Engrade: A Teacher's Best Friend!

After exploring and working with Engrade, I am very impressed with this online teacher toolset. The Engrade system provides teachers with every tool they need to create a well organized, 24/7 learning environment.  Dog may be man's best friend, but when it comes to teachers, Engrade is a best friend that they should not want to live without.  Buckle up as we explore all of the fabulous tools and features Engrade has to offer!

 Engrade has the following features:

• a gradebook that you can custom design for your particular class.  You can create different assignment categories  such as essays, homework, tests, quizzes etc and decide what the weight of each of these items will be worth and if you would like to drop the lowest grade.  When I was working with it, it was very easy to use.  You just have to plug in the numbers and Engrade calculations the total average for each student.  
• A homework calendar where teachers can post upcoming assignments, projects, tests.  Students have 24/7 access to this calendar, so there is no excuse for them to say they did not know or that  they forgot.
• Messaging- Teacher, students and parents can message each other privately and safely at anytime of the day. SPAM FREE!
• Quizzes- Teacher can make a quiz on engrade.  You can create your own quiz or browse quizzes other educators have made.
• Flashcards- Teachers and students can create their own flashcards of key terms.  I really like how you can browse through previously created flashcards.  This is a great tool for students to use before a test.  The teacher can really pinpoint what the students needs to know for a test.
• Wikis- Teachers and students can collaborate with others classes around the world.  Teachers can share resources and ideas about the topics they are studying.
• Attendance- Engrade allows teachers to keep track of daily attendance records on a simple spread sheet.
• Discussions- Students can engage classmates and the teachers in online discussions
• Administer Reports-  Administers can quickly and easily see students progress, which makes it easy to identify at risk students.
• 24/7 access- Studens, teachers and parents can log on at any time.  Teachers can post answers and corrective feedback.  Students can check assignments and grades.  Parents can see their child's progress and communicate easily with the teacher.
• IT'S FREE! I know it hard to believe but the Engrade system is free! You just have to set up an account and you are good to go!

After exploring all of these features, on scale of 1 to 10 I would give engrade an 11!  It promotes communication and provides quick feedback among parents, teachers and students.   My favorite feature is the quick and easy gradebook.  It allows teachers to enter grades and organize assignments in a timely fashion that does not detract from valuable planning time.  I will definitely use Engrade in the future. Below is a snapshot of the class I created.  Please explore Engrade for yourself!  You will not regret it!