Choosing a Learning Management System.... Where to Begin?

Where to Begin?

Picking a Learning Management System (LMS) is a big decision. It is an area of education that has come a long way over the years. I remember my parents talking about correspondence courses and I myself took a telecourse early in my college career.  I remember watching what were basically videoed lectures and taking tests and completing coursework based on it.  Our school does not currently use a LMS as a whole school. We have had teachers in our school/district use Edmodo in the past and found it relatively easy due to the similarity to Facebook.  We have as a district, however, transitioned to Google Apps for Education, so now that we are using Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Forms, Google Classroom seems like the logical next step. According to Dr. Will Dayamport III, the “learning curve for Google Classroom is a lot less.” (2014)  I think this is the choice that our district is strongly encouraging although users who previously used Edmodo still have access and that option, Google Classroom has not been chosen officially, but I think it soon will be.  Our district has also heavily invested in Chromebooks and Chromeboxes which also integrate seamlessly with the GAFE suite which also makes the choice a little easier. 

 I have used Google classroom some as a classroom teacher and I think that it will be a great choice for our teachers and students.  The interface is user friendly and since the teachers and students have been introduced to the GAFE in stages, this would serve as a logical next step.  I do think there are things that Google Classroom is missing that other organizations might need. For our school, however, we aren’t going to full time distance education or e-learning, more likely a blended learning environment for supplemental use,  so I think that Google Classroom will provide everything that we need. The blending environment “does not require as much technology knowledge on part of either the teacher or the students, so it is easy to implement” (Moore, 2012, p. 93) Overall, when choosing a LMS, you must start with looking at what your organization needs and find the best fit. For my school and our needs, I think Google Classroom meets those needs at this time.

References:

Moore, Michael G. (2012). Distance Education: A Systems View of Online Learning, 3rd Edition

Diyamport, W., III. (2014, October 19). Dr. Will : Why Google Classroom? Retrieved June 09, 2016, from http://www.iamdrwill.com/2014/10/why-google-classroom.html

E. (2014, May 14). What is Google classroom? Retrieved June 09, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DCOe9v9CuM