GROTON, Conn. – Students and teachers have to adjust to Google Classroom for the 27-28 school year at Fitch after using Schoology for many years, leaving it in the past.

Fitch will be transitioning to Google Classroom after the 27-28 school year, after Schoology has been all the school has ever really known. This is a shift that may be easier for students and teachers, as some freshmen who used Google Classroom last year found it easier to use, and it was less difficult in the learning environment. The change will also be good for the budget in the school district, and this swap may be helpful for the communication and accessibility between students and teachers. 

“Schoology is very hard to navigate, and I found Google Classroom much easier when I was in middle school,” said freshman Eyren. “I didn’t really know what it was quite yet, but once I started using it in my classes, I had a really hard time adjusting.”

All of the freshmen who had gone to Groton Middle School, and for some, the elementary schools in the district, were used to Google Classroom and had used it for a lot of their years enrolled in school. Hearing about the news for the 27-28 school year has definitely brought joy to lots of Fitch students, considering that they were pretty confused when they first found out during orientation that they were going to have to get used to a whole new platform.

Ms. Dunican, an instructional technology coordinator at Fitch, supports the idea of switching. 

“Although we are accustomed to using it, I think the financial burden of maintaining it as a learning management system outweighs the comfort of keeping it,” said Dunican. “I think I’ll like the simplicity of it compared to Schoology. I do understand people’s concerns because of all the resources they’ve created on the website, though.”

The Groton community recently had a budget meeting about an $800,000 cut being restored for the 26-27 school year. Many residents and students said that this cut would take away from their learning experiences and make them lose important support like tutors and social workers. 

For the 26-27 school year, there are some slight chances that teachers at Fitch could slowly transition to Google Classroom midway through the school year to get adjusted to the platform, to make it easier not only for them but also for students before the final switch the following year.