Edmodo

I got an account with the class code in Edmodo. I got an account with a student account and a teacher account to see the perspective the two. Visually, there isn't any real difference between the two account (except perhaps the control aspect, after all, you wouldn't want your students to change the assignments or grades)
I like the fact the website allows the teacher to interact with the students outside of the classroom. I certainly could have used that when I was in grade school and didn't understand the homework assignments or needed tips on how to study for a test.
I'm not too sure if I like the parental access. I'm all for parents to acknowledge education in the sense of progress reports and teachers allowing them to know any difficulty that their child might be having with school. But parents do not need to know every move their child makes, they need to be allowed some freedom and a sense responsibility.

While Blackboard is useful for a college student like me, I can't help but be a little attracted to Edmodo. You have your due dates and assignments and a way to talk to your teachers. In addition, you get badges! Perhaps it's the little kid in me, but I enjoyed that I received a cupcake badge because I joined the group. That's a great incentive for younger children to do the assignments and such.

Another aspect of the site is that the student can add their career goals and their type of learning style, however I would have liked to see some sort of quiz to determine their learning style