One month into the school year and already 80 percent of Gilroy
High School students are regularly logging on to School Loop, an
integrated communication service for all members of the school
community.
By Sara Suddes Special to the Dispatch
Gilroy – One month into the school year and already 80 percent of Gilroy High School students are regularly logging on to School Loop, an integrated communication service for all members of the school community. An earlier system, Edline, generated use by just 60 percent of students.
Additionally, teachers and school administrators are receptive to School Loop because it cuts back on the time-consuming work of clarifying grades, answering questions and repeating directions. Now, it’s all online.
Almost all the teachers at GHS are using the new program, said GHS principal James Maxwell.
“It’s nonsensical not to use School Loop,” Maxwell said. “It’s a far, far better system than Edline and teachers are way more receptive to it because it’s more user friendly. It was designed by a teacher, after all.”
School Loop was founded by Mark Gross, a high-school social studies teacher at Evergreen Valley High School in San Jose. His goal was to know each of his students personally and tailor his teaching techniques to their individual needs. Like many teachers, Gross had high hopes that were hampered by the sheer number of students he taught. There were 155 of them.
The solution Gross devised was the program GHS and nearly 300 other schools, has incorporated into its curriculum. GHS has a one-year contract with School Loop. Exceeding the $5,000 cost of a two year contract with Edline, School Loop charges $3 per student.
“But it’s worth it,” Maxwell said.
Several of his colleagues agree.
“I never used Edline,” said Eric Kuwada, GHS resident Webmaster, physics and AP environmental science teacher. “I already had an online grading system in place, but now I’ve switched to School Loop. It’s a much easier and more dynamic program than Edline. Parents receive a daily e-mail with school news and their students’ grades.” Parents can access School Loop throughout the day from any computer that has Internet access.
“I found Edline very useful and am looking forward to getting signed on to School Loop so I can see all the improvements,” said Mary Kroger, mother of a freshman at GHS. “My daughter uses it often and it’s been really helpful when she’s forgotten about some assignment or event.”
“There’s a lot more participation from teachers with School Loop. More than with Edline,” said Anna Reyes, the mother of a senior football player. “It definitely helps me keep an eye on my son.”
Although not all parents are logged on to School Loop, many are attracted to the idea of staying informed so that their student’s report card is not a surprise at the end of the semester.
When comparing Edline to School Loop, Kuwada is certain of School Loop’s advantages. “It was like night and day to me,” he said. “I was blown away. We needed this program.”
Most students shared Kuwada’s sentiments.
“School Loop is funtastic!” joked Eddie Jiminez, a 17-year-old senior at GHS who claimed a 2.5 grade point average. But he and his friends agreed that, overall, School Loop helps them stay on top of homework assignments, check grades, and keep in touch with their teachers if they happen to miss a day of school due to illness.
“It’s like an educational MySpace,” said senior Charlie Duffy, 17, referring to the internationally popular social networking Web site. Like MySpace, School Loop creates a forum for people to interact online, but in the educational arena.
Another perk of School Loop: everything is posted online, so the paper trail is reduced.
“You can send your homework online if you run out of ink in your printer. So you save paper,” said senior Devin Rottler, a 17-year-old with a 3.8 GPA.
Although more students are getting their work done and turned in on time, honors world-history teacher Jennifer Hokanson said some students still see a need for improvement.
“It’s kind of confusing because a few teachers don’t seem to know how to use it,” sophomore Roselia Sanchez, 15, said.
Charles Ogle, a parent of two students at GHS and a physical education teacher at the high school for 27 years, notes another flaw in the system. “Questions that can be answered in a few-minute conversation take three or four e-mails on School Loop to resolve,” Ogle said.
Being that the program is brand new this year to GHS, there are still a few glitches that need to be resolved, but the glitches are minor when compared to the overall reaction to School Loop at GHS.
“School Loop has the ability to link the entire school, and that’s its most powerful aspect,” Kuwada said.
