Mrs. Jean Gentry                                                 
George Washington High School English Teacher

During her first year of teaching at Indianapolis Public Schools, English teacher, Jean Gentry, was selected to participate in a yearlong Schoology blended learning professional development course. “I had been using Schoology in the classroom already, but I knew there was so much more I could do to integrate the learning management system (LMS) into my classroom." Since 2017, Gentry has incorporated Schoology into all her classes, and she cannot think of ever going back to the “traditional” way of teaching again. 

“In today’s classroom, differentiation of instruction is key,” said Gentry. She explained that newcomers are often added to her classes mid-term, and she can quickly differentiate their lessons at the click of a button. “Schoology allows me to send specific lessons and assignments to one student or a small group.  So, if students speaks little or no English, they can still learn and be a part of the class,” Gentry said. “With Schoology add-ons like YouTube, Nearpod, and Screencast-O-Matic, students can learn at their own pace. They can pause and play the video as often as they like.” said Gentry. 

When learning became virtual in 2020 due to Covid-19, Gentry and her students were able to adapt quickly. Students were already using Schoology every day in Gentry’s English classroom. “My classroom had a dedicated laptop cart. Students knew the routine: enter the classroom, grab a laptop, and sign into Schoology,” Gentry recalled.  

Today, students are one-to-one, and they can access Schoology at school, at home, and even when they are on the go. “Many of my junior and senior students work part time jobs, and they can access Schoology on the mobile app. This is especially important when students cannot access Wi-Fi.” According to Gentry, Schoology is an essential tool that will ensure our 21st-century students graduate on time and become productive members of the global economy. 

I had the pleasure of visiting Laura Commins' classroom at Lew Wallace 107 recently. Laura has been teaching in IPS for 7 years and is currently a 6th grade reading and social studies teacher as well as a multi-classroom leader for 5th and 6th grade.  She was a member of the Schoology blended learning cohort during the 17-18 school year and in 2019 she piloted a concurrent teaching model between two IPS schools. She is certified in Flipgrid, Quizizz, Edji, EdPuzzle and Nearpod.

Q:  What is your favorite feature in Schoology?

A:  I love embedding Google assignments with the Google Assignment app and how easy it is to embed a variety of apps. I also love the ability to assign different things to different students which makes it easy to differentiate.

Q:  How do you use Schoology to differentiate lessons for your students?

A:  I assign a wide range of assignments utilizing the Schoology Assessment tool and apps to help differentiate lessons for my students. The Assessment tool has the option to read directions and questions, which has been extremely beneficial for my students. I can also create folders and assign them to a specific group of students as well as create grading groups for students.

Q:  Other than Schoology, what is your favorite tech tool?

A:  This is hard to narrow down. I love Nearpod, EdPuzzle, Flipgrid and Edji for all different reasons but the biggest one is that students can record answers in all of them. They all embed seamlessly into Schoology and they are amazing resources for small groups, stations and for when you may need a sub.

Q:  How has using technology in your classroom benefitted you and your students?

A:  It has saved me a ton of time as I have built resources for my class and used them year after year. It has been such a time saver for grading as well. Being able to have a variety of ways to check mastery has also been such a benefit for the wide range of learners I have.