Learning Management System | News

Schoology Releases API and Digital Resource Repository

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 06/27/12

Schoology, which has an online learning management system by the same name that it makes available free to teachers, has released an application programming interface (API). The announcement came this week during the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference taking place in San Diego.

The new API is intended to let developers extend the functionality of the application, including the capability of adding programs that run on the Schoology platform. The company has begun showcasing connections with Blackboard Collaborate, Turnitin, LearningStation, and iMeet, among other applications. However, those won't be "generally available" until the start of the 2012-2013 school year as part of an app marketplace.

The education vendor has also announced its intention to create an online repository for sharing digital content and allowing teachers to communicate with each other and collaborate. The new platform will let users rate material, provide feedback, save resources in a private area, and easily embed the content directly into a Schoology course.

"Educators around the world have been developing world-class content using Schoology," said Jeremy Friedman, founder and CEO of Schoology. "Now we are allowing them to share the content they have created with others to help build a more efficient teaching experience. With the release of our public content network, teachers can join a large and growing community that is focused on helping students succeed."

The Schoology web service allows users to post assignments, record grades, maintain a calendar, and communicate with students, and is free to all teachers and one school administrator within a school. The company also sells an enterprise edition of the service that adds features such as district management, report card generation, single-sign-on, advanced analytics, and custom branding.

The LMS is in use at Palo Alto Unified School District, Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, and Judson Independent School District, among many others.