Schoology

PROS & CONS

What are the best aspects of this product?

We started using Schoology an year ago and I can clearly say that our students and teachers love the platform. It is friendly solution for both teachers and students. The gradebook provides real-time reports with essential information for both students and teachers. The team behind this platform is proactive and they are always open to hear their customers’ feedback.

What aspects are problematic or could work better?

I’d like an option to roll out curriculum edits to all courses by using the materials and assessments.

What specific problems in your company were solved by this product?

Our teachers and students love the models and social media interface patterns. Our teachers can have great interaction with our students and they can send them video materials and our students can leave feedback.

Are you a current user of this product?

Yes

PROS & CONS

What are the best aspects of this product?

There are no benefits to this product that other LMS do not have.

What aspects are problematic or could work better?

The support team/company does not listen to teachers. There are many features that HUNDREDS of teachers have requested, some dating back SEVEN YEARS or more that have never been added and are STILL being requested. The features that Schoology adds are not the features that teachers ask for or care about. When you look at their dashboard that shows what features they are researching, developing, or have completed, none of them are the features that hundreds of teachers, including myself actually want.The system glitches often and crashes often, and I have never once been able to talk to customer support. My students have been using this system for 12 weeks now and are still struggling with it. It takes so many clicks just to find one assignment. There are so many features that don't work well. For example: when uploading zoom recordings from class I make sure that my files are in the correct format and under the size limit, but, for reasons unknown, sometimes it will take 3 tries to upload a video, receiving the error message "unsupported file or directory," even though it is the same file type I upload every day in each of my classes. When you copy assignments to other courses, instead of creating drop down files where you click on the quarter, then the week, then the day (which is how we have it set up), it shows every single folder for the whole year in one drop down box, forcing you to scroll extremely far to get to the correct folder, this is also true when trying to save assignments to the correct resources folder. On the main page it shows the oldest missing work first, instead of that day's assignments, making it difficult for students to easily see which assignments they need to complete for that day. You also cannot fully control the notifications you get from your courses, making the notifications useless as I receive so many of them. When I post an update with my schedule or chart or anything else I format in a document then copy and paste, but schoology never formats correctly and changes how everything looks, which is why I wish I could add a picture in line with text so I can just screenshot the schedule or post I made. Also, you cannot put a link in line with text unless you format the link in a document and copy and paste, writing the url in the text does not format it as a clickable link. The messages are not easily navigated. You cannot search for messages or see messages you just sent to one student, if you want to find a message you have to just keep scrolling. Also, when it comes to integrating other curriculum websites with Schoology, it is at an extra cost. My school uses MyMath and Savvas which both integrate for free with Google Classroom. I have to jump through hoops to assign lessons from these curriculum websites to my students, so I can 1. grade the assignment and 2. not have to have my third graders log into 20 different websites just to complete their assignments.

What features/services would you like to see in future versions of this product?

I want it to be easier for my students to find assignments, without having to click, click, click, click. I want to be able to delete an assignment submission if it is wrong, my students often submit blank assignments or the wrong assignment and there is nothing you can do. It will tell me I need to grade it and there is no way to decline the assignment without just grading it with a 0 and asking the student to reupload. I want to be able to submit assignments for students if we do something together online and I type for them. I want to be able to make duplicate assignments in my course instead of having to save it to my resources then reupload. I want to be able to manage my settings and my student's settings so I can make it easier for them to navigate. I also would like to be able to upload a picture in line with text. There should also be a 'message the teacher' button directly on each course, so students will message the correct teacher. I always get messages regarding assignments that are not mine. You should also be able to edit the banner message without having to post a new update.

What specific problems in your company were solved by this product?

None. My students and colleagues used Google Classroom last year and loved it. They understood it and were able to navigate it. Using Schoology has added more stress to teachers and students.

Are you a current user of this product?

Yes

PROS & CONS

What are the best aspects of this product?

Schoology combines all aspects of classroom management into organized interface. This system does great job when it comes to collaborating and integrating with other school softwar and utilities such as: EduCannon, GoogleDrive and TurnItIn.

What aspects are problematic or could work better?

They constantly improve the product but often times its features take some time in order to make their way to the user.

What specific problems in your company were solved by this product?

It helps us to streamline the individual aspects of classroom management. We don’t have to use separate software for all the things we are doing like attendance, grading, and feedback from students/techers and parents.

Are you a current user of this product?

Yes

PROS & CONS

What are the best aspects of this product?

I like that I can support my students and assess their learning on the go. This system allows me to create educational playlists and separate learning modules that challenge my students constantly. My students can have better control over the time, place of learning and speed.

What aspects are problematic or could work better?

I have great experience with Schoology, they constantly update the product, release features and they always hear their customers’ feedback.

What specific problems in your company were solved by this product?

With this tool I can meet my students’ needs and to implement successful learning model into the classroom and I can provide individualized learning opportunities to my students daily.

Are you a current user of this product?

Yes

PROS & CONS

What are the best aspects of this product?

I can organize class information into folders through Schoology. I like that there is integration with videos/Quizlet and other tools and this means that our students can access it directly from this system instead of redirecting students to other sites. I like that it keeps things streamlined and simple.

What aspects are problematic or could work better?

I don’t like the mobile version. There is no option to locate folders easily especially those folders with functioning issues.

What specific problems in your company were solved by this product?

It helps us to work independently. Materials are easily accesssible and we cna submit them on the time. It is great for teaching organization and time management skills. We are using it on a daily basis.

Are you a current user of this product?

Yes