Schoology helps teachers personalize the classroom

WILMINGTON, Del. -- When fifth-graders in Katy Corey's class at Carrie Downie Elementary School comb through math problems on their laptops, it looks at a glance like everybody is doing the same thing. But look closer and you'll find each student's exercises are a little different.

Corey uses a computer program called Schoology, a "learning management system" that lets her create lessons and exercises that meet each student at his or her level.

Take the math problems, for example.

At any particular moment, students who might be struggling to grasp a math concept could be practicing basic problems, while students who are "getting it" advance to tougher tasks. If students are really showing mastery, they could move on to things like writing their own problems.

The final bar is not lower for students taking a slower track; by the end of a "unit," Corey's goal is for all students to have mastered the material. But Schoology, she says, gives her a way to let each student take their own path to get to that point.

"This provides a welcoming environment where kids can be at the level where they need to be," Corey said. "There's no more asking kids to raise their hands if they have a question or stopping class just to give them attention. There's much less pressure, and it's much easier for me as a teacher to meet every student where they are."

For many educators, classrooms like Corey's are promising examples of using technology to personalize learning for students. Technology can provide powerful tools to get kids more engaged in school and allow them to learn at their own pace.

But the logistics of changing classrooms to take advantage of that technology are challenging.

Schools must figure out how to create the right infrastructure, providing enough bandwidth and wireless network capacity. They have to settle on the right computers or tablets and find ways to pay for them, configure them, and teach students how to use them.

And, while many teachers have taken their own initiative to find new educational tools, schools and districts have to find ways to train teachers in using these systems and make sure all educators are on the same page.

In Delaware, a group of districts has banded together to work out the best way to deal with those challenges.

The consortium is called BRINC, after the four school districts that originally participated: Brandywine, Indian River, New Castle County Vo-Tech and Colonial. The group added two more districts, Appoquinimink and Caesar Rodney, this year.

Those six districts cover about 43 percent of the state's K-12 public school students.

The coalition's goal is to make classroom environments like the one at Corey's the norm across the state.

"The classrooms of today should not look like they traditionally have," said Michael League, instructional technology specialist in the Indian River School District. "We're transitioning to that vision of a classroom, and that takes a change in attitude and a lot of work."

At a time when many state leaders are calling for better collaboration between school districts, BRINC is often cited as a model for how to do so.

"Five years ago, you wouldn't have seen districts sharing curriculum or assets like this. It would be like turning over your playbook to the opposing team," said Lincoln Hohler, assistant superintendent of the Brandywine School District. "But we've realized that we can't make this transition without some serious collaboration. It has saved us from taking missteps that would have cost us time, energy and money."

Schoology, the program Corey and her students use, is one of BRINC's initiatives that is catching on.

Schools in the participating districts have started using the program and, based on early successes, the Department of Education announced this week that has signed a contract with the company that makes the software to allow teachers statewide to use it.

"This is a tool the state is making available to teachers, and we expect that once they dive in they will find countless creative ways to deepen and extend students' learning," said Michael Watson, the state's chief academic officer, in a statement.

The state's old system for statewide teacher professional development cost roughly $120,000. The state hopes to replace that and add the student features for somewhere in the ballpark of the same cost, though the amount will change based on how many districts participate.

State officials expect enough districts to sign on next school year that about 40,000 students will be able to use the technology.

Under the agreement, the state will pay 55 percent of the per-student cost of the program, and districts will pick up the rest.

Parents engage

The individualized learning aspect is only one thing about Schoology that teachers like Corey are excited about.

Because the whole system is run online, teachers, students and even parents can access the program anywhere. Just as teachers can see exactly how each student is doing on their assignments, parents can log in to see what students are working on and what topics they're struggling with.

"It's a really powerful tool for engaging parents," Hohler said. "They have more information available to them about their students' academic progress than ever before, and they have it in ways that are easy to access."

For Schoology, Corey's class has taken photos of various objects around the school and measured them. Students are currently finishing a history lesson on The Great Depression by working in groups to create newspapers about issues from that era based on research from reputable internet sources.

Teachers can place video lectures made by themselves, by other teachers or from sites like Khan Academy, so students can repeat lessons if they're having trouble grasping a concept.

Schoology includes message boards that allow students to communicate with each other. And it allows teachers to work together to build lessons and classes to interact with each other on projects, whether they're across the hall or across the country.

In fact, the message board-style system the program uses to encourage students to communicate teaches students practical lessons on how to be civil and safe online.

"We're helping them to become good digital citizens," said Carrie Downie principal Doug Timm. "We're letting them interact online, but in a safe, controlled environment, which is a tremendous learning opportunity."

Corey said it does take some work for teachers to figure out how the system works and how they can make the most of it. But the fundamental skills necessary to being a good teacher are still vital.

"Some people worry that this kind of technology is going to replace teachers," Corey said. "That's not going to happen. You still need to be able to encourage students and help them understand the material. What this does is let you focus more on each individual student and not have to pause the whole class when someone needs help."