Lifelong learning with virtual classrooms: Edmodo

Abstract

In the 21st century, language learning and teaching should not be limited to formal classroom settings and classroom hours. That is to say, language learning and teaching should be carried out from the walls of formal classrooms to informal and real-life learning settings. In this context, the new curriculum proposed by the Turkish Ministry of National Education (MoNE) includes the implementation of blended learning and technology to the language courses, especially for the 9th and 12th grades. One of the effective ways for applying this will be the use of virtual classrooms to provide a lifelong learning process. Edmodo is one of the examples of virtual classrooms that gives language teachers a chance to easily share different types of information with their students, check their assignments and give feedback as an authentic assessment technique. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to explain how virtual classrooms can be used to achieve the outcomes of learners via two research questions. This study was conducted by the participation of voluntarily selected 14 ELT Department students at Grade 3 and Grade 4 from Samsun Ondokuz Mayis University. They were interviewed and their answers were analyzed by the authors and one of their colleagues from the same department. Most of the students had positive ideas about Edmodo and they stated that Edmodo was a really effective language teaching/learning software and it gave them an opportunity to compensate, review and recycle their courses.