by Izzy Pilot ’18

At the beginning of this school year, MCPS implemented myMCPS, a program designed to streamline resources such as Edline and Google Classroom into one website. After a lack of county-wide training and mixed feedback at the release of the program, myMCPS has been incorporated very slowly, if at all, into lessons.

Though teachers must upload grades to myMCPS Portal, they have more flexibility in what program to use for uploading assignments online. In an Instagram survey of 168 MCPS students asking whether most of their teachers usually use Google Classroom or myMCPS classroom, 76 percent of students said that their teachers still use Google despite the release of the new program and the other 24 percent said myMCPS is being used.

Engineering teacher Jason Daigle, one of the few staff members at Sherwood who has utilized myMCPS Classroom, spoke highly of the program for its abundance of tools, some of which are not offered through Google. “I especially like the way you can post and submit assignments online and create online assessments. Integrating other tools like screencasts, videos, and using the mailing tool are on my list of things to try. I especially want to look for an opportunity to incorporate online discussions and group collaboration,” explained Daigle.

Science teacher Laura Dinerman is one of the many teachers who has continued using Google Classroom despite the county-wide update. “I’m sure that myMCPS is also excellent and I’m happy to try new technology and implement it in my classroom, but teachers were not given the time needed to set it all up and become proficient with MyMCPS before implementation had to occur,” said Dinerman of the new technology.

Some other complaints from teachers and students alike about myMCPS include difficulty logging in, impractical design, and issues with downloading the app on androids. As the software is only in its first year, MCPS is working to continue addressing these concerns and increase usage of myMCPS.