Welcome!

It is safe to say that as educators, parents, and administrators, we want what is best for our students. We will strive for greatness, revolutionize lesson plans, and get our children involved; we won't stop until we feel they are getting the best education available. We have wonderful technology: computers, monitors, document cameras, but those are generally only used in the classroom by the teacher. But, what if students could collaborate and learn online while still in school? What if they could engage online with their classmates during the school day? What if teachers could create lessons that were set up to supplement a unit of study and watch students interact in a virtual world? As adults, this is something we know our students are great at and is something they enjoy. What if they had access to all materials, could chat with their classmates "after hours", could engage in a thoughtful discussion, could edit a google document that was shared with their group but was always accessible via a Learning Module System? What if, right? What if these learning platforms were free and easy to use? Enough with the "what if", because the new question is, "Why not?" This blog will be about how we should download and utilize a LMS called Schoology in the secondary level to co-exist with our in-class instruction and how we can eventually use it for hybrid-style learning.

A Learning Management System is an online community for students, teachers and even parents to collaborate with their classes. Educators can create classes to mirror those of their teaching-load and have yet another effective learning community, albeit online. We currently have access to Moodle, yet aren't fully trained, nor have a lot of staff taking advantage of this LMS, and I believe that is solely because they don't understand the benefits. Education will continue to change, and it will leave us behind if we don't take advantage of all that is offered. We want the best for students, right? We just can't stop in the classroom, we have to extend it and create a form of distance learning for students via a LMS.

I think its very important that we stay competitive as a high school, and many schools are converting over to using systems such as Schoology. We have had access to Moodle, but no one uses it,and in my opinion, Schoology would be more beneficial and user friendly. The above graphic shares some details about LMS systems, and I think it is good to note that studies said learning can happen 50% faster online than in a classroom. This makes me think, are we challenging our students? Are we reaching them in all ways possible? I also think it is important to note from this image some of elements a good LMS will have. One that I think would be crucial for us as educators would be the collaboration aspect. I don't think we reach our students enough as they reach each other and if we put ourselves in that e-world and "chat/collaborate " with them, I think we could see big changes in their learning! One more benefit to mention is the cost. This system is FREE to use!

Because times have changed drastically and our students are more in-tune with technology, it is our job to keep up with them. While the older generations see the phones, computers, devices, etc. as a nuisance, our students see them as a way of life, and they truly are good at using them. By incorporating a LMS into our classrooms and using them as a hybrid platform to our in-class lessons, we can ignite more excitement, open more doors for conversation/collaboration, have better communication with parents and "keep up" with them as they continue to take over the world with their "techy-ness".

In an article from The New York Times, Schools Go Into the 'Cloud' to Embrace the Popularity of Social Media , Sonia Jessup discusses the elements of social media and how they are being incorporated into these learning management systems. As someone who uses social media sites, this feature makes it quite easy to navigate and makes it feel "comfortable" to use. She writes, "Several start-up companies have begun offering cloud-based platforms that combine education and social media. Companies like Teamie, based in Singapore, provide software that lets teachers create, share and manage academic content, and also let students collaborate on assignments on platforms that are similar to the 'walls' used on Facebook". These kids are the future and this is what they use! Companies are creating these systems to cater to their technological talents, and by not using them, we are essentially taking away from them!

In this blog, I will write more about Schoology and how we can use it at Olivet, the ideas of social presence and how to incorporate it as much as possible, emerging pedagogies and supporting technologies, the implications of digital natives and digital immigrants, and more! Let's take our students and their education to the next level!

I should probably share a little bit about my background when it comes to online education. I am currently a grad student in CMU's Educational Technology program. I take back-to-back 8 week courses over 2 years and currently have only three more classes to go until I consider myself a "master" of ed. tech! The course I am currently in is called, "Distance Education", and I have been learning a lot about how to make online learning work in all different formats. This course has taught me how to create a unique learning environment in the online world, and I feel very confident that I can help our school implement and become everyday users of Schoology. I want to share all I can with my co-workers to continue our work as professionals and to better the education of our students!