Learning Management Systems:A learning management system is a type of software for teachers, principals, or other administration to use for the use of students. It's a way to provide documentation, tracking on how the students are keeping up with the course, and delivering course objectives through technology.
A few examples of learning management systems:
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Schoology |
Schoology is a type of learning management system that is used for any age type in any type of school; elementary school, middle school, high school, college, tech schools, etc. It's a great tool for all ages and it engages the use of technology for students in several aspects. In a way it's similar to Facebook but completely used for school reasons.
A few features Schoology involves:
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*Images above are screenshots of my own Schoology account*
My use of Schoology and other LMS programs:
There are several ways you can incorporate Schoology into any type of classroom. The different tools in the program allow you to apply all aspects of teaching and learning into the classroom. Schoology could be used for the regular teaching style or also in a flipped classroom type. The boundaries are wide and allow quite a bit of creativity on ways of teaching to make it more exciting for students to learn. Most students will be excited about using technology for learning as they begin, then they will hopefully realize how a helpful tool like Schoology can create organization and keep them on task and set for success in the classroom. As a future Elementary or Special education educator the use of Schoology won't be as extreme and extensive as it would be for older students. I can begin a semester with my young students with a forum, depending on the age. Not all students in the younger elementary ages are able to read right away, spell very well, or type on a computer. So I could compose a different type of forum, it could be on a different collaborative tool. I would post the link on the Schoology account as a forum with a link. The link could lead them to a collaboration tool, for example: Educreations. They can create a drawing describing themselves and save their drawing to share in class the next day or submit it to the forum. That could be used for younger ages such as: kindergarten - first grade. If this applies to older students; second grade - fifth grade the students could actually type a few sentences describing themselves and their interests. This could be a fun way to begin the course and include a chance for me to get to know the students, the students to get to know their peers, and for the students to get to know me as a teacher as well. I believe Schoology can be offered in multiple circumstances but it may need to be altered in different ways regarding the students needs and abilities. It's a great learning management system but just like any application, the teacher needs to find a way to apply it appropriately to the classroom.
My Schoology site:
Here are some examples of what you can do on Schoology and how it applies to the classroom.
This is a good way of introducing yourself to your classroom. I created a screencast showing different images that describe me and where I'm from. So I create a new page on Schoology naming it "About Myself". On the page a posted a link for the video so the kids can watch it. As a teacher you can decide how extensive to make this. It can be a simple post of the kids viewing it and that's it, or you could turn it into a forum where the kids right about themselves in their as well.
This is a PDF article regarding technology in the classroom. You can post any kind of PDF on the page. All you have to do is go on the "add materials tab", then select "add file/link/external tool", then you can add any link you would like or upload a file. It's cool to have the article right on the page and it's easier access for the students to reach.
Teachers can also create quizzes and exams on Schoology. Instead of the intimidation of tests in school this allows the students to take the course outside of class. For example: you can have the students read and article then create a quiz based on the article. They can do this as homework so they will be done before class time. Another benefit of this feature is students find out how they did on the quiz or exam right away, which is something I always wanted.