Not too cool for Schoology

Every teacher needs a good learning management system or LMS. (Every teacher also needs an awesome Library Media Specialist, also known as an LMS!) LMSs are defined as "a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, and delivery of educational courses or training programs". (Wikipedia)

Why do teachers need effective LMSs? LMSs allow teachers to deliver content to students, individualize and differentiate instruction, track progress, and incorporate social learning experiences. A good LMS allows teachers to interact with students, allows students to interact with each other, and helps everyone be organized, teachers and students alike.

What to consider when choosing a LMS?

1) How does it work with my content? Can I easily upload and manipulate information specific to my students' needs?

2) How is it accessed? What devices can be used to access it?

3) Consider the features. Some products offer a lot of bells and whistles that are cool but unnecessary. Think about what you want your LMS to do for you and your students.

4)  Cost. Some districts have LMSs in place and some use systems like Infinite Campus that track grades and attendance but also have options that work similarly to LMSs. Many of these LMSs are free or have free versions.

5) District expectations and limitations. Is there a program that your district expects you to use or not use? I heard a horror story recently from a colleague that invested time in setting up a LMS for her students only to be told that the district expected her to use their platform and that other platforms weren't allowed. Yikes!

My top 5 LMSs

1) Schoology
2) Canvas
3) Blackboard
4) Moodle
5) Google Classroom*

*There are some that argue that Google Classroom is not a true LMS. If you look at the definition and functionality of LMSs a case can be made that Google Classroom is not an LMS. However, I included it on the list because so many teachers love it. For more information on the subject, check out this blog post from Alice Keeler.

I am a Schoology fan. I love Schoology's ease of use, features, and social learning capabilities. I also like that I can add web tools to Schoology, like Answer Garden. I have always used the free version but the paid version is even better! As an added bonus, you can now upload material from Google Drive into Schoology.

If you would like to check out a Schoology course I created, go to Schoology and sign up (it's free). Go to Courses then click on Join. Use course code KC4J7-B7HFD (it is case sensitive). For privacy reasons, there are no students and no student work in this course. This very brief screencast can help you join the course.

For more information on picking a LMS, try this article from K-12 Blueprint.

Image courtesy of  Schoology (www.schoology.com) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.