Edmodo is a Learning Management System (LMS) that allows educators to communicate with students and parents. Using Edmodo, teachers can share content, give tests, assign homework, and collaborate with students of all ages.
In addition, Edmodo allows students to communicate with each other and post messages on class boards. Many users liken it to Facebook, as it has a social aspect as well.
Nevertheless, not everyone is satisfied with Edmodo. Many students dislike it and find the interface difficult to use and buggy.
Many users, including teachers and students alike, report that if you use Edmodo too much, and you post too many updates, those updates tend to get lost in the feed. That causes students to miss out on important information they need to know to succeed in their classes.
Also, Edmodo is limited in certain areas. For example, its equation editor is not that good, and it is missing broader Student Information System capabilities.
The file folder system is also a bit hard to use once you have a lot of files, and there is no Dropbox integration.
Some teachers also say that students confuse it with Facebook sometimes due to the similar interface and post personal status updates on the Edmodo feed.
Whether you’re looking for an Edmodo alternative for any of those reasons or are simply curious about viable alternatives, this article is for you. Read on if you would like to learn about the 10 best Edmodo alternatives.
10 Best Edmodo Alternatives
1. Canvas
Canvas consistently ranked higher than Edmodo and other alternatives for learning management in general. Users on TrustRadius ranked Canvas higher than Edmodo for:
- Course authoring
- Course catalog/library
- Learning content
- Mobile responsiveness
- Progress tracking
- Certifications
- Assignments
- Compliance management
- Learning administration
- Learning reporting and analytics
- Social learning
One of the things that people like the best about Canvas is how easy it is to get started. The user interface is very intuitive, both for teachers and for students, and the customer support team at Canvas is known for being excellent.
Another thing that people enjoy when using Canvas is frequent updates that are easy to install. Most other LMS software platforms either don’t release updates as often, or the updates are harder to install and/or require a learning curve to get used to.
Canvas also ranked much higher for scalability, support, and likelihood to renew. As I mentioned, scaling with Edmodo can be difficult at times due to a lack of advanced features and the fact that updates get lost in the feed.
Using Canvas, you can create course content, give out quizzes, grade assignments or tests, and encourage communication. Students can join in on discussions in the virtual rooms.
Canvas Studio allows you to create and upload video content for students to watch and comment on. It goes both ways; you can let students upload their own videos, and you can add inline comments and feedback or let other students comment on student-uploaded videos.
You can even give out video quizzes. Canvas Studio gives you in-depth analytics about the video content you uploaded, so you can see who is watching what.
With Canvas Catalog, you can create a catalog of your course offerings and let students enroll in courses, pay tuition, and receive certificates after completing those courses.
To motivate and encourage students, you can create pathways. Pathways show students how different courses contribute to helping them reach their final goals; you can award them digital badges when they reach certain milestones in their journeys.
If you need help getting started, Canvas offers a wide range of custom services, ranging from consulting to data analysis to coaching to design. They will show you how to implement your LMS, give you tips on new things you can implement based on data you collect, and more.
One of the best parts about Canvas is that it offers a free account for individual teachers. Using the free Canvas account for teachers, you can communicate with students and parents, administer courses and video content, grade students on their work, and help students reach their goals with features such as Mastery Paths and Outcomes.
2. Schoology
Schoology is a popular Learning Management System used in school districts around the country. It allows teachers to deliver course content to students, provide quick or in-depth assessments of their work, and provide personalized learning opportunities.
Teachers can offer lesson plans and let students study at their own pace. You will get analytics and data about the content you put out and the way your students are interacting with it to help you figure out what type of content works best.
Users of Schoology were much more likely to renew their Schoology subscriptions than users of Edmodo were to renew their Edmodo subscriptions.
Some areas in which Schoology is superior to Edmodo is when it comes to grading assessments (there is a wide range of options available), rostering, and managing classes.
Another strong point of Schoology is its app store. It offers over 200 integrations and addons, including Google Drive, OneNote, and Dropbox (Edmodo does not offer a Dropbox integration).
In addition, Schoology integrates with National Geography, Khan Academy, YouTube, Vimeo, NBC Learn, and a lot more! It even has over 100 common core classes and lessons you can incorporate into your course offerings.
Schoology also has a community component. You can create groups to collaborate with students and let them chat with you and each other.
You can also communicate easily with parents and keep them updated on the progress their children are making. The teacher group is a place where you can chat with other students and get help about using Schoology.
3. MindTap
MindTap, by Cengage, is a powerful learning management platform for teachers and educators. It allows you to create a personalized learning experience for your students; you can create your custom coursework and use it each semester.
Cengage calls MindTap a PLE, or Personalized Learning Experience, claiming it is superior to most LMS platforms in that it provides a much more customized experience.
When students log onto their dashboards, which they can do from any device, they will be able to access all of their coursework, Cengage textbooks, quizzes, and more from a single dashboard.
One of the benefits of MindTap over Edmodo is the MindTap eReader. The eReader allows you to offer digital textbooks and reading materials to students without the eye strain, glare, and other problems that come with traditional digital readers.
The eReader gives your students digital textbooks with the feel of a physical book. Not only that, but you can provide your own inline comments and notes to help guide your students as they learn.
In addition, the eReader combines traditional text with audio, video, and other engaging elements.
Using the Cengage mobile app, your students will be able to read their ebooks, fill out quizzes and texts, view their grade books, and learn your course materials straight from their phones, wherever they are.
You can see which students are struggling and reach out to them to give them personalized assistance.
MindTap has a large library of etextbooks you can offer to your students. Depending on your plan, you can also provide an online homework platform and rent out hard copy textbooks.
You can add your own notes on e-textbooks from MindTap’s library, as mentioned before.
MindTap provides excellent customer support, 24/7. There is also a huge library of training resources to help you learn how to use the platform, and you can also get access to a Digital Success Specialist who will guide you as you try to help your students achieve success.
MindTap also integrates with your existing LMS to help you provide your students with even more resources. You can create digital pathways that integrate existing coursework with etextbooks from Cengage/MindTap, for example.
Don’t worry. Cengage offers the help of Customer Success Managers to help you get your existing LMS working with Cengage content.
With MindApps, teachers can deliver content even more effectively. For example, they can offer live online tutoring, in real time, with the NetTutor MindApp.
4. ClassDojo
ClassDojo is a better alternative to Edmodo if you are solely looking for the communication aspect of Edmodo, but with an easier to use interface.
You can share photos, videos, and comments with parents to keep them up to date on their students’ progress. For example, take a video of a field trip or a quick picture of a student working on a project to send to their parents.
You can even translate your messages instantly into over 30 different languages, which is perfect for diverse school districts where parents come from many backgrounds.
Students can also upload pictures or videos showcasing their progress or experiments they worked on. Each student will get their own personal photo catalog, which they can access from any device that is connected to the internet, including iPads and Chromebooks.
ClassDojo provides teachers with a wide range of tools they can use in class, in real time. For example, there is a tool for creating quick groups of students for working on projects; you can also use the random student generator tool to select a random student, without worrying about bias issues.
You can set a timer to give students a deadline for finishing an exam or essay, or you can use the class noise meter to show students in real time how much noise they are making in class to encourage them to keep their voices down.
While ClassDojo is not a full fledged LMS, it still allows you to facilitate remote learning. You can assign classwork to students who are learning at home, assign tasks they need to respond to with a photo or journal entry, and send messages to parents about tasks their children need to complete.
You can give each student a class code, so they can log in to their dashboard and keep up with their remote learning.
If you are a parent, you can use ClassDojo at home to help your child organize their homework and encourage them to live a positive lifestyle, such as making their bedtime.
On G2, users ranked ClassDojo higher than Edmodo in areas such as ease of use, ease of setup, and quality of customer support. ClassDojo was also ranked higher for student messaging and analytics.
5. Violet LMS
VioletLMS is a software as a service LMS platform. It provides features such as an intuitive user design, learning paths, mobile learning, and offline learning.
VioletLMS offers a number of features that make it superior and easier to use than Edmodo. For example, it learns from every user interaction on the platform to understand what type of content each user needs to see.
Then, it provides suggestions to the user based on previous searches to provide a more customized learning experience. There are also many filters you can use when searching to find the best information.
In particular, VioletLMS is a better solution than Edmodo for businesses looking for an LMS to provide training to employees.
VioletLMS not only provides a platform in multiple languages, but it provides a customized training experience with tailored training recommendations, visual calendars with priorities and tasks, and adaptable training plans.
6. MyClassCampus
MyClassCampus calls itself the “Best School Management Software.” While that might just be a marketing slogan, it is, in fact, a great school management software.
Using the MyClassCampus LMS, you can provide quizzes, assignments, flashcards, audio lectures, coursework, and a lot more. You can also give live video instruction.
MyClassCampus takes mobile learning to the next level with their PocketStudy mobile app. The LMS is designed with a mobile first mentality, so your students will be able to learn and access their coursework on the go, wherever they are.
Let’s go a bit more in depth into the types of content you can share on the MyClassCampus PocketStudy mobile LMS:
- Video content
- Audio podcasts with flashcards to help students follow the lecture or podcast; those flashcards can contain short notes or images to help students get a visual understanding of what is being spoken about
- Live classes, either via PocketStudy’s own live learning environment or via the Zoom integration
- Assignments with progress reports
- Online tests
- And more
PocketStudy also provides teachers with in-depth data analysis on their students’ progress.
In addition to the LMS, MyClassCampus provides a Student Information System platform for schools, colleges, and coaching programs. Here are some of the main features of the Student Information System:
- Online admission
- Accept payment for tuition online
- Examination management
- Lesson planning
- Result cards
- Human resource management
- Biometric face recognition
- Certificates
- ID cards
- Communication with parents and students
- Student attendance
- Homework
- Progress reports
- Time tables
- Guest users
- And a lot more
MyClassCampus even offers a website builder tool for educational institutions. Using the drag and drop website builder, you can create a personalized web page, with branded elements and an intuitive interface.
In addition to all that, MyClassCampus also offers a solution to educators who want to make money by selling courses online. Whether you are a professional educator or just an expert in a particular topic, you can launch a branded coaching business or sell courses, with different packages and price plans.
As you can see, MyClassCampus offers a lot more than Edmodo, and has a lot more features. For example, Edmodo does not offer a Student Information System (SIS) platform.
7. QuickSchools.com
QuickSchools.com is another excellent school management software and alternative to Edmodo. It has a lot of features that make it superior to Edmodo, such as the class scheduler.
Using the class scheduler, just specify how many times you need to teach a particular class in a week. Then, the scheduler will automatically fill out available time slots with that class; in effect, it will create your entire schedule, so you don’t have to hurt your brain figuring out when to teach which class and how to fit all of your classes into the week.
It also offers an SIS (Student Information System), which Edmodo does not. Using the QuickSchools SIS, you can find any information you need to know about a student, including their personal information, schedule, medical reports, attendance reports, grade books, and more.
Use the QuickSchools grade book to assign grades to students on various work and projects they have completed, or use the transcripts tool to generate and provide your students with transcripts that come populated with data already in the system.
The Parent Portal is another great feature. You can customize it and decide which information (such as grade books, assignments, etc.) to give to parents.
It allows parents to keep track of their students’ work and communicate with teachers efficiently.
8. Google Classroom
Google Classroom is one of the most popular class management platforms, for good reason. Since students can connect to it with their existing Google accounts, it makes it much easier for students to use it than, say, Edmodo.
In addition, Google Classroom is much more user intuitive than Edmodo.
So, what is Google Classroom, and what is it for? Using Google Classroom, you can provide coursework to students, give classes live, grade assignments, and a lot more.
As you might expect, Google Classroom integrates with your other Google apps. For example, you can use Google Meet to provide live video classes, or you can work on a Google document.
You can also export grading scores to import them to your school’s SIS.
Here are some other cool features of Google Classroom:
- Allow students to learn in many languages
- Assign to dos and let students stay up to date on new assignments and due dates
- Let students take pictures of their completed physical homework and upload the pictures
- Scan student submissions against previous submissions to check for plagiarism
- Let students scan the web for citation suggestions to avoid plagiarism
9. Moodle
Moodle is one of the oldest and well known LMS platforms. While many other LMS platforms are now available, one of the advantages that Moodle has over Edmodo and other LMS platforms is that it is open source.
Since Edmodo is not open source, you can’t customize it to fit your needs.
Moodle lets you set up a customized website for teaching your students. You can use a wide range of plugins to add functionality or get help from the community of users and developers.
While the interface might not be the most user friendly, there is a ton of documentation to help you get started. Their wide range of plugins and the fact it is open source also allows for a lot of customization.
However, it is better suited for institutions with an IT or tech team who can help teachers get their LMS set up. There is a lot you can do with Moodle, but if you are a teacher who is using it for their students, and you don’t have a lot of technical skills, be prepared for a learning curve.
10. OpenEduCat
The final Edmodo alternative on my list is OpenEduCat. It is an educational management system for schools, colleges, and universities.
Unlike Edmodo, it is open source. In addition to being an LMS, it is a SIS and a faculty management system.
You can create lessons, transcripts, report cards, courses, and more. Allow students to enroll and give out exams using one of the many examination methods available.
When giving out exams, you can send out automated report cards based on scores. You can view each student’s data in the SIS, including health information, grades, parent information, and a lot more.
Also, you will be able to see each faculty member’s information, including skill tracking, classroom schedules, and payrolls.
In other words, OpenEduCat is a lot more than an LMS. It is a one stop shop for all of your educational management needs.
Wrapping It Up: What Is The Best Edmodo Alternative?
In my opinion, the best Edmodo alternative is Canvas. Not only does it offer a free plan, but it is incredibly easy to use.
Its LMS will help your students stay on track and facilitate open communication between you, your students, and their parents.
