Could it be, a gold mine? Something I can use for my action research? I think it might be. It’s a Web 2.0 tool called Schoology (http://www.go2web20.net/site/?a=Schoology). When you become a member of the site, you have access to so many tools that would be a wonderful asset to any classroom.
Schoology is a learning management system AND a social networking site all rolled into one. The site itself looks similar to Facebook. Parents, teachers and students have access to all the information an account administrator inputs to the site.
For example, a teacher adds her classes onto the site. She inputs a math assignment for the day. The assignment gets added right into the grade book, and parents and students now have access to what the assignment is. No more “I forgot my assignment notebook at school, so I didn’t know what the assignment was” excuses.
You can also use Schoology to take attendance and keep a grade book. With the attendance, you can make a note for any student on a particular day. (I don’t know that I would use the attendance or grade book feature, since my district already requires us to use Zangle, which is my online attendance and grade book.)
One of the features that really caught my attention was the quiz/test feature. As a user, you can create a test or a quiz right on the site. The students would then go on to Schoology and take the assessment.
Like I said, this might just be the gold mine I’ve been digging for to use for my action research!
Andrea, this seems like a great tool, especially in these tight economic times. I remember buying a program years ago that enabled me to track attendance, grades, and comments for students. I was the maverick for using it instead of pencil and paper records. Even though it was primitive, it really helped. Now looking at this, all I can say is "we've come a long way baby!" Well, maybe that isn't all. I think that programs like these are invaluable for the organization they help with and also for illustrating just how viable using technology for organization and collaboration can be for teachers, students, and parents. Good find!
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