Cyber safety is very important to teach at all levels of education. Equally important is keeping the netiquette conversation going all year long, from the start of school and through the last day of class.

In the fall, before using the Internet (and great tools like Edmodo), my computer lab students watch “Routers Birthday Surprise” on Netsmartz Kids—a video about Internet safety for elementary-aged students. A great tool that you can use with your students, the Netsmartz Kids website is free and easy to access. Since parents are integral in reinforcing good digital citizenship practices, it’s important to help train them as well. Onguardonline.gov is a great resource and provides free information.

Safety Exercises on Edmodo
Afterwards, we have a class discussion about going online, ways students should use the Internet responsibly, and what to watch out for when participating in online video games. Once my students understand the importance of staying safe online, I have them join Edmodo and use it for various activities, including teaching valuable 21st century skills by:

• Outlining Edmodo usage policies. I set expectations for the proper usage of Edmodo and the ways we should be corresponding with one another online.
• Monitoring Small Groups. Students are put into a small group called Social Outlet where they converse. This group should always be monitored and checked by a teacher to make sure conversations are appropriate.
• Defining Digital Citizenship terms. Depending on the grade level, students get a list of 5-11 words and have to use online dictionaries to find the definitions, as well as use Microsoft Word to answer the questions about the terms. Once this assignment is completed, we have another discussion about what it means to be a Digital Citizen.

Edmodo is a great platform to use with elementary and middle school students as you begin teaching online safety. It allows your students to connect and collaborate in a teacher-moderated environment as they learn lessons on digital safety and netiquette. When they’re ready, you can create a collaborative group and invite another class to join. As the year progresses and your students have become responsible digital citizens, you can continue to invite even more classes to join you as you expand your collaborative circles to an even wider audience.

Safety Online Resources
You can also find websites to complement your Internet safety lessons and discussions—ones you can add and share on Edmodo!

• NetSmartz Internet Safety Presentations offers free guides for a variety of ages and audiences
• NetSmartz Kids has games and activities perfect for elementary students
• NSTeens encourages safer choices for tweens
• NetSmartz Teens provides tips for older students

How do you promote Internet safety online and in Edmodo? Share your ideas and best practices in the comments section below, or in the Edmodo Communities.

Also Published on https://blog.edmodo.com/2014/06/17/keep-students-tuned-in-to-safety-year-round/

Edmodo’s new tool Snapshot makes pre and post assessment a snap.   Snapshot is aligned with the Common Core State Standards, so it allows you to choose which topic you want to test your students on.  For example: my next unit is Fractions NF.1 for Fourth Grade: When you go into Snapshot you can select this standard as a pre-assessment for your students to see their understanding of the topic.  Snapshot makes embedding standards a snap.

After you take the Snapshot, you can then review your results and see which students need additional support or meet the standards. This feature compiles the data results in an easily interpretable spreadsheet, allowing the teacher to monitor and adjust lessons midstream in order to meet the needs of students in real time.  

Potential follow-up activities are suggested and emphasized to make differentiating simpler. For example: After students read an informational text for key ideas and details, a teacher can view results immediately to group students based on comprehension and application of the standard. Students who have varied mastery of the standard will have either guided practice or independent practice, depending on their needs. Needs of all students are then met, not just high fliers or students who struggle, but all students, all the time.  The quiz feature on Edmodo will also allow you to view how students did on individual lessons so you could review any questions or topics students might be struggling with.

While completing my Edmodo Certified Training Course, I was fortunate to have early access to their newest tool Snapshot.  This Edmodo ‘add on’ has immediate application to the classroom with focused questions linked to Common Core State Standards.  I teach computers and have periods designed to help students prepare for the upcoming PARCC assessments and this year’s upcoming state assessment. In essence, Snapshot provides a formative snapshot of where a student is prior to high stakes testing.

Snapshot allows you to identify and target specific standards for your students to focus on. It is a great way to supplement standards that you are already exploring in class. When using Snapshot, you select the standard and your student will receive four questions per standard. Take note that not every student gets the same exact questions and you can give the standard as often as you want or to mastery. 

After students take Snapshot, teachers can view how the students interpreted and solved the questions completed.  Teachers can sort by standards, students, or focus. The summary is color coded, so you can quickly see how students progress over time.  Snapshot will remind you if your students have mastered specific skills or need additional practice. This allows you to tailor your day to day instruction based on the on-going formative assessment snapshot provided by Snapshot. 

The best feature to an already effective web tool: it’s free!