Many teachers at Ludlow High School have started using a new Facebook-like website called Schoology. Teachers use it to post homework, hold discussions, list upcoming events, and numerous other activities in their daily classes.
“I used to use Edmodo for the class website but Schoology offers more features,” said English Teacher Charlie Cangemi, “The discussion feature is better and I’m using a blog feature on Schoology that Edmodo didn’t have.”
In addition to the typical homepage and course profile page, Schoology offers pages for discussions, quizzes, course materials, homework, calendars, messaging and email, a smartphone app, and more.
The discussion pages let teachers post questions where students can answer them in a prompt, or even ask further questions, receive help, and get tips from their teacher. In addition, their website claims it offers instructional tools which let teachers “pace students individually and implement group-based learning.”
Teachers who use Schoology agree that the features are better than any other website and it was easier to learn how to use.
“I thought it would be a good tool to use for the 21st century. It is a good place for students to access homework, and when you take college courses, most of them require online activities,” said Mark Augusto from the math department, who is a first time user of Schoology or any other course-related website.
A lot of teachers will admit that they didn’t just happen to discover Schoology on their own, they got the idea from Mr.Chris Rea from the English department, who was getting bored with Edmodo.
“In the summer I like to think about ways to improve the classroom using technology,” Rea said.
One aspect about Schoology that Rea likes better than Edmodo, or any other website, is its design and how it appears to be more mature for high schoolers.
“It looks more professional and it’s straightforward,” Rea said.
Many teachers have adapted to using Schoology and are getting involved in technology, but on the other hand, some students don’t like using it at all.
In a random (non-scientific) class poll, 8 out of 24 students in the class admitted to not liking Schoology, including junior Alyssa Szymczyk.
“It’s a waste of time because you have to check it constantly to get the homework and sometimes I forget to, so I don’t do my homework since it’s not in my agenda,” she said
Some students, like Jacqueline Dias, also a junior at LHS, share the bright side of having access to a website like Schoology.
“I like it because normally I would have to chase down someone to find out what the homework was. Now I can just go online and check, and with the smartphone app, it’s even easier.”