PowerSchool

PowerSchool is a cleverly designed LMS geared toward extending learning beyond the classroom. The system lets teachers embed content from over 40 websites into pages they can custom-design for their classes. In addition to creating and managing their classes, teachers can create rubrics, assessments, and tasks using sophisticated but straightforward built-in creation tools. Keep up a gradebook, attendance rosters, and inter-class communications in this centralized, cloud-based learning hub. The site integrates well with dozens of websites and online tools, and it's especially well integrated with Google Apps for Education; teachers and students can use their Google log-ins to access the service. Features for standards-based grading are also built in.

Keep in mind that your pages are only as good as the content you embed within them. Be thoughtful about what content you embed on your site, since your page will change when that source page changes. Also, consider your students' Internet access and your school's network firewall. If you embed sites that are blocked by your school's firewall, those sites will also be blocked when you visit your PowerSchool page at school. Most of the basic features are available for free; teachers, schools, or districts can add upgrades (such as scaled-up versions of all the features, such as more storage) for a fee. There's also a free app for iOS and Windows that students and teachers can use to access the service from a mobile device.

PowerSchool offers an inviting learning experience with seemingly boundless possibilities. That abundance may initially overwhelm teachers, but the step-by-step tutorials and intuitive features will quickly help them get their bearings. Teachers can design websites with almost endless variation, embedding resources, posting tasks, and including assessments to promote review or extend in-class activities. It's also great that you can schedule when pages appear; that way, teachers can plan and create their pages days (or even months) in advance, revealing them exactly when students need to see them. 

Perhaps most importantly, the student experience with PowerSchool is excellent, especially when teachers embed rigorous assessments and offer up-to-date information. Students can see their progress through the gradebook, personalized feedback, and qualitative rubrics. Quick question? No problem. Students and teachers can send messages in a snap, making it easy to stay in touch with students who don't always check their email. Really, the only drawback to this site is its potential for overuse. Resist the temptation to go overboard and overload your page with content; be thoughtful about what you embed. If you use the great tools here wisely, you and your students will be richly rewarded.