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Edmodo Review

By Anne Winch on June 2, 2014

Edmodo is a “social learning platform” website for teachers, students, and parents, often referred to the Facebook for schools due to its familiar set up and design. 

Nic Borg is the co-founder and CEO of Edmodo Inc.

 nic borg

Biography

Nic Borg and Jeff O’Hara are the co-founders of Edmodo. Borg is also the CEO and Chief Product Officer of the company which was founded in 2008 in San Mateo, California.  He leads product development to ensure that Edmodo continues to meet the needs of teachers and students around the globe. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Northern Illinois University and before launching Edmodo, Borg worked at Kaneland High School in Maple Park, IL for seven years, building web-based tools and learning management solutions. It was during this time that Borg realized the need for a secure social platform in the classroom. Working in the IT department, they were being asked to block a number of social networking sites in schools due to safety concerns. Edmodo was created from the need to blend online and offline learning using digital tools and resources, but within a safe environment.

Edmodo is a private K-12 classroom communication tool developed for teachers and students seeking a secure social network for classroom use. On the secure platform, teachers and students can collaborate, share content, and access educational apps to support in class learning. The goal for Edmodo is to create social media tools that help teachers engage students and to give every school in the world access to them.

Borg continues to work within the company and plans to stay with the company in any capacity in which they will have him. The team is comprised of Jeff O’Hara, co-founder and co-owner, Crystal Hutter, Chief Operating Officer, Emma Nothmann, Senior Director of Partnerships & Business Development, and Betsy Whalen serves as Vice President of Community Engagement. It is a privately held company with an employee base of 50-200 people. As it is a privately held company, statistics and information on the team was difficult to attain. From his interviews, Nic Borg appears passionate about making this technology accessible to all educators and using direct feedback from its users to drive the changes and improvements to the platform. 

Nic Borg has been named to Forbes prestigious “30 under 30” list, as an innovative entrepreneur under the age of 30.

I have included a short video clip of Nic Borg and the company.

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Rating
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7 Jun Posted on Edmodo Review

Hi Anne, Great choice, I have used Edmoto for other MET projects so I was drawn to your entrepreneur. I think it is great that Borg has worked in the education field for 7 years developing IT platforms for education. This tells me that he knows about education and what teachers might want in a program. I would guess (and I know I should not) that he has worked directly with teachers in the past. It's interesting that you say he "plans to stay with the company in any capacity in which they will have him". Is this because he really loves the company or is this statement intended to say that he does not have the same place he did when he co-founded it? It seems like a good company but I wonder if he is an innovator or CEO. Will he stay in the company as a leader or in another capacity? The app itself is great because it has a social feeling while remaining educational.

7 Jun
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danielle @danielle

Hi Anne, Great choice, I have used Edmoto for other MET projects so I was drawn to your entrepreneur. I think it is great that Borg has worked in the education field for 7 years developing IT platforms for education. This tells me that he knows about education and what teachers might want in a program. I would guess (and I know I should not) that he has worked directly with teachers in the past. It's interesting that you say he "plans to stay with the company in any capacity in which they will have him". Is this because he really loves the company or is this statement intended to say that he does not have the same place he did when he co-founded it? It seems like a good company but I wonder if he is an innovator or CEO. Will he stay in the company as a leader or in another capacity? The app itself is great because it has a social feeling while remaining educational.

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7 Jun Posted on Edmodo Review

Hi Anne, Thanks for this analysis of Edmodo. Having been a user of Edmodo over the past 3 years, I have definitely grown to love the platform. I have found that students have gravitated to Edmodo as form of social learning and that students who struggle organizationally in class have benefited greatly from the class calendar function, and having the ability to hand in assignments online. What I like about the story of Nic Borg is that he seems to be a fairly ordinary individual (in terms of background and education), yet his ideas and diligence to his trade have allowed him to succeed to the point of being recognized by Forbes. Obviously this an overly simplistic analysis, but it goes to show that when preparation meets opportunity, good things happen.

7 Jun
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yikwah @yikwah

Hi Anne, Thanks for this analysis of Edmodo. Having been a user of Edmodo over the past 3 years, I have definitely grown to love the platform. I have found that students have gravitated to Edmodo as form of social learning and that students who struggle organizationally in class have benefited greatly from the class calendar function, and having the ability to hand in assignments online. What I like about the story of Nic Borg is that he seems to be a fairly ordinary individual (in terms of background and education), yet his ideas and diligence to his trade have allowed him to succeed to the point of being recognized by Forbes. Obviously this an overly simplistic analysis, but it goes to show that when preparation meets opportunity, good things happen.

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6 Jun Posted on Edmodo Review

Hi Anne, thanks for including the video. The interviewer actually asked some of the questions I had about Edmodo! I thought Nic Borg's explanation of "social learning platform" was excellent. I've heard of Edmodo many times but have not personally used it. After reading your post and watching the interview, I think it truly filled a need in the classroom. ~Kirsten

6 Jun
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Kirsten @kng2013

Hi Anne, thanks for including the video. The interviewer actually asked some of the questions I had about Edmodo! I thought Nic Borg's explanation of "social learning platform" was excellent. I've heard of Edmodo many times but have not personally used it. After reading your post and watching the interview, I think it truly filled a need in the classroom. ~Kirsten

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5 Jun Posted on Edmodo Review

Hi Anne, Your mention of Nic's personal/professional experiences (in addition to his qualifications) as having helped catalyze the venture, helps to illustrate his motivation. He had an idea, and he certainly went after it! If I had to sum the value proposition up in one sentence I'd say this is definitely the splicing of social media tools and education into a platform to support learning. This is something that not all other learning platforms attempt or can attest to. Social media is a very large part of digital culture currently, particularly that of the "net-gen" (if they can all be lumped into one category that is). It is an interesting selling point to use the tools/practices of the generation to fuel the project's success. The video certainly highlights this aspect well so I appreciate it's inclusion. It's too bad it's so hard to find info on his team structure. I wonder if you think this might hurt the reputability of the venture at all?

5 Jun
0 Thumbs Up!
Bobbi K @bobbik

Hi Anne, Your mention of Nic's personal/professional experiences (in addition to his qualifications) as having helped catalyze the venture, helps to illustrate his motivation. He had an idea, and he certainly went after it! If I had to sum the value proposition up in one sentence I'd say this is definitely the splicing of social media tools and education into a platform to support learning. This is something that not all other learning platforms attempt or can attest to. Social media is a very large part of digital culture currently, particularly that of the "net-gen" (if they can all be lumped into one category that is). It is an interesting selling point to use the tools/practices of the generation to fuel the project's success. The video certainly highlights this aspect well so I appreciate it's inclusion. It's too bad it's so hard to find info on his team structure. I wonder if you think this might hurt the reputability of the venture at all?

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