LMS compared to Hapara

[Mike Connors]

Hello,

 

We are investingating Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Schoology and Haiku.  Several people have mentioned Hapara as an option.  I was wondering if anyone has had experience using a LMS and Hapara.  Also what is the difference between Hapara and a LMS like Haiku or Schoology.

Thanks,

Mike Connors
Technology Director
Riverside Brookfield High School
(708) 442-7500 x2125

"Be the Man your dog thinks you are." - Billboard in McCook IL

[Bjorn Behrendt]

At our school we chose to go with Hapara instead of a traditional LMS.   We made this decision because it was better designed for when the students are physically infront of the teacher with computers where traditional LMS's are designed for distance learning.   It depends on what you want the workflow of the classroom to be.

Going with Hapara or http://www.gclassfolders.com (free) gives the teacher a structure they can use in GAFE but does not have built in support for test taking and forums.   For those we chose to just use some of the other tools availible, like Google + communities for forums, and Google Forms or Examgeneral (in the marketplace) for test taking. 

Bjorn Behrendt M.Ed ~ Never Stop Learning

   b...@askbj.net | (802) 772-0003

   Google Apps For Education Certified Trainer

My Sites

 ~ Edlisten.com ~ Educational Podcast

 ~ AskBj.net ~ Online Training and Ed Tech Resources

 ~ VTed.org ~ Vermont's Personal Learning Network

gClassFolders ~ Create Google folders for your class.

--
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "Google Apps K12 Technical Forum" group.
To post to this group, send email to k12ap...@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
k12appstech...@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/k12appstech?hl=en?hl=en
 
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Google Apps K12 Technical Forum" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to k12appstech...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.

[Matthew A. Peskay]

An LMS indicates some sort of content management system tied in with some level of student tracking on assignments and homework.  Hapara is a 'control' system that creates folders, manages permissions on folders and files, and provides tools for teachers to easily create and share Google docs with students.  I would argue it is NOT an LMS because it doesn't actually house any information within itself.  It's just a control platform for Google services.

Schoology, Canvas, Haiku, Edmodo are more traditional LMS systems akin to Blackboard.  They provide tools to manage content, communicate with students and families, track student performance on assignments, quizzes, etc.  Schoology and Edmodo are free.  

We use Hapara and also Edmodo though the Edmodo uptake is mixed.  Some teachers use Edmodo, some use Google Sites and some use Blogger to drive their classrooms.  

All my best,

Matthew

--

[Tom Donovan]

Just to chime in, in my district's case, Schoology is decidedly NOT a distance learning tool.  It is a critical part of our iPad 1-1 in grades 5-8.  Teachers upload class materials for students to download to their iPads before or during class, they use the built-in quiz function for quick formative assessments (think exit slips), the discussion feature can serve as a back-channel, just to name a few of the in-class uses.  While all of those things (and more) can be done in GApps, either alone or with add-ons, it is the integration of an actual LMS that adds value.  All of the features are found in one spot and because we set up Schoology with data from our SIS (PowerSchool), when a student signs in, he or she has easy access to each of his/her classes as does a teacher.

To elaborate just a bit on one feature:  In Schoology, a teacher can create a discussion as a stand-alone "object".  The discussion starter can be a simple posted question or a linked document or embedded video.  The discussion can be opened and closed at specific dates/times (so the teacher can set everything up over the weekend for a discussion that won't occur until later in the week).  Different students can be assigned to different discussions (think table groups).  Student participation can be scored using a tool that allows the teacher to click and highlight an individual student's contributions and step through each student in turn.  While it is possible to use a Google Group for on-line discussions, I don't think it compares to what is possible in the LMS..

Another feature that an LMS can have that would be difficult to pull off in GApps is parent access.  In Schoology, a parent creates their own account and then, associate that account with their child using a code we provide.  This means we don't have anything to do with managing parent accounts, other than providing the student code.  Schoology even has documentation for parents.  Once in the system, parents can see upcoming assignments, access the resources posted by teachers, view school news updates. If desired, they can even be allowed to participate directly in courses.  It would be possible to run on-line parent education by creating courses and adding parents as "members".

 

On the practical side, as Bjorn rightly points out, it is possible to build an LMS system from free or inexpensive parts that would be just right for a given school or district, but IMO, there really is no comparison to a system designed from the ground up as an integrated solution.    As an analogy:   WordPress can be used for a school district website.  It's not *really* designed as a full-fledged content management system, but with the right combination of plug-ins and a theme, you can end up with a very satisfactory result.  But it'll take a bit of work to set up permissions so that some people can edit some things but not everything. And you'll have to keep on top of all the updates for WordPress and the theme and plug-ins (and hope the various authors don't abandon their products).  Perhaps the biggest drawback is that the only one(s) who can support the system is/are the one(s) who built it.  While the WordPress community and the plug-in and theme authors can help with issues related to their individual pieces, the knowledge needed to keep the system up and running is often tied up in one or two individuals, and if they leave (or worse)...

Contrast that with using a service dedicated to hosting school websites.  Yes, it will likely be more expensive, but it will be designed to support all the workflows typical of a school or district.  It will have all the bells and whistles that superintendents and school boards want to see.  Different people can be different permissions and staff will have one place to go, one interface to learn, and a single point of contact for support (which wouldn't necessarily have to be you!).  And if you hit the PowerBall some weekend, the folks you leave behind on Monday will have a phone number to call to keep things moving.

In the past, when I had more time, I was very much a DIY person when it came to systems.  In many cases, that was because the solution I was after didn't exist and frankly, I relished the challenge.  As time has passed, my priorities have changed, and with the availability of solutions more sophisticated and polished than anything I could create, I do not hesitate to recommend spending money for critical pieces of learning infrastructure.

-Tom

--
Tom Donovan
Chief Technology Officer
Aptakisic-Tripp SD 102
Buffalo Grove, IL

[Michael Richardson]

I really appreciate this thread, and would like to hear more about what other districts are doing.  

Not to hijack the thread, but I've been working with several of my local districts and their technology committees as they look at moving toward more digital curriculum, dabbling in 1:1, considering flipped classrooms, and trying to re-evaluate their whole curriculum and direction.

One thing I made clear is that I believe it's important to have a single starting place... no matter what tool works for the teacher - be it google docs, moodle, edmodo, teacher website, ibook, whatever - the student (and the community) needs a single place to start for all teachers, all classes.  A single starting point, or launch pad, that you can link off to whatever (platform agnostic) program works best or is supported.  A big 'start here' button.  I've seen it done on school websites, in Moodle, and in My Big Campus, to name a few.

I'm putting together a list of possibilities for these districts to consider, and looking for pros/cons/advice/experience from anyone thats looked at this type of evaluation.

So far I have school website, Edmodo, My Big Campus, Hapara, Haiku, Schoology, and Moodle (skipping other LMSs such as Blackboard and Canvas as similar and more costly than Moodle).  The more I get into it, the more the line blurs between the starting point, and the tools to use, so also including information about what features/integrations each of these systems might have, and other systems like gfolders that aren't the starting point, but useful tools once you have that launch pad.

Other systems I'm missing?  thoughts?  input?  or even better, a list of pros and cons/features/comparisons?  ;)

Thanks, TGIF!

-------
Michael Richardson         REMC 1 Director
906.482.4520 x240          811 Hecla St
mi...@remc1.org             Hancock, MI  49930

On Thu, Nov 14, 2013 at 9:35 AM, Mike Connors <conn...@rbhs208.net> wrote:

Hello,

 

We are investingating Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Schoology and Haiku.  Several people have mentioned Hapara as an option.  I was wondering if anyone has had experience using a LMS and Hapara.  Also what is the difference between Hapara and a LMS like Haiku or Schoology.

Thanks,

Mike Connors
Technology Director
Riverside Brookfield High School
(708) 442-7500 x2125

"Be the Man your dog thinks you are." - Billboard in McCook IL