Transitioning from one technology to another is never easy.The question is always, “Is it worth it?” And, like all tech solutions, the answer is usually “yes” and “no”.
While PowerSchool’s for platform (Unified Classroom) worked a treat for those of us who administered it, PowerSchool’s new platform(Schoology) is by far the choice of students – and that’s more important for us. Schoology is a clean, easy to use, and can be made to look quite pretty.With a good eye for layout and the right images, students are even attracted to click and discover what’s behind them.
Courses can be setup sequentially for long-term students following a complete curriculum, but short-term students can use it dynamically in order to dip into the different part of the curriculum them need to study while with Apricot. That kind of flexibility compliments the flexible teaching practice we employ in our online classrooms. For students and teachers, it just feels more organic.
On the practical side, assignments are easily uploaded andmarked online, interactive activities are built onto the end of course pages for consistency, the gradebook is a click away giving students complete transparency, and internal student-teacher messaging provides a vital part of asynchronous communication. Schoology is integrated into our Student Information System so that every aspect of student work can inform our high-powered and granular reporting.
So, while it’s never easy to onboard a new integral piece of technology into your school or business, it’s worth it if the pros well outweigh the cons. The benefit to our students made that decision easy for us.
