Choosing an LMS

Distance education is becoming more prevalent in today’s educational society.  Most people think of distance education as taking classes off campus.  In the text, Distance Education: A Systems View of Online Learning (Moore & Kearsley, 2012), the authors discuss the various terminologies for distance education such as e-learning, online learning, and distributed learning.  All of these terms include the use of technology and the Internet.  Learning Management Systems are programs that help create, organize, and deliver educational courses (“What’s an LMS?,” n.d.).  Distance education and Learning Management Systems typically go hand in hand.

There are many different types of Learning Management Systems (LMS) available for use.  When choosing an LMS, one must consider the program's features and capabilities to determine what would best fit the needs for the objectives of the course.  When reviewing the various types of LMS available, I narrowed the best fit for me down to three choices: Google Classroom, Moodle, and Edmodo.

Google Classroom has several advantages that appealed to me.  First of all, it’s free.  Free is always good.  The only downfall is it is only free to Google Apps for Education (GAFE) organizations.  Another advantage is that you have unlimited storage because it’s linked to your Google Drive.  Google Classroom also allows you to link other Google tools such as Calendar, Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Forms—even Gmail.  These are all programs I already use, but my school is not a GAFE organization, so I had to move on to another choice.

Moodle was one of the first LMS systems used within the system where I teach to support blended learning.  Blended learning refers to using the Internet to complete assignments, to follow-up or extend lessons from the classroom and is a prominent form of distance education in the K-12 classroom (Moore & Kearsley, 2012).  Research found that in the 2007-2008 school years an estimated 1,030,000 K-12 students engaged in online courses (Moore & Kearsley, 2012, p. 55).  Moodle offered many of the features that appealed to me in an LMS.  These features include requiring an access key to enroll in a class, various assignment features (quizzes, discussions, surveys, etc.), and grading and recording capabilities.  The main problem with Moodle is that it is not necessarily user-friendly.  I know this from experience.  I did set up a Moodle account for my class, but I never used it because it was time-consuming.  Plus, a host server is required to use Moodle, so if your system or organization does not provide that host server, you will not be able to run the software.

Edmodo became my LMS of choice.  With Edmodo, I can provide a safe, secure learning environment for my students.  The students will not be able to search nor find others within this program.  A safe environment is critical for me especially since I teach younger students, and my main goal is simply to incorporate technology through blended learning opportunities.  Edmodo offers many of the same features as Moodle—quizzes, discussions, surveys, grading and recording capabilities—but it also allows for parents to have access to their child’s grades and to stay in contact with the teacher.  Like Google Classroom it is free, but you do not have to be a member of an organization for it to be free—it’s really free!  Of course there are also some disadvantages to choosing Edmodo.  For example it is Internet based, so I would not be able to use Edmodo assignments for homework unless all of my students have Internet access at home.  The disadvantages are not an issue for my students since, as I said before, they are younger and there are some features I wouldn’t use. 

Choosing an LMS is an important part of distance learning.  The programs can help educators plan, organize, and deliver instruction.  You must decide how you want to use an LMS during instruction, and what features would best benefit your needs.  Read "What is an LMS?" to learn more about LMS software programs.

References

Moore, M. G., & Kearsley, G. (2012).  Distance education: A systems view of online learning.  United

States: Wadsworth, Cenage Learning.

What’s an LMS? (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.talentlms.com/what-is-an-lms/.