It’s official. We are a Schoology district! So what is a Schoology? Schoology is a learning management system that delivers classroom content inside an educational community that is easily accessible from any internet connected device. The Schoology app for iPads works exceptionally well. At the 2014 CODiE awards, known as the “Oscars” for education technology, Schoology took home the award for best K-12 Learning Management System but also the top honor of Best Education Solution.
After piloting Schoology last year in the middle school and 4th grade, the instructional committee approved implementing Schoology districtwide. The middle school team made extensive use of the calendar, and employed the assessment and assignment tools to create lessons, homework, and tests. Video was embedded in lessons, and students also used Schoology for their Information and Communication Technologies portfolio. In the fourth grade, teachers and students had dynamic discussions outside of school hours on books they read as well used Schoology to take tests.
After piloting Schoology last year in the middle school and 4th grade, the instructional committee approved implementing Schoology districtwide. The middle school team made extensive use of the calendar, and employed the assessment and assignment tools to create lessons, homework, and tests. Video was embedded in lessons, and students also used Schoology for their Information and Communication Technologies portfolio. In the fourth grade, teachers and students had dynamic discussions outside of school hours on books they read as well used Schoology to take tests.
Over the summer, we hosted training sessions for Academy and Central School teachers to learn how to use Schoology effectively. Veteran teachers from the middle school were drafted and led breakout sessions on how they used it. Teachers then worked in small groups with the technology and integration team to create material for their classes.
At the Academy, all teachers are posting homework on Schoology, and students have individualized calendars highlighting all of their current assignments. Several groups have been created to communicate with specific individuals, such as the Class of 2018 or the Book Club. At the Central School, reading logs, assignments and tests are being used in 4th and 5th grade. Students love that they get immediate feedback on their knowledge when taking tests. As the year progresses, teachers throughout the elementary grades will be using various features in Schoology. Teachers are looking forward to diving into all the different ways that we can use Schoology with their students. =
We have rolled out parent access this year at the Academy. All parents should have received an email with their access code as well as instructions. If you would like the mail sent again, please contact Ms. Maroon at lmaroon@sau45.org. As the year progresses, we will be rolling our parent access at the Central School. So stay tuned for more information.
Some comments from teachers about Schoology...
“I have gotten excellent feedback from students regarding my new homework system. It’s supported by research, shorter for them, done using technology (Schoology) and creates a digital file of informal fluency assessments. Yey!”
”...teachers are integrating Schoology in their classes, and the students are excited to use it
“Student body seems totally open and interested in Schoology. Bravo tech dept.!! “
We also wrote a blog post about Schoology at http://maipadpilot.blogspot.com/2014/01/schoology-at-moultonborough-academy.html.
