The Prince Albert Catholic School Division is preparing to move over to a new provincial student learning management system called Edsby beginning in August, 2020. At their regular meeting on Monday, June 15 the board of education was walked through what the system can do in preparation for the system coming online in August.
“Teachers can communicate with their families, communicate with their students,” director of education Lorel Trumier said during the presentation.
She said later that if an outbreak situation occurs or students are ill or families have to isolate it will help learning continue.
The Edsby is one platform for all users across the school division. It still allows access to all students with Microsoft 365. Office apps will be available to all students for free download on personal devices while enrolled in the division.
The support is intended to keep students, families and teachers informed and engaged. It allows students to see their schedules and assignments, everyone interacts in a secure environment, parents can see their children’s homework and grades. It allows teachers to obtain pools for planning, attendance and course evaluation. Administrators can also access district -wide analyses and find students at risk.
The division was initially searching for something less involved but came across the platform.
In the meeting Trumier described it as a Facebook of education and mobile-friendly.
Coordinators Murray Henry and Michelle Thomas made the presentation and introduced the remote learning process. The Edsby system is part of a larger Student Information System called MySchoolSask which will be started in August but is for secretaries, administrators and guidance personnel.
Trumier explained that they work under superintendent Tricia McEwen and the team have been instrumental and really supporting the staff to move to remote learning and preparing for doing the work in MySchoolSask.
“Edsby really does support what teachers do in the classroom and I think it is really important to know that it is really important to know that this is a whole learning management system We are used to just having a grade-book as a teacher and this learning system management portal and portal for all students from Pre-K to Grade 12 all using one system. It’s a way for all of the learners and all of the people that are involved with that child as learner to become involved,” Thomas said.
“This isn’t just for teachers this is for the students and it is for the parents as well just to see how their child is doing and there is some really neat features with Edsby One of the things they off is an app so that parents can stay connected to their child’s learning and events that are going on at the school.”
Thomas explained that it was a robust system with lots of possibilities for families and for students. She described it as visually pleasing, easy-to-read and see what is happening in the school, parents can log into many schools in the division if they have children in both high school and elementary school. It is one system for many schools Registration can be done and there is an event calendar for the school community added by administration staff. It also features MyGroup for group assignments and alerts from the app, lost and found, group alerts for things like band or sports or other group activities and can ask to join so it is closed until that process begins.
“It’s a very safe platform in the way that students and parents can interact together,” she said.
There is a separate view for parents/students and teachers.
