Schoology Software

Pros

Robust assessment creation feature allows random selection of questions from question banks, resulting in a unique assessment for every student. Layout looks familiar to students, so its use is intuitive to them. Scoring with a rubric is amazingly simple.

Cons

Sometimes drop-down menus overlap windows, making it difficult to complete tasks that require the use of both.

As a former English teacher, it was so nice to have students be able to speak their voice in a setting they may not have been comfortable with prior to using Schoology. We were able to do many of the same discussions with our Bible students as well. It really helped in studying scripture passages.

Pros

I love the addition of the discussion board feature. Requiring students to post prior to seeing other students' post makes it easier to ensure they are not summarizing/rewording someone else's post. This was something that several teachers at my school requested and Schoology was very quick to implement it.

Cons

I really have nothing negative to say about the software. Many teachers at our school had a real problem with handing over a copy of our drivers licenses to a company when we already had a full background check with our school during the hiring process. It felt like a violation of privacy.

The teachers really liked using it. Nobody really had any problems while we were using it.

Pros

Integration ability was really good. They sync with a large number of third parties and if there was a feature that they didn't have then they were most likely already working on getting it implemented. It was very easy for the IT Department to manage.

Cons

The support was not bad, but it could have been better. My only real complaint was that in the middle of the year there was a new requirement that tried to force all of our user's to email Schoology a copy of their drivers licenses or our data was going to be deleted. This was a few years ago when this happened because of a change in their privacy policy, but we are considering moving back to using Schoology as our LMS again.

I use Schoology for almost all of my course work. I teach using the flipped classroom model and Schoology's platform allows me to share my lecture videos, conduct assessments of student knowledge and understanding, to give assignments, and to provide communication with students and parents. All of my content is available to my students through Schoology 24/7, I can make it available in a variety of ways, and I can make updates in real time. Recently, Schoology's introduction of the Google Assignment App has me excited about our switch to Chromebooks. This app allows you to attach a Google Doc (say a study guide) as part of an assignment. When students open the assignment the document is copied, renamed, and added to their Google Drive. No more students opening or copying a new version of the document each time they go back to the assignment instead of to the copy they made but didn't actually rename like the directions stated. The document is 'tied' to the assignment and updates no matter where they work on it from (inside the assignment or through their Google Drive.)

Still to come, a cleaner looking interface with differentiation for elementary students!

Pros

+Google Assignment App - this is a game changer for schools using Google and Chromebooks.
+Most open LMS - it integrates with more outside apps and programs.
+New interfaces on the way - a cleaner look for all and an elementary version of the interface.
+More question types coming for assessments including labeling.
+Options are available for assessment monitoring for schools and districts.

Cons

-I wish I could move and resize pop up editing boxes. I create complex and visual landing pages with hyperlinks for my students. I wish that box were able to be made bigger and many pop up boxes cover information on the page that would be helpful when working in the box.
-Settings and due dates for assessments are in two completely different places when creating them. One is in a tab in the content area, the other is in the creation "gear" menu. If both are not set correctly, your assessment will not work.

LMS helps teachers to give out virtual assignments and grade them easily. Export/Imports through software with API make integrating with other SIS systems quick and easy.

Pros

Easy to use, simple clean UI, they have an app, many options to import to quickly get started. Also, they have an API that is well documented.

Cons

There are annotation aspects for drawing on worksheets, what I do not like is there is two different version. One is really one looking and isn't really intuitive.

I love having used Schoology in the past when teaching HS English an gamifying my classroom. I now utilize Schoology for professional development purposes. This allows me to create and offer my teachers anytime, anywhere, self-paced learning modules.

Pros

Schoology truly focuses their attention on personalized student learning. The features to set completion settings and afford students the opportunity to complete units/lessons/folders at their own pace is truly a game-changer. With that, it works perfectly when trying to gamify your classroom with the added benefit of included badges.

Cons

Navigation and ease of use require a little bit of time to play around and get comfortable with the program. So many added benefits and features are within other options. But once you figure them out (like embedding other apps into Schoology) they become the norm.

Pros

Ease of use, continual upgrades, available both in web and app version, LTI compliant, robust grading features such as rubrics and customizable grading scales, mastery grading features...The App, in particular, is very easy to grade on, as it allows for easy inking on student submissions. It has also been used that students can submit work on their phones if their regular laptops are not working.

Cons

The calendar feature is relatively weak. It would be great if that were better able to connect and sync with Google calendar and Outlook.

We are a 1:1 district and this product gave us the capability to fully integrate our technology in a meaningful way that still focused on the curriculum.

Pros

Schoology is intuitive and it is ever-evolving. It is one of the only LMS's that will work for grades K-12.

Cons

I wish that they had an add on feature for it to be an SIS so it could be a total one stop shop. The gradebook will not fit into one screen. You must still scroll up and down and side to side.

I really like Schoology and have used it both as student and teacher over the past few years. The interfacing is great, I love the course formatting and functionality, and the ability you have to access individual units/lessons is fantastic. Generally speaking, the only breakdowns in functionality come with email or non email notifications, which quickly clog up and take some tedious time to sort out or filter. It's a small complaint for otherwise fantastic and very easy to use software. The ability for teachers to add assignments with deadlines, be it final drafts or check ins, is great and incredibly useful. The formatting for graded assignments is good, as students are able to compare drafts with graded projects, which I feel is a huge step up in how they perceive their grades and work flow.

Moodle. Blackboard. Edmodo. Google Classroom. Each year of teaching seemed to bring with it another piecemeal LMS until we found Schoology! Schoology allows our teachers, students, admin and community to stay informed and connected. As a teacher, Schoology was easy to figure out due to its intuitive platform. I love the various features and app integrations that allow students to do much of their online learning within the platform avoiding third party site visits and lots of extra clicking. As an Enterprise user, I also appreciate the SIS integration with PowerSchool that automatically transfers student grades from Schoology. The group feature allows me to easily send updates about One-Act and Speech practice schedules or leave time reminders that can be routed to students' phones, and the groups also provide excellent PLNs for various topics. Admins have begun harnessing the power of online professional development modules via Schoology as well. Students enjoy the calendar view, which we have taught them to use like a planner and appreciate the quick feedback from assessments. Parents enjoy more transparency about what is going on at school and the media albums work great for capturing all of the awesome learning that needs to be recognized and celebrated. As a BlendEd Learning leader, Schoology is integral to day to day planning and organization.

I also appreciate that Schoology is very responsive to user issues and requests. Their Client Success team is there to answer questions and trouble shoot when you need them, and the product developers are always taking suggestions and creating new features to make the platform more user friendly for teachers and students.

Unlike previous platforms, Schoology is my one-stop shop that is here to stay! After four years of use, I couldn't imagine teaching without it!

Pros

-Ease of use
-Groups provide online PLNs
-Supportive client services
-Excellent BlendEd Platform
-Can align with CC or state standards
-Allows for competency-based grading (Mastery via Enterprise)
-Parent log in options (one log in for all of their kids)
-App works well on Mac and Android devices

Cons

-Can't create reoccurring events or assignments (yet)
-PowerSchool Pro and Schoology integration in beta only (Enterprise)

Advice to Others

-Enterprise version is worth the cost for integration with SIS but free version works great too!
-Pairs well with Notability app for paperless users

I am the instructional technologist at a private high school, which means I spend lots of time working with teachers on integrating new technologies into the classroom.

Pros

Most parts are pretty intuitive, but for slower learners, it can seem like a pretty big learning curve. Customer service is fantastic.

Cons

Cannot undo in gradebook, occasional glitches in gradebook-SIS sync that tech support is still working on.

Advice to Others

While there are some drawbacks to Schoology, they are getting better!

In my 4th year of teaching, my school district made staff aware of Schoology. As someone who taught in a computer lab, the LMS was fairly easy to incorporate. I shared content with my neighbor and together we began building our course splitting the workload. The use of groups and groups resources was probably the best part of teaching that year. We easily shared assignments, quizzes, vocabulary etc...By the time we started the next school year, our course was completely built, with a few tweaks, given feedback we had literally planned the entire 1st semester in the first 2 days of in-service.

In addition with the integration of the content's vocabulary right into schoology (quizlet) we were able to manage our "bell ringers" which were study opportunities for students. Students quiz grades began to rise , and I observed positive study habits occurring. The instant feedback also helped with students. In addition my time spent grading was greatly reduced. I introduced rubrics which were very easy to use and share with my colleague.
Overall I believe Schoology to be a great resource for educators. Some things that set it apart from other LMSs:
PLC groups
Post questions or concerns and quickly hear from educators around the world.
Immediate Feedback for students
Save Collaborative ways for students to learn and engage
Built in App intergration
Shared resources & Public Resources

Some items that still need work:
Discussions between all courses instead of just sections
Portfolios/Media Albums : needs to be more interactive, more robust
More intuitive Grade book
Free Lockdown Browser

I discovered this software during a professional development course I ran in Massachusetts for High School educators. The software is easy to use and makes course organization a simple task. I would love to learn more about it.

Pros

UX.

Cons

How you select courses.

In my 7 years as a teacher, I was always looking for the latest and greatest tools. The one thing that never changed, was Schoology. They are constantly improving their product and updating to make it better. I used all the free features of Schoology with my students. We took all of our assessments via their platform. They submitted assignments, essays, and projects via the other software. I was able to easily attach rubrics to the work that students were creating. My favorite piece was the discussions. It allowed me to elicit responses from all students, not just the ones who were willing to raise their hands. I would often use the online discussions to facilitate a face to face discussion in class the next day. I was able to use the responses from the online portion to direct and call out specific responses that could further our in class discussion. Schoology is an all around great tool, if you are looking for an LMS, it would be a mistake not to consider Schoology.

In my current role, I provide more professional development support. I am working with teachers on their implementation of Schoology and other tools. Schoology allows me a way to deliver online courses to teachers and support them in their growth. It is a great experience for our teachers to use Schoology as a student, this gives them the perspective they need when it is time to work with their students. It also affords us the opportunity to show them some best practices of using an LMS. Schoology is a winner in every way, I wouldn't be where I am today without Schoology, and our teachers wouldn't be making the gains they are without the support of Schoology.

Pros

There is an instant comfort to using Schoology for students and teachers. Most things are very easy to find and within a couple uses, teachers begin to develop confidence with the program. As a teacher, I was easily able to teach myself (with some online guidance) how to accomplish what I needed. The range of options available for free is outstanding and the paid version just adds the icing to the cake!

Cons

There are times where it seems like I have to click a lot of buttons to execute something. There are some quirks (as there are with many programs) that don't seem 100% logical to me. With that said, Schoology is always willing to listen, things may not be fixed immediately but it is nice to know they are aware.

Advice to Others

If you are looking for an LMS you really need to consider Schoology. Take the time to really dive into it and you will be rewarded.

Schoology has helped tremendously in our district where we have a technology rollout of one computer for every student. As a grade 3-5 computer teacher, it is an amazing tool that I can use where students can submit their work to me effortlessly. When they submit a word document, I can see a preview on my computer or use their mobile application. Schoology enables my 400 students to work at their own pace. If a student finishes an assignment early, they can easily move on to the next assignment.

With the ages that I have in class, students love receiving badges for completing missions in Schoology. In addition to the benefits for students, I am able to set up groups with colleagues so that we can communicate and share resources.

Pros

I enjoy the ease that students have when they are using Schoology. It allows students to instantly access everything for my classroom in one central location. At an elementary school, time is very important. My favorite aspect of Schoology is that I can have a list of websites, assignments, and tests all in one unit that students can access in one location. Students know as soon as they get to my class, they will be getting on Schoology.

Cons

I wish they had an automatic badge dispersal system when a student scores at least XX on an exam. As of now, if a student scores a high enough score, you have to go to the badges category to award them that badge.

I like what it promises but some one did exactly the same thing hear in east Africa, but instead of focusing on just one school, the target each and every school, every teacher, and Student who can access any computing device

Overall, I get what I need from this program. I've had a hard time trying to change my password from what the school set up to what I would like it to be.

Pros

I can stay on top of things that happen at school.

Cons

It is more complicated that I'd like.

I use Schoology in all aspects of my classroom. I create and share resources with other teachers in my district. I share resources with my students. I use Schoology as our online discussion forum. I create assignments/quizzes/tests in Schoology to help with paper clutter. I use the audio function in Schoology to help differentiate assessments. I also use Schoology to keep track of my Relay for Life group at my school where I can share event dates, updates, and important messages. I love that Schoology can be used for teacher-led instruction, but also for students to learn, create, and publish their own work. Schoology is a great tool to use for collaboration as well as differentiation. Super easy to use, and the best part is that there are so many different ways to use Schoology from a Resource Hub for teachers, to a full blown online classroom.

Schoology has forever changed how we teach children and adults in our school district. It is a leverage tool because it has the ability to multiply teacher talent, effort time and resources. Imagine not having to ever manually grade another quiz or test. Also imagine a learning environment where every student has an equal voice through the use of discussion threads. Finally, imagine the possibilities for learning anywhere, by anyone, at anytime. Now imagine Schoology in your school and in your children's life. Would you get excited if I had a magic box and asked you to put $1 into the box, shook it around for a bit, and you reached in and pulled the bill out and discovered it was a $20 bill? That's the type of leverage you can get with Schoology.

Schoology is an all encompassing learning management system (LMS) that allows teachers to expand the walls of the classroom beyond the school day. Students can easily log into their Schoology account and access class materials, watch embedded videos, practice skills, or respond to class discussions. Teachers can organize and create folders and build an entire course throughout the year. The interface has a social media look that can be appealing for students. However, students treat Schoology as a course and not Facebook. Restrictions can easily be enabled to ensure that student's post before they see other responses. The Schoology App works extremely well in a 1:1 iPad classroom. Students can easily add their Google Drive App and submit assignments from Google Drive directly to Schoology. Teachers have an easy toggle feature that allows them to score student work efficiently without opening new tabs for every student assignment. Rubrics can be easily created and directly attached to the assignment. Schoology does platform with Pearson, Powerschool, and many other online sources. Those services provided do cost money. Schoology is COPPA compliant and has signed the Student Privacy Pledge. Videos and tutorials are easily accessible, and the company is very responsive to questions and suggestions.

I was using another popular LMS but found that my students treated it like Facebook. When I switched to Schoology I found that the interface and the assignment feed are easier to manage and sort through. Students treat Schoology as a course and not another form of social media. They respond appropriately and use it as a resource for their learning. Building on-line quizzes take time, but students respond well to receiving the instant feedback. Aa a teacher, I find the assignment feature and uploading from Google Drive seamless. I've been able to leave feedback and not feel overwhelmed reading 100 essays submitted in Schoology. The hardest feature of Schoology is learning and discovering all of the bells and whistles it offers. I would recommend using Schoology with a team of teachers or a colleague. It's much easier to bounce ideas off of each other as you tinker with its features. Once you maneuver through the first weeks of Schoology you won't turn back. I left everything I created on my old LMS and have had no regrets. Schoology is ideal if your looking to go paperless as well.