Assigning To Differentiate?

Use Schoology Grading Groups!

 

@LisaBerghoff

I operate under the general assumption that we all have good intentions and that no one is intentionally trying to confuse students or the people who support them. Often, when I see educators using our systems in a way that seems odd, I believe it is because they simply don't know another way to do it. These encounters, combined with questions that come up frequently,  are often the inspiration for what I write here.  Today's post is both. This quick and easy tip can help alleviate some confusion. It is also a question that has come up several times in the last week.

Imagine that you have a stacked class, you are teaching multiple sections of a course at different levels all in the same room and at the same time. Even if your class is not stacked, you likely have some groups of students with varying needs and maybe you wish you could separate them into different classes. Or, perhaps you have linked several of your classes in Schoology and now realize that you need to give some different assignments to certain groups.

All of these scenarios can be handled in Schoology by creating grading groups.

What Are Grading Groups In Schoology?

Grading groups are custom collections of students within a course section that teachers can use to organize students, assign specific materials, and filter grade book views. This allows teachers to assign customized or modified assignments, tests, specialized materials, or discussions to specific subsets of students. 

The beauty of Schoology grading groups is that the STUDENTS DO NOT SEE OTHERS' ASSIGNMENTS SHOW UP ON THEIR MATERIALS PAGE!

Yes, I am yelling. I know that as a workaround many of you will enter an assignment and then just click "exempt" so it doesn't count against the other students' grades. I'm here to tell you that this workaround is not great. 

Here's an example: Jordan is taking a standard level class that is stacked with an honors class. The teacher enters the honors assignments and just exempts Jordan from all of those. When Jordan, his parents, counselor, and case manager look at his grades, they can see all of the honors assignments that are not meant for Jordan. This stinks and we can do something about it. Just create a grading group for the standard students and one for the honors students. 

How Do I Make Grading Groups In Schoology?

1. Click on your Schoology course and navigate to the materials page.

2. Click on Members.

3. Look at the right side of your screen and click where it says: Organize Members Into Grading Groups.

4. Give your group a name (students will not see this) and click all of the students who you want in that group.

5. Click Create Grading Group.

How Do I Assign To My Grading Groups?

1. Click on your Schoology course and navigate to the materials page.

2. Click Add Assignment.

3. At the bottom, where it says Options, click on the icon for individually assign.

4. Type the name of your grading group in the box. 

The assignment will only appear on the materials page for the students in that grading group.

Want some help getting started with grading groups?

Let me know. I'm happy to help!

Unpacking AI In The Classroom 

*Image generated by Gemini

@LisaBerghoff

Here are the top 5 questions I am getting about AI use in the classroom, along with my responses.

1. Are there any AI tools that I CAN include student names or other personally identifiable information?

Yes. Our district has approved 5 tools for both staff and student use. These tools are protecting all data under several data privacy laws and it is safe to enter information that identifies students when using these tools. The tools that are approved for both staff and student use are: Brisk, Gemini, NotebookLM (now called GeminiNotebook), SchoolAI, and MagicSchool. Do NOT enter any personally identifiable information for students or for you in any other AI tool.

2. I want to use AI in my classroom but I want to be able to have control and see my students' interactions, what's the best way to do that?

This is a perfect way to have students use AI in a way that is safe and also focused on learning. The district has 2 approved tools that can help you do this. MagicSchool and SchoolAI both have ways for you to set up an AI "room" or a "space" with guardrails. You can set the parameters for the chatbot interactions and you will have access to the chat logs. With both of these tools you will get a flag notification if a student enters information that is suspicious or seems inappropriate. 

3. I am worried that my students are going to use AI to cheat, what is the best way to prevent that from happening?

This question (not AI specific) has been plaguing teachers since the beginning of time. Research shows that prevalence of cheating has remained relatively stable since the release of ChatGPT. That is not to say it's not happening, it just means that it may not quite be the cheating explosion we think it is. I will respond to this question with a three-step suggestion.

    1. Talk to your students. Let them know that certain assignments require their full brained attention because you are helping them develop skills that they will need for the future.

    2. Show your students new ways to use AI. The kids really have no idea how to use it best. They need our guidance to understand how to use it as a tool that can help them learn and not complete their work for them.

    3. Take a critical look at your assignments. If you are asking students to complete tasks that can easily be done using AI, they are most likely not assignments high on the Blooms Taxonomy list. Ask them to make personal connections to what they are learning and ask them to provide specific examples from their life or our school community. I also recommend assessing process and not only the final product. Have students show their progression and explain the choices they made along the way. 

4. What is the best way to communicate to my students when they are and are not allowed to use AI?

This is such a tricky question because you would need to define AI use. You probably have noticed that now when you Google a topic you get an AI summary response at the top. Is that using AI? There are extensions like Grammarly that provide spelling and punctuation assistance, is that using AI? 

Here's the best way to think about it. What is the learning goal? What are the skills that you are going to be assessing and watching for growth? Be specific and clear and encourage your students to talk to you about how and when they are using digital tools. They are hiding from us because they don't want to get into trouble so an open and honest conversation is the best tactic to take. 

5. How can I learn more about AI? I don't feel equipped to be teaching about something that I know little about.

There are many professional development opportunities to learn about AI. The LTC (Learning Technology Center), which is a part of ISBE, has some great online courses that are free or low cost and you can earn credits. If you want to know more, just let me know, I have taken most of the ones that are out there.

Still have more questions? Book a time with me to chat!

Back To School With Schoology

5 Things To Do This Week

@LisaBerghoff

The adjustment to "back to school brain" is a challenge for me. The amount of information that I am trying to cram in my brain in the first few days puts me on overload. Learning students' names, staying on top of all of the things that need to get done and also the things that I want to get done can feel like too much. One thing that helps calm me down is a good old fashioned to-do list. Here is your Schoology to-do list. Get it done this week and it will help create a smooth(er) transition for you and your students.

1. Set Up Your Gradeboook In Schoology AND IC (or just IC)

No judgement at all if you have not done this yet but please do it this week. I know you think you remember but it's a lot of steps. Please follow these instructions in order. 

2. Make Your Tiles Look Good And Organize Them

Your Schoology tiles are a digital extension of your classroom. Creating nice looking tiles is the same as making sure your room looks nice. The correct tile size is 300X100 pixels. You can use Canva or your favorite design app. Download your design and then click on the image for your course to change it. You must be clicked into the course, not the course dashboard. 

I know some of you use gifs, please be mindful of what the screen looks like when students log in and remember that they have at least 8 tiles. If they were all moving and flashing you probably wouldn't like it. Ask your students what they think. 

To organize your tiles click on COURSES, then MY COURSES, and then click REORDER. Students can do this too. 

3. Set Notifications Settings

Work-life balance is important. Be thoughtful about the notifications you receive. You can customize these by clicking on your name in the upper right corner and clicking on SETTINGS. When you click on NOTIFICATIONS you have many options. You can turn on or off email and also mobile notifications. You can also customize your notifications for specific classes by clicking CUSTOM

. 

4. Organize Your Materials Page

Remember! Every time you enter an assignment into the Schoology gradebook, it populates to your materials page. For this reason I suggest entering through the materials page first so you can organize it. Have a system, make a plan, and stick with it. Maybe you need a folder for each week, put the newest information at the top. Or, if you want your folders organized by unit you can have subfolders for notes, assignments, and other materials. Whatever makes sense for your content area, choose a consistent way to post the information and teach and reteach it to your students. 

Think from the perspective of a student and ask your students for feedback. 

5. Remember These!

• Even if you are entering grades in IC, all assignments should be listed in Schoology. This is where our students go to see what they have due.
• Put due dates on your assignments, even the ones that are being done on paper, so they will show up on your students' upcoming list.
• If it's not a digital assignment, uncheck the "submissions enabled" icon.

Want some help?

Book a time with me. 

I'm happy to talk it through with you!

  

My New-Ish Summer Rules 2026

@LisaBerghoff

Rules for summer sounds like an oxymoron, or a bad idea, but hear me out. Summer goes by so fast. We know this. I want to do all the fun things but I also want to relax and see my friends and spend time with family and get projects done around the house and... 

This is the problem. If I spend time lounging then I feel like I did not use my time well. If I spend my time doing all kinds of projects then I am upset that I didn't get to relax. The best solution I have come up with after many years of struggling through summer (that's a joke) is to come up with this list. I make sure that I do all five of these every day. Some activities can count for more than one and I get to make up the rules as I go because it's my summer. This calms my mind and helps me to really enjoy it. I know this is an edtech blog but just stick with me on this. Want to check them off in an app? Go for it. No tech is needed to follow these rules. My best suggestion is to do as the kids say and go touch grass. 

Every day I do something that is:

• Relaxing/Mindful
• Productive
• Social
• Physical
• Indulgent

NEW TWIST FOR 2026!

This summer as I follow my summer rules, I am going to focus on strengthening neural pathways. I want to experiment this summer with plans to share with students in the fall to help us all learn better in this time of rapid technology development. Neuroplasticity is the brains ability to recognize itself. This is about combining focused repetition, cognitive novelty, and physical support. It sounds wild but it can be as simple as brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand.

Here is a breakdown of the summer rules with the added neuroplasticity lens. 

1. Relaxing/Mindful: I have a hammock in my backyard and it is my most favorite place to relax in the summer. Relaxing doesn't have to mean lying down or even staying still. Sometimes a walk can be relaxing, listening to music, reading a book, or doing a hobby. I find baking to be relaxing and it can also check off the productive category if we need a dessert to bring to a bbq. As I am relaxing I am going to take a moment to be present and mindful. I'm going to check in with myself without judgement, just to increase my own awareness. 

2. Productive: The key here is to have no judgement and set the bar as low or as high as feels comfortable to you. I will sometimes choose a drawer to reorganize. Running errands can be both productive and social if you do it with a friend. Some days will be massively productive and others will just touch the edges of productivity, that's ok. As long as I feel like I have done something that checks this off the list. When being productive, I am going to have a bias towards doing something that challenges my brain in some way. When running errands, maybe I look for a new route to take. As I am organizing that closet, perhaps I examine how best to use the space instead of putting everything back where it came from 

3. Social: This may surprise some of you but I am actually an introvert. While I love people and I love being social, the way I recharge my battery is typically alone or with one other person. There is a wide continuum of what counts as being social. It could be plans with friends, a phone call, a chat with a neighbor, or just being somewhere where there are lots of people and likely someone I will know. In this realm I am going to seek new experiences. There is so much going on in and around Chicago and summer is a great time to allow my brain to experience something new. Whether it's blueberry picking or axe throwing, I'm going to be open to it because you know, it's good for my brain. 

4. Physical: This is key. I will often start my day with some sort of exercise. Running is my addiction and I have noticed that when I start my day with a run, everything just tends to go better both physically and mentally. As long as the weather is nice, stop looking at screens and get outside. It doesn't have to do a hard workout, just get moving in some way. Take a walk around the block, lift some heavy things, try a new exercise class, do some yoga. The beauty of it is that it's summer and I get to choose. The research is solid on this, physical exercise and sleep are critical to brain health. My plan is to get lots of both this summer. 

5. Indulgent: This is the one my family gives me the hardest time about. What is indulgent to me is sometimes ridiculous to them. Again, my rules, and I get to decide how to follow them. To me, indulgent is something that I enjoy that does not happen regularly.  Indulgent could be anything from a massage or a mani/pedi to a really good cup of tea. It could be buying myself a little treat at a sidewalk sale. Indulgent does not have to be expensive nor does it have to involve food. It could be spending an afternoon binge watching a show. Giving myself permission to do something indulgent helps remove any guilt I may feel and exponentially increases my enjoyment of summer. I'm just following the rules!

Do you have summer rules that you follow? What would your list consist of? I look forward to hearing about it.

Enjoy the summer! 

 Sharing In Google Docs: Set An Expiration

@LisaBerghoff

I think I will always be in awe of digital tools that allow us to collaborate in real time. Back in 2016 I worked on a project with two other edtech professionals. One was in California and the other was in Georgia. We had never met in person but we put together an amazing slide deck for a presentation that we gave together weeks later. I know it seems basic, but sharing Google docs is something I will never take for granted. 

We may not realize it but we are often working with information that can qualify as Personally Identifiable Information, that's the information that can be traced to our students. Things like grades, ID numbers, IEP, or 504 information. It is important to take a moment and think about how we are protecting that information. Yes, our district technology department has set up many safeguards, but one wrong setting can completely undo those.

There are often times when someone needs to be able to edit a document but perhaps they don't need that level of access forever. If you are collaborating on a document and then it is finalized, this may be the right time to change the sharing settings. I know in theory this makes sense but how will this work in practice? Do you need to set reminders to change levels of sharing access on your documents? This seems like way to much to manage. 

That is why I am excited that now you can set an expiration date and time on sharing permissions in Google docs. If you aren't looking closely you could easily miss this one.

How To Set An Expiration On Google Doc Sharing: 

1. Click the blue share button in the upper right corner

2. Type in the name of the person you want to have access

3. Click the box that says "editor" and click on "add expiration"

4. Click the pencil icon to adjust the date and time that you want editing rights to be revoked

That's it! Here is what it looks like:

Here is a handy graphic that was shared by the information technology department in our district newsletter. this is a wonderful guide to help you decide the type of access to grant. 

Want some help? Feel free to reach out to me. I'm happy to talk it through with you. 

Adding Course Materials In Schoology To and From Resources

You Could Wait- But You Don't Have To:

Adding Course Materials In Schoology Before Classes Are Loaded 

@LisaBerghoff

Over thirty years of teaching, I have learned to savor the summer because it goes by so quickly. I have also learned that there is very little that I can do over the summer that truly makes an impact on my time or stress level when we return in August. However, I also understand that as an educator, when you have momentum, ideas, and time to think, you need to seize the day.  Instead of feeling like you have to put it all down on paper, or in the notes app on your phone, you can create materials, folders, assignments, and more in Schoology resources and then you can simply move them over to your courses once they are populated with students.

How To Create Materials In Schoology Resources: 

Screenshots and a video walkthrough are below.

1. In the top navigation bar, click Resources

2. Click the filing cabinet icon to add a collection

3. Name the collection

4. Click on the collection in the left menu and then add resources

How To Move Materials From Resources To Your Fall 2026 Classes:

1. In the top navigation bar, click Resources

2. Click on your collection

3. Find what you want to move, it can be a whole folder, and click the gear to the right

4. Choose "Add to Course" and click to choose the courses, here you also have an opportunity to choose an existing folder in the course

Want some help getting started? Let me know. I'm here to help!

Spring 2026 EdTech Tool Roundup

@LisaBerghoff

At home, spring cleaning means taking everything out of a closet, evaluating the need for it, and then making a decision. Most of the time, I find I have things I did not even know about. Or, I am often reminded of what I do have and realize that I don't need new things, I just need to make better use of what I've got. This is the time of year when it's good to take an inventory of what you have. Here is a quick roundup of the edtech tools that we have premium licenses for along with a very short description.  To learn more, you can search the blog for previous posts or reach out to me directly. It might be time to dust off some old favorites and bring them back before the school year ends. Many of these have new updated features that I hope you will check out. These are in alphabetical order.

1. Canva: This is the Swiss Army Knife of design tools. Great for presentations, infographics, video, logos, and more. 

2. Diffit: This is an incredible tool for teachers. Create content, lessons, and activities using Diffit's AI powered platform. No need to know how to prompt. Start with what you already have or start from scratch. Easily convert reading levels, translate, and more. 

3. Edpuzzle: Easily embed questions into videos to make them interactive and more engaging. There is a live feature to do in class or assign as homework. 

4.  Gimkit: Popular game-based platform. Great for review. Live games that are very engaging and fun but also has the ability to assign outside of class. 

5. Goose Chase: Scavenger hunt style activity. Students use a free mobile app and you set it up on a computer. Students solve "missions" through pictures and text. You get to see their submissions and leaderboard. 

6. Hapara: Help students stay on task by locking browsers or only allowing specific sites to be reached. Can also see open tabs and help students by closing them. 

7. Padlet: Digital bulletin board that has many options, features, and templates for how to use. Perfect for review, digital gallery walk, student interaction. Supports audio, video, drawing, and more. Has many AI powered features. 

8. Pear Deck: Make your slides interactive. In-person or assign for outside of class. Many new features! Can also auto-grade for you. 

9. Read&Write: Perfect for any student who could use some support. Has text to speech, screen mask, highlighter, vocabulary sheet maker, and more. 

10. Respondus Lockdown Browser: Within Schoology assessments. Locks students out of websites or you can determine which sites are allowed. 

11. Schoology: The main hub for all materials. This is where students should be going for everything including due dates, copies of materials, assessments, and more. 

12. Screencastify: Records what is on your screen, your webcam, or both. Can also create lessons and have students submit videos. Build in questions, translate the closed captions, and more. There is also a library of video content already created that you can use. 

13. Turnitin: Checks for plagiarism and provides another platform for students to turn in work.