Learning Management Systems

The use of Google Apps in my classroom has been incredibly helpful.  There are so many

different ways to take advantage of the many capabilities of Google, and I love exploring

new ways to use the Apps with my students.  The thing I think I appreciate the most about

Google products is how it is accessible from most devices, and it lends itself to sharing and

collaboration.  I often move between using my Ipad and MacBook and really appreciate how

seamlessly I am able to maneuver Google Apps through these, while my students can

access the same tools and materials on their Chromebooks.  The ease of Google Apps

Docs and Slides makes it very easy for my students to learn quickly, and the sharing

capabilities really increase the collaboration and learning possibilities for my students.

I do not currently use an LMS in my classroom, however, I think our classroom

website, which is a Google site, performs several of the same functions as an LMS.  I use

our classroom site to post calendars, announcements, and links to frequently used sites.

I also use it as a central location for students to find lesson materials, links to

assessments, and additional resources.  I love how Google Sites makes it simple to keep

our classroom and learning materials organized and accessible at school and at home.

While our district is moving in the direction of Canvas for those teachers who were utilizing

Blackboard, I think I would prefer to use Google Classroom as our class LMS.  I really

like how the Google products work so well together and do not create extra work for

my students or myself converting projects to different formats. Another advantage to

Google Classroom is how it may help my students stay organized, no paper means

no lost work or missing calendars. I would also love to see how I could use this tool to

improve the quality and speed of the feedback they receive from their assignments.  One

disadvantage I noticed while researching this tool was that there could be some

issues with editing assignments. It looks like once assignments are shared with

students, they are able to edit them. This could be an advantage when edited

intentionally, but may create problems if students are unfamiliar with the

program or unintentionally change something they did not mean to change.

Overall, I am looking forward to trying out an LMS with my class in the future. I think it

is a great way to encourage good communication with students and their parents,

while also increasing the organization of my students learning.  I hope this tool proves

to also be useful in providing more opportunities for more personalized learning in

my classroom. I think this could be a way to help my students learn at their own pace,

while providing a way for me to manage my students and monitor their learning.