What the heck-no-tec-no is a LMS???

Good even all.  I hope your Easter holiday was half as great as mine!  So much candy, great brunch food, and family time.  The best three day weekend I have ever had!  I am just wondering how I will top my next weekend...

Learning Management Systems

Okay friends, when I first heard of a Learning Management System I was clueless.  Let me give you a quick run down of what exactly a Learning Management System is:

Learning Management System (LMS):  A system which allows instructors to prepare content for the classroom that will also track progress and grades.  

Okay, my definition is a little short so if you would like to get a little more deeper into the discussion then here is a video for your enjoyment.  

What are my options for LMS at my school?

Previously my school used Moodle which I found difficult to maneuver.  I think I would have done much better if some professional development were offered, but I shortly gave up.  Currently we are using Google Classroom which I love, but it is not the most high tech system yet.  I have faith that this is only the beginning for Google, but I must be patient and wait.  I also used blackboard as an undergrad to help set up training for job, but I did not have much to do with that either.  Needless to say I am not an expert on all of the options out there, but I did find a website for your persual right >>> here<<<.  The two I am going to focus on this week are Schoology and Edmodo.  

Edmodo

1.  Edmodo looks like facebook.  This could be a plus or minus depending on what you are looking for your classroom.  I could see this being highly motivating for students to want to work, but on the other hand it doesn't really feel like a "classroom".  

2.  Edmodo has a set up where students can read all about the assignments that are working on without clicking around too much.  Here is an example of a few assignments on my classroom.  

See, everything is posted up front and there is no need for extra clicking around on the students part. This could be very useful for students who are not yet comfortable with using technology.  I find that those students are almost afraid of making extra clicks thinking they might break something.  

3.  Edmodo has a variety of options for teachers to put in as assignments:  Notes, Alerts, Assignments, Quizzes, Polls, and Snapshots. All of these are very easy for teachers to put into the site, but make sure to put them in the order you want them in.  There is not really a way to change the order once it is on the class page.  

4.  Edmodo has a great help page.  >>>Here<<< is a link to their help page so you can get a better idea of what is in Edmodo.  Below I have included a video for the basics of Edmodo. 

In general I think Edmodo is a little easier for a teacher use.  If you are new to using technology (I know you are out there!!!) then start off with Edmodo.  It is very simple to use for both the teacher and student.  I would encourage all technology newbies to check out the Learning Management System.  

Schoology

1.  Schoology set students up in a more of an academic mind set.  It is very clean and not too much on the page. 

2.  Students must click on the assignment to open the whole assignment.  This gives them one thing to focus on at a time.  This could be very helpful for students who struggle to focus on one things at a time.   Here is a peek at my classroom homepage:

When student clicks on the assignments it looks like this:

3.  Schoology has a host of opportunities for giving your students assignments.  Here are some of your options: Assignments, Links, Discussions, Quiz, Blogging, Media Album, and Web Content converted to a zip file.  Like a said several options for teachers and many of them are very advanced.  This would open up complex assignments for the students and make things a little more complex for the teacher.  Although there are a variety of option they are all VERY easy to use.  

4.  One thing I especially love about about Schoology is that you can assign things to specific students.  This is very helpful for differentiating in any classroom.  Have high, medium, low assignments or various literature circle roles.  The ideas are limitless!

5.  There is also an app that classrooms that have ipads can use!  I have not checked out the app, but I have heard great things from other teachers.  

6.  Schoology also has a great help site.  Check it out to get a better idea of what the site is about right >>>here<<<.    Below is a video about how to use Schoology in your classroom.  

Weekly Bonus Tech-Tip

These are just two of a million options of LMS.  If you are not comfortable with these then keep looking.  I would highly suggest that if you prefer one of them then try it out by setting it up for one classroom and doing a trial.  THEN if you still don't like it try out a different one.  Technology is just trial and error.  It takes a little time to get used to something new and the end of the year is the perfect time to try things out.  You have just the right amount of time to test out something and new technology always re-energizes your students.  If it doesn't work out try a different one with your students.  Then next year you are comfortable with the new LMS and ready to set up all of your classrooms for use.  I did this last year with Google Classroom and I was completely prepared for this year. The short testing period and the summer to prepare allow for a great start to my school year.  Now I am an "expert" (ha ha) at using Google Classroom in my school.