Hmmmm... Deciding to Switch Learning Management Systems is Not Easy!

I have been involved with the Sacramento County Office of Education's Flipped Classroom project since March, 2013. It was during that first workshop that I got a clearer idea of what the Flipped Classroom model was and I wanted to dive into it right away! The evidence looked like it was what is best for students, if done right. I also learned that you needed some sort of a learning management system to direct my students to the videos I wanted them to watch.

That day I learned about Edmodo. It was a student-friendly web site that I could create, invite my students to participate under a safe environment, and give students assignments electronically so that I could track who had seen the assigned videos and who hadn't. More capabilities were there to create quizzes, polls, and other teacher tools that I could integrate later. So, I dove in.

By the time I got my class on board with creating their accounts and communicating with parents of what we were doing, we were nearly finished with new lessons of the math book, the subject I started flipping in my class. I did three flipped lessons, and they were, for the most part, successful.

The school year ended. I learned I will be switching grade levels to teach 6th grade, instead of 5th. I've had a few weeks to read, research, and reflect about my approach towards next year. Was Edmodo the best choice? It was my first choice, but I hadn't chosen carefully. I just went for it. What other choices were out there to manage a flipped classroom under a Learning Management System (LMS)? District Administration recommends 12 possible LMS sites to choose from, excluding Edmodo. That's a lot to consider.

After researching it for a few weeks now, I think I have it down to two LMS sites that will work best for my students: staying with Edmodo or using Schoology. Below, I've embedded a video I created to compare the two systems:

 I think I like the way Schoology presents itself to students better. It looks like I'll be using that LMS with my 6th grade class for next year. Stay posted as I will let you know how it goes!

As always, if you have any specific questions, please contact me at nsemrberry@gmail.com.

Thanks!

- Rick.