Classroom Collaboration

Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Moodle have been around for a while now, and have become popular in tertiary and distance education.

However, locally-hosted LMSs are often complicated to setup and time-consuming to maintain.

An alternative category of easy-to-use class collaboration tools has emerged, catering specifically for the needs of K-12 schools – all available as online browser-based services. No local server required.

These services can be used in conjunction with face-to-face teaching to provide an online component within the regular curriculum.

Of course, any of these options can be made easily accessible via a link from the class or school website.

Listed below are some platform options, how-to guides, and other related resources.

Examples & Ideas
	Australian Places A research task for Year 3, linking Google Docs reading sheets to a class web site. Supports classroom discussion about source validity, the collating of relevant ‘facts’, and the synthesising of information and opinions – without the need for a ‘learning system’.
Related Reading
	Blended Learning ‘Blend’ online technologies within your regular classroom.
	Edmodo v Schoology v Moodle Which is the best option for your school?
	Moodle v Google Classroom How does the Google option stack up against the established players?
How-to guides
	Google Classroom Intro Includes a video overview of Classroom.
	Google Classroom support Heaps of guides to get you started.
	Chalkup Guides Complete range of how-to guides for teachers and students.
	Edmodo Guides Official Edmodo support resources and how-to guides.
	Edmodo How-to (IT Babble) Comprehensive how-to guide for teachers using Edmodo.
	Moodle Tutorials How-to guides for teachers.
	Schoology Guides How-to guides for teachers, students, admins and parents.
Platform Options
	There are a number of options for teachers looking to establish an online collaborative, blended learning environment in their class (alphabetical order)…
	Big Campus Part social network. Part LMS. Part professional development. For K-12.
	Chalkup Online class management platform that is integrated with Google Drive. Assignments, discussions, etc.
	Edmodo K-12 social networking environment – includes groups, assignments, quizzes, parent access, etc.
	Edu 2.0 K-12 e-Learning platform with unlimited storage.
	Google Classroom Perfectly integrated with Google Apps for Education, which has unlimited storage.
	Haiku A Learning Management System (LMS) with a social networking component.
	Moodle A structured LMS, but also includes forums, wikis, etc.
	SchoolBinder Track assignments, post discussions, and share media. Includes parent access, etc.
	Schoology Social networking environment and LMS – includes courses, groups, assignments, quizzes, gradebooks, attendance register, albums, web pages, parent access, etc.
	Wikispaces Classroom A web platform where both teachers and students can make a contribution.