Schoology vs. Google Classroom

In the midst of a world pandemic and teachers trying to figure out how they will switch their in-person lesson plans to a virtual classroom, Neshannock decided to switch systems from Google Classroom to Schoology. Many are wondering why switch from something everyone knew, to learn an all-new system in an already very stressful time. The students and faculty seem to be unsure of which system is preferred. Although there are still some bugs to work out in Schoology, it seems that Google Classroom is preferred by all students and even some teachers. 

Although Schoology has its bugs and glitches, some still say there is a positive side to it. Google Classroom was used at the moment when things began to shut down on March 13, 2020. People were already panicking and there were so many unknowns.  Our school did not want to add to that list by throwing a whole new system to the teachers and students. After we finished up last school year, Neshannock began to look for a better solution for virtual learning. Most of our teachers feel that it is a lot easier to track assignments and to see who is doing what in Schoology. Teachers and students also seem to like that it is “one stop for everything”. Teachers do not have to worry about posting on multiple websites; likewise, students do not have to worry about checking multiple different websites.

“We all knew how Google Classroom worked already and now even the teachers are having to learn how to use Schoology”, said senior Ava Moses. Most other schools in the county stuck to Google Classroom, which leaves us wondering, why did Neshannock switch systems?

Our principal, Mr. Passarelli provides context:  “We selected Schoology based on its successful use in school districts and universities. Overall, it’s proving to be user-friendly, reliable, and a better fit for our educational purposes.” 

Most teachers and students seem to feel that Google Classroom was much more user friendly, but maybe it was just more well known. Students feel that the layout of Google Classroom is much better as well. In Google Classroom after you turned in an assignment it would disappear off of your to-do list; however, in Schoology sometimes those assignments tend to stick around leaving students confused on what they have and have not completed.Most students may not be very fond of Schoology; however, the more we all get used to it the better it will get. No one likes change, especially in times like these when it feels like everything in the world is changing.