There has been a recent change in our school’s online system: the administration has switched from using Schoology and PowerSchool to Blackbaud. This article will report on the reason for this change and investigate how students and teachers are coping with the transition.
The main difference between these systems is that Schoology was used for assignments and grades and Powerschool was for attendance and scheduling, while Blackbaud is for both. Switching to Blackbaud helps both students and teachers more easily access all the information they need about a class without starting to have to check different sites.
Most students are indifferent to the change, Junior Boaz Kapitanker described the change as neither positive or negative, but rather just a change. Kapitanker further said that if he did dislike it, he is very aware that he could do nothing to change it.
Some, though, have identified problems with Blackbaud. Senior Mikey Schwartz compared the new system to Schoology and noted, “It can be annoying to check your grade because on Schoology it informed you when a grade was uploaded, while on Blackbaud you have to check it manually, and it's hard to find old assignments.”
Junior Shimmy Greengart complained that “Schoology let teachers post things due at a certain time, leaving no confusion,” while Blackbaud doesn’t specify the time of day when assignments are due. This leads to confusion regarding exactly when someone must turn in assignments for each class, because teachers don’t all make assignments due at the same time of day.
Sophomore Eliyah Avishur noted another difference between the systems: Schoology and Powerschool had apps while Blackbaud doesn’t, meaning that you need to sign in every time you use Blackbaud. Avishur dislikes the change to the new system, but he agrees that it does have some positive aspects, such as the fact that one’s schedule and calendar are more accessible to view.
Of course, there are many positive sides to this change, the main being that it incorporates the two functions of Schoology and PowerSchool together. Blackbaud shows your assignments, your schedule and attendance all in the same place. While most are indifferent to this aspect of this change, Schwartz believes “it helps on the administrative side of things.”
General Studies Principal Arthur Poleyeff explained that this was the main reason for the change to Blackbaud. Not only does Blackbaud help students by having their assignments and schedules on one site, he said, but it also helps the administration with “business (tuition collection, accounts payable), recruitment and enrollment, and other internal needs.”
Poleyeff further indicated that the school was advised that Blackbaud is a good learning management system.
From the administration’s perspective, the changes are definitely for the better, even though there are some lingering issues. Poleyeff observed that “there have been some growing pains and a learning curve, like anything new.”
The student body has not yet reached a consensus view on the change. Some, like Schwartz, believe that the transition was ultimately “a good thing,” even though it met with opposition. Others, like Avishur, have found the change “kind of annoying because it was hard getting used to.”