With so many options in the education market for a learning management system (LMS), deciding on one can be a difficult decision. Every sales representative will tell you about the amazing features that their product can offer. Learning management systems are used by schools to simplify the workflow process for distributing and collecting student work in an online environment. To choose the best learning management system for your district or classroom, you need to consider your learning goals and objectives for this type of software (Pappas, 2015). When considering an LMS, there are a variety of factors to consider:

1. Ease of use.
2. Cloud or local on a server
3. Syncs with a student information system (SIS)
4. Ability to integrate with other educational tools.
5. Mobile and device compatibility
6. Professional development
7. Support
8. Cost
9. Analytics
10. How will it improve student achievement?

If you are an individual teacher looking for a simple solution for your classroom, currently Google Classroom is easy, free, basic LMS. However, for a school wide integrated options there are other choices on the market the leaders currently being Blackboard and Canvas for a full, robust, integrated software system. From my personal experiences with Blackboard, I have found it to be a clunky, outdated system. So for the purpose of today’s blog post lets look at the two leaders in the LMS market right now Canvas and Google Classroom.

The biggest difference between Canvas and Google Classroom is the cost. Canvas has a per student cost, and Google Classroom comes free as part of the Google Apps For Education, that is also free. The table below explores other differences.

One of the biggest considerations to consider when determining an LMS is will it be used? If you are in a school district that doesn’t currently have a learning management system, Google Classroom is an excellent choice, that you can set up without any IT or administrative support. However, if you would like a school or district wide solution that syncs rosters, adds new students and posts back to your school designated grade book Canvas is a solution worth paying for. The amazing part about having so many solutions are that there are choices. The right solution depends on your own school, needs, budget and what you are comfortable with. The competition in the LMS market has created an environment where software manufacturers have stepped up their game and created some great options for students and teacher. The biggest when considering an LMS is how it will improve student learning? When it comes down to it, it doesn’t matter what software is used as long as it improves learning and achievement in the classroom.

References

Google. (2017). About classroom – classroom help. Retrieved from https://support.google.com/edu/classroom/answer/6020279?hl=en

Instructure. (2017). Instructure learning + tech = awesome. Retrieved from https://www.instructure.com/

Pappas, C. (2015, April 11). How to choose the best learning management system. Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/how-to-choose-the-best-learning-management-system