At the start of the year, there were major changes in the website and grade program teachers used. Edline changed to the Portal, and Google Classroom changed to my MCPS classroom. For students this meant that it was time to delete all the old school apps off of their phones and download all of the new ones.
Students like to have apps that allow them to check their grades and view their assignments on their phones. This allows them to check and stay updated with their grades and assignments without having to find a computer. “I make sure that I have all the apps because it lets me get access to everything I need at any time, and it helps to make sure I am updated on what the teacher is posting,” junior Aaron Lazar said.
When students learned that Edline was being taken away they were disappointed because that also meant the loss of Edline Helper. On Edline Helper, a person could enter a projected grade into a class and see how that projection would affect their current grade in the class. This helped kids know what grades they needed to receive on a test or a quiz to achieve the overall grade in the class that they wanted. Now that Edline is no longer used, a new app has been created that has an identical function called myMCPS+. “I have the MCPS helper. Being able to enter in grades and see how they affect your grade is really nice, and it helps me prioritized what class I need to prepare for the most,” junior Jenna Land said.
Having the apps also helps students become more organized and saves paper because teachers share documents online and then the students can view the papers on the app. “It’s nice to have the apps because I can look at assignments and notes on them, and then I do not have to receive as many papers from the teacher so it is more organized,” Lazar said.
It also helps students because there are moments where a student may have free time to study, but not have their study materials with them. If they have their academic apps, they still have a way to study. “I think the apps are helpful because I have direct access to PDFs for classes, and I can look at notes for classes to study,” junior Dani Feng said.
The apps have now become important for many people who want to be successful in school. “The apps like myMCPS+ and Canvas are very helpful to use, and they make school easier. They definitely help me earn a better grade in my classes, and they make school easier,” Lazar said.
Jake Klugerman
Profiles Editor
