Schoology

Learning Management System

Jared Fowler
ITEC 7445
Mrs. Jordan Cameron
July 7, 2020
Emerging Technology
WHAT IS SCHOOLOGY?

Schoology is a cloud-based learning

management solution specializing in
curriculum management, course instruction,
system-wide resource sharing, and
collaboration. 1

Schoology’s mission is to continuously

advance what is possible in education. 2

www.schoology.com
SCHOOLOGY AT COAHULLA CREEK

• The mission of Coahulla Creek High School is to maximize

student learning by providing challenging and engaging
educational experiences in a safe and supportive
environment.
• Schoology supports our mission statement by providing
students an opportunity to claim ownership in their education
inside and outside the classroom.
www.nfhsnetwork.com

• This LMS provides students with a single location to complete

assignments, assessments, access additional resources, and
hold discussions about the content they are learning.
SCHOOLOGY AT CCHS CONTINUED

• Coahulla Creek is a Title 1 school which serves roughly 981 students: 61% qualify for
free or reduced lunch, 12% students with disabilities, and 6% English Language
Learners. 3
• It is important for the school to meet the diverse needs of its students. The school can
meet these needs by providing a learning platform to meet a variety of learning styles.
• Schoology provides a platform for all students to be challenged and engaged through
easily accessible content resources.
• Schoology provides students with a safe and supportive learning environment by
allowing them to move at a slower pace or review materials as needed.
SCHOOLOGY AND LEARNING STANDARDS

• In the Schoology classroom, teachers are able to search Georgia Standards of

Excellence and align them with any materials loaded into the classroom.
• Administrators, teachers, and students can clearly see what standards are linked to each
post, assignment, or assessment.
• Teachers are able to track student progress and enter grades in the Schoology
classroom, which will help them identify students who are or are not meeting the
standards
SCHOOLOGY AND TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS

• Through the regular use of Schoology and activities designed by the teacher, students
will be meeting the ISTE Student Standards.
Students are active in choosing and demonstrating their competency through
choices provided through the platform.
Students learn digital citizenship through local, or global, communication with
teachers and peers on the platform.
Students are able to access videos, simulations, and other resources to help them
investigate complicated concepts and/or issues.
Students can use the integrated educational tools and platforms to solve problems
by creating and testing new solutions.
OBJECTIVES FOR SCHOOLOGY

• Provide the school with an effective learning management system to meet the learning
needs of our diverse students.
• Provide the school with a reliable distance learning platform in case there is another series
of shutdowns due to virus outbreaks.
• Provide the school with a single method to communicate easily with faculty, parents, and
students.
• Provide teachers with a platform where they can hold class discussions or video
conferences (Google Meets) when students are not able to be at school.
• Provide students with one location where they can see lessons, get resources, take quizzes
or tests.
BENEFITS OF SCHOOLOGY

• Schoology is pre-integrated with more than

200+ tools, student information systems (SIS),
and education platforms (e.g. Infinite Campus,
Google Drive, Khan Academy, Newela,
BrainPoP, etc.).
• Allows teachers to have a distance learning
platform already established in the event of
another school shutdown. The class can easily www.schoology.com

transition into distance learning without a

learning curve for the platform.
SCHOOLOGY AND SPECIFIC LEARNING GOALS

• Schoology will help promote a learner-centered classroom

and differentiation by allowing students to self-pace, provide
them with options to demonstrate their understanding in
different ways, or offering leveled assignments.
• Schoology will provide teachers with the capability to make
learning more authentic by linking external resources and
videos into the lesson allowing students to see real-world www.schoology.com

applications to the assignments.

• Schoology can encourage high order thinking skills by
allowing students to reflect on their learning and creating
products to demonstrate their understanding of the content.
SCHOOLOGY AND DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION

• Schoology provides teachers with the ability to differentiate for individual student
learning needs while keeping those differentiations private.
• Teachers can create leveled assignments or assessments to provide students with
options they can choose from based on their individual abilities.
• Students can be provided with options to demonstrate their learning without fear of
being judged by their peers.
• Meets the diverse needs of students by allowing them to move at a slower pace if
needed and the ability to review previous lessons, videos, or resources.
SCHOOLOGY AND COMMUNICATION

• Schools can send announcements to staff, parents, and

students from a single platform.
• Schoology has a mobile platform, so students do not
need a laptop or Chromebook to access the platform.
• Schoology enables collaboration between students, as
well as students and teachers, through online discussions
and/or video conferences. www.schoology.com

• Teachers are able to collaborate with peers locally or

around the world through the Schoology communities
and blogs.
RESEARCH ON SCHOOLOGY

The impact of Schoology in the comprehension of mathematical concepts can be see in

the following statement:
• Imanuel, Waluya, and Mariani 7 state, “it was concluded that the students’ mathematical
creative thinking ability in class using brain based learning assisted by schoology achieve
completeness learning. The students’ mathematical creative thinking ability in classes
using brain-based learning based on schoology is better than classes that use brain-
based learning without schoology-assisted learning”.
RESEARCH ON SCHOOLOGY

The impact of Schoology on writing can be see in the following statement:

• Masyhudianti, Sutomo, & Suparno 8 state, “Schoology is an effective teaching media for
teaching writing….This media is appropriate to the digital native students so they can benefit
their laptop or gadgets to learn at their own pace. This media supports the idea of flexibility,
student- centered learning, and effective learning. Students can open Schoology and learn or
ask a question to the other students or teacher anytime, anywhere, and anywhere they are. As a
consequence, they can be autonomous learners that can stay in touch with the teacher and
classmates in the online class under the guidance of the teacher. Subsequently, students can
be more confident in writing class because they get feedback and comments from the teacher
and classmates that enable them to compare their ability with their friends. Schoology also
enhances interaction between students and teacher, provide active learning, and increase
students’ writing skills so that students will be more motivated in teaching and learning
process.”
•
RESEARCH ON SCHOOLOGY

The impact of Schoology on teaching speaking can be see in the following statement:
• Yuniarti, Mulyadi, and Ifadah 9 state, “After conducting the research, we conclude that
using LMS (Edmodo and Schoology) is effective to teach speaking … especially in
performing the basic speaking elements of pronunciation and grammar .… It can be
drawn from the results of the pre-test and post-test in the experimental group and the
control group. Based on a questionnaire about students’ perception of application
practicality shown.… It is concluded that both the experimental and control group’s
students have the same perception about the application that can help students improve
speaking on pronunciation and grammar .… However, teaching by using the application
should be done both virtual and face-to-face learning to synchronize and make sure the
material will be understood by students.”
EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR SCHOOLOGY

• A 1:1 technology model would be optimal, but for piloting

purposes students in the designated classrooms could be
allowed to bring their own device.
• The best strategy for implementation would be to assign
pilot classrooms to test effectiveness of the LMS. Pilot
classrooms can be chosen from each grade level or
content area.
• The school has 3 Chromebook carts and 3 computer labs.
Two carts and two labs could be designated for the pilot
www.schoology.com
classrooms.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR SCHOOLOGY CONT.

• Teachers will use their county issued laptops to monitor student progress.
• Schoology is a web based learning system. Wireless access to the internet would be
required for the Chromebooks with the bandwidth to support 25-30 computers.
• The students could use their district supplied email addresses to set-up accounts on
Schoology.
• Students would need headphones or earbuds, so students can move at their own pace
and not be distracted by other students pacing of the lessons.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR SCHOOLOGY

• Schoology offers multiple forms of technical support for

administrators, instructors, and students.
• There are step-by-step instructions and how-to videos
provided in the Help Center of the website. The instructions
and videos are broken down by the user: administrator,
instructor, or student.
• There are email options to ask specific questions.
www.schoology.com

• They can also be reached at 1-800-393-7550.

APPLICATION OF SCHOOLOGY

• Schoology is a LMS designed for implementation in grades 5-12.

• Schoology will be used to increase academic achievement by providing instruction
through a digital platform which can be easily accessed.
• The LMS would be used to “flip” the classroom with the main instruction occurring
outside the classroom. This model will allow class time to be used for additional
practice and engaging projects to develop higher order thinking skills.
DISTANCE LEARNING

• The availability of a reliable and uniform

distance learning platform was made
critically important with the recent events
surrounding COVID-19.
• Schoology’s design is built to successfully
transition into a distance learning model
when needed.
• Lessons, assessments, resources, and class
www.schoology.com
discussions can be implemented or
accessed from a single learning platform.
IMPLEMENTATION OF SCHOOLOGY

• The LMS would be implemented for a full year with periodic assessments to determine
its effectiveness and usability.
Assessment would be based on teacher and student usage per week.
Faculty would be surveyed on their perception of the platform.
Parents and student surveys would be taken to provide them with a voice on the
platform.
• Implementing Schoology in the classroom will require whole group instruction as an
introduction and individual professional learning to fully master the platform.
• Teachers would be encouraged to use a “flipped” classroom model to expedite
implementation and facilitate transitions into distance learning.
COST OF SCHOOLOGY

• The LMS offers a free version which meets the basic needs of the typical school
classroom and offers free access to many of the apps we already implement.
• There is a premium version which offers additional support, professional development,
and access to more apps for the LMS. This cost would require a quote and could be
assessed after the pilot period.
• If the school were to choose to fully implement this LMS. A 1:1 technology model
would need to adopted.
COST OF SCHOOLOGY CONT.

• The LMS does not require a laptop, so Chromebooks or tablets would be a cheaper
option.
• The school averages approximately 981 students in a given school year. CNET provides
the following prices for Chromebooks and iPads:
• HP Chromebook 15 ($437) = $428,697
• iPad 7th Generation ($329) = $322,749
• This cost can be reduced if Chromebooks or iPads are bought for the pilot classrooms
until the trial run of the LMS is completed.
• Amazon sells headphones by SmithOutlet in packs of 50 for $119. If the school were to
choose to purchase extra headphones for those students who did not supply their own.
FUNDING FOR SCHOOLOGY

■ Coahulla Creek High School is a Title 1 school, and

according to Title 1 expenditure guidelines, computers and
accessories are acceptable expenditures if they are being
used to meet the academic goals of the student population.
■ Teachers could choose to write proposals for technology
grants such as Classwish or Computers for Learning 6 .
■ Teachers could write proposals for help from the Whitfield www.betterbuy.com
County Education Foundation.
■ The school could submit a needs request on Purposity.
LIMITATIONS OF SCHOOLOGY

Laboratory of Innovative Technology in Education (LITE) in the College of Education at the

University of Houston found 4 :
• Students can navigate away from the main educational focus and get distracted.
• No two accounts can be open at the same time on a computer.
• Student comments/discussions can not be moderated by teachers.

Common Sense Education provided the following information 5 :

• Privacy rating of 63% which issued a warning from the website.
• The privacy issues are linked to the collecting of personally identifiable information (PII),
but the categories of PII collected are indicated.
• PII collected is shared with third parties, but there are contractual limits on third-party
data usage.
REFLECTION

• When I began researching emerging technologies for this assignment, I wanted to find
something I could use in my classroom. I believe Schoology is a great technological resource for
upper elementary, middle, and secondary classrooms. I believe the free version is sufficient for
an individual teacher or maybe a grade level team. If an entire school system wants to
implement the LMS then the enterprise option would be the better choice.
• The benefits of Schoology for teachers, students, and parents are clear to see. The platform
supports the diverse learning needs of students, if used appropriately by the teacher. Students
can move at different paces and review material as needed. Teachers can differentiate to meet
the needs of individual students while providing a safe learning environment. Students can be
provided with learning and assessment choices while maintain a certain level of anonymity from
being in an online classroom. Teachers are provided with a LMS which includes the integration
of multiple educational tools thereby providing a one-stop shop for content delivery and record
keeping. The Schoology platform encourages communication and collaboration. Students can
communicate with the teacher and collaborate with their peers. Teachers can communicate with
students and parents, as well as collaborate with other educators outside the school.
REFLECTION CONTINUED

• While conducting the research for Schoology, I was surprised to find how little research there was
on the effectiveness of the LMS. There was more research done on the usage of the platform, but
very little on the actual impact of student learning. I learned the process of choosing a new
technology to implement in a school is not an easy task. There are many aspects which need to be
looked at in-depth. To properly choose an emerging technology for a school or school system, the
research and selection process should take at least a month if not more. There is also the
consideration if the school or school system has the infrastructure to implement and maintain the
new technology.
• This experience improved my professional practice as a teacher because I had to really consider
how the technology would meet the diverse needs of my students. I had to identify ways in which
this technology could be used to differentiate instruction and assessment. The assignment made
me consider all the ways I could better communicate with my students and parents. As a
technology specialist, this assignment strengthened my understanding of the considerations and
processes administrators must go through to ensure students are receiving the best educational
technology possible.
RESOURCES
1. Software Advise. (2020, July 3). https://www.softwareadvice.com/lms/schoology-profile/
2. Comparably. (2020, July 3). https://www.comparably.com/companies/schoology/mission
3. Governor’s Office of Student Achievement. (2020, July 3). https://schoolgrades.georgia.gov/coahulla-creek-high-school
4. New Technologies & 21st Century Skills. (2020, July 3). http://newtech.coe.uh.edu/tool-name.cfm?
toolid=160&toolname=Schoology
5. Common Sense Education. (2020, July 3). https://www.commonsense.org/education/website/schoology
6. Kajeet. (2020, July 3). https://www.kajeet.net/extracurricular/10-new-grants-for-ed-tech7.
7.Imanuel, I., Waluya, S.B., & Mariani, S. (2019). The Effectiveness of Brain Based Learning Assisted by Schoology towards
Students’ Creative Thinking and Self-Efficacy. Journal of Primary Education, V. 8(9), 274-281. https://journal.unnes.ac.id/
sju/index.php/jpe/article/view/34902/14435.
8. Masyhudianti, U.K., Sutomo, N. & Suparno, S. (2018). The Effectiveness of Schoology to Teach Writing Viewed from
Students’ Creativity. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching, V. 5(4), 943-955. https://files.eric.ed.gov/
fulltext/EJ1250551.pdf
9. Yuniarti, N. E., Mulyadi, D., & Ifadah, M. (2019). The Effectiveness of Edmodo and Schoology in Teaching
Speaking . English Focus: Journal of English Language Education, V. 3(1), 11-20. http://englishfocus.upstegal.ac.id/
index.php/efj/article/view/60/32.