Schoology 201: Razzle Dazzle on Schoology

Schoology 201:  Adding some Pizazz to the Schoology Feed!

Hello Schoology!

I knew the day was coming when my principal would give me the directive to use Schoology....and it finally did.  I was so wrapped up in my Google Site (which, as of the writing of this post,  I am still planning on using in conjunction with Schoology) that I thought there was NO way I could transition to Schoology.

But I was wrong.

I am here today to give you a few fun tips on zhuzhing up your Schoology feed to make it more exciting for the elementary set (as one high school teacher reminded me.....what I am about to show you is very much for us teachers of little kids....which I am 100% ok with ;) )  These are not basic tips, which is why I titled this Schoology 201....not 101.  There are plenty of videos and articles for that.  Instead, this is intended for the next level people.  If that is you, welcome!  If you don't think you are next level, stick around.  You just might be surprised how next level you actually are.

So.....on to it.

Zhuzh Tip #1:  Creating a CLICKABLE ANNOUNCEMENT

Adding a Clickable Announcement in Schoology is a great way to make it user friendly for elementary students

One thing that I always wished when using Google Classroom was for it to be more visual.  It is great for listing the assignments, but there just isn't any way to make pictures pop or keep information front and center in a visual way.  But with Schoology you can!  You can create an ANNOUNCEMENT that will be pinned to the top of the main page that the kids will be able to see each time they log on.  What is even better is that you can make it CLICKABLE to head to other pages in Schoology itself OR outside websites.  Now, this is a bit complex, in that there are a TON of buttons to push, BUT this is doable.  I have attached the tutorial video I did on my IG stories (where, incidentally you can see many more tips for Schoology in my highlights)  If you follow this step by step, you too will have a cool, clickable banner!


Zhuzh Tip #2:  Adding Images to Your Folders


On the feed, you can add folders with things like, "This Week's Work" and "Zoom Codes".  This will help the students to better find the information that they need in order to succeed in your class.  You could make them into a plain and boring list.  This functions fine.  But we are here to ZHUZH up your Schoology....so that will NOT do!  Instead, I will show you how to put images in there.  Here again is a short video so that you can get the images in your folder space. 



Zhuzh Tip #3:  Making Those Images USEFUL!

Now, having an image there in the folder is GREAT.  It is cute and eye-catching and makes the kids want to know what is in that folder.  But there is another way to make that valuable real estate even more powerful.....make it full of added information!  On this next video, you can see that I added some Google Slides and Google Drawings into the mix. Instead of just inserting an image, I inserted these two files that help the kids just a little bit more.

 

A Google Slide of the week's work provides a cute and easy preview for them of what is to come within the folders.  Since this is housed on Google Slides, you just edit it there each week and it automatically updates, without having to go through the download process again.  What's more, if the kids click on it, the image enlarges so that they can see it a bit more closely.  This little peek into the week is just a little preview for them so that the kids know a bit of what to expect during that week. (this template is from Ladybug's Teacher Files.  You can get it here.)  

Using linked slides and drawings on Schoology folders makes things more accessible and visually appealing for the students
Using a Google Drawing (in the SAME way we inserted the Slide -- see the video above for specifics) will allow the kids to click into the specific area of the folder that they want to view.  I have this little gem of a cork board set up with our "fun" items.  This folder is full of get to know you type things, class rosters, birthday lists, etc....everything they would need to really KNOW their fellow classmates.  Inside the folder are even more folders, which can get overwhelming.  SO if the students just click on the exact place they want to go from the image, which I have pre-linked for them, it will make life just that much easier.  (NOTE:   This cork board would be good for SO many things...I just choose fun ;) )  To link the file on the Drawing, I just grabbed the link I wanted from Schoology and inserted it using the link chain on Drawings.

Would you like any of the templates you see above in your Schoology course?  You can get them here and start Zhuzing up your own course!!

OK...that was a lot of information in a short span of time, so I think we will leave it here for now.  

11 comments

  1. As always, you are amazing and so generous to share your knowledge! Thank you, Stephanie!

    ReplyDelete
  2. High school teacher here - this is great! I can use this to make my Schoology page less boring :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you so much! You provided wonderful information, video, and even freebies!

    ReplyDelete
  4. We were just told we would be using Schoology, but I have been working on my Google Site. Should I abandon ship? Or can I integrate my site into Schoology somehow, and is it even worth doing that?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Help: I've posted some announcements in Schoology, but when I press Course Options, then View Course as, and I click on a student to see their view, nothing is there! What am I doing wrong? It's my first time utilizing Schoology as a platform. Thank you for your suggestions

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have a ton of empty space at the top when I my drawing....is there a way to get rid of it? Yours looks so fit to the page and mine looks....wrong :P

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love this! Do you know how to link the images to folders within Schoology?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you so much, this is great. Quick question. I would like to change that update page daily. Would i have to do this daily? Is there an easier way to this? Once students click on your update where does the link take them? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you so much for this amazing help! I'm trying to make the banner at the top of my page and have been able to follow along but got stuck highlighting the Google Drawing I inserted as a page. I'm working on an old Microsoft laptop, not sure if that's why. I cant seem to copy in order to be able to paste. Wondering if you could tell me how you did that. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ok...so, I'm like the kid in the back of the room that's scared to raise my hand..lol!
    I JUST started using Schoology..teaching F2F and Virtual...drum roll..SECONDARY VISUAL ARTS!! woohooo!...with NO sharing of supplies and in an impoverished area..which puts some strain for sure on the virtual lessons!
    ANYWAY, I want my updates and weekly lessons to be eye-catchingly awesome! But honey pie, I don't even see the options you're talking about in your tutorial! Are there different versions of Schoology?! Cause rest assured my district signed up for the most lame...just sayin'!
    😭🎨🖌️

    ReplyDelete
  11. I have made my banner in google draw, uploaded it to a page, but I cannot get it to copy so I can paste it in the announcements. Am I missing a step?

    ReplyDelete

Please leave a comment! I love to hear what you think about what is posted :)