Learning Management System: WHAT is it and WHY should you care?

Learning Management Systems (LMS) seem to be ALL the rage right now in education. So what are they? Basically an LMS is a digital platform for students to interact with one another, receive digital lessons and resources, and turn in assignments. With the emergence of blended learning and digital learning, different LMS platforms have become more and more popular across the world. The video below gives an even more in-depth answer to explain exactly what an LMS is. 

So now you're probably saying, "This seems great and all, but why do I need one of the LMS platforms? What I'm doing works and has always worked!" To that I will add that today's students are living in a time that is like none that we've previously seen. Their futures will continue to revolve around technology and the use of all sorts of digital tools and resources. Why not incorporate what you're doing in your classroom every day with the technology and tools that they will need to succeed in their futures? 

You also are probably saying, "This seems great and all, but it also seems like a lot of work and like it would take a lot of time to set up!" To that I will add that you probably aren't wrong in thinking that initially. It can be a little bit of a learning curve when you are initially setting up your LMS and it will also take some time for you AND your students to get used to using it regularly. But what I can attest to is the MASS amount of time and energy that you will save once that learning curve is over. Think of all the quizzes and tests that will automatically be graded for you using these LMS platforms. Think of how quickly and easily you can give students feedback on assignments, or how efficiently you could grade essays and writing assignments. These platforms are designed to make the teacher workload LESS consuming but MORE powerful. 

MOST IMPORTANTLY I will add that you don't need to be technologically inclined to make one of these LMS platforms work for you, you just have to have a little bit of patience and be willing to try it. I'm not talking about looking at it for a few hours and deciding it's too much work upfront... I'm talking about REALLY trying it. Use it for a unit or a quarter and have your students give you feedback! You have to be all in to make this work for you. I honestly cannot image that you'll be disappointed if you do!

Need more convincing? Click HERE to read a short article about the Top 8 Benefits of using a Learning Management System in your classroom!

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This week I dove into exploring a few different LMS systems that I was not super familiar with. As a previous user of Blackboard and a current user of Google Classroom, I have to admit that I wasn't too enthused about trying ANOTHER LMS to see what it was all about. (Some of you may be reading this and thinking the same thing)... But after giving it a real try and letting myself explore the different tools and features available in some of the different options, I was pleasantly surprised. The two LMS platforms that I dove deeper into were Schoology and Edmodo. I had heard of both of these platforms before but had done very little research into how they worked and what they had to offer. What I found was that the two are exceptionally similar in use, but that the outlay and look of them is very different. Edmodo takes on a bit of "Facebook" style look and seems to be built to look more like a social media site. Schoology is a bit different and is organized more by assignment, quiz, or resource. Both of these platforms offers one tool that I feel Google Classroom is really missing: Connectivity. In Schoology you can search for resources and ideas that other educators have made public and shared with the Schoology community. In Edmodo you can join "groups" where other likeminded teachers share lessons, resources, and even assessments with one another. These connectivity pieces really allow you collaborate with other educators across the country and could even be used as a digital collaboration tool for teachers within your building! The image below shows some of the similarities and differences between Schoology, Edmodo, and Google Classroom. 

Overwhelmed about which LMS to try? Here are my thoughts... If you're just starting out, I don't think there is a wrong answer for which LMS to use. I think you have to choose the one that feels the most user friendly for you and your students. Even after seeing all of the awesome features of Schoology and Edmodo, I don't know that I will switch from using Google Classroom because I am familiar with it, my students are familiar with it, and it does everything that I need it to do right now. There isn't one right answer. And there are FAR more choices to choose from than just these three. I won't even go as far as to recommend one over the other, but I will say that you need to do your research before you make that decision for your classroom. Not sure where to even start? Click HERE for a great article about what you should consider before you make that choice. The most important thing is that you MAKE THE CHOICE to use an LMS in the first place! You will thank yourself later!