Marg Schoology

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?

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

What do you like best?

What do you dislike?

Recommendations to others considering the product:

What problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?

What do you like best?

What do you dislike?

Recommendations to others considering the product:

What problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?

What do you like best?

What do you dislike?