
view of every activity and every grade for every student
- is both downloadable and
sortable
With the Categorize
Tab, you can organize and prioritize assignments:
- lets you create categories to
best reflect your syllabus and lectures
- allows you to weight
assignments to reflect their importance in the course
student
grades can be exported to other spreadsheet programs or imported from other
sources with a few clicks from the manage button. Integration with major LMS platforms is also
available.
All in all MindTap is an excellent
platform for higher Education, but it has a cost to acquire it. In my opinion Edmodo offers all the great
features and more as MindTap but for free.
Edmodo would be the selection that I would choose for my classroom platform
environment.
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