Classroom Manager vs. DigitalChalk, by Sciolytix vs. Renaissance myON

As we use Classroom Manager exclusively for internal purposes, I can only say something about this area. I would definitely recommend it, it's a great tool. Whenever we use it, we feel that people really thought about the way they have designed the software and the functions they have added. The main reason why we decided on this tool was because of its extensive functions. We currently only use like 10% of what it could do (subjective estimation), but we love that whatever learning challenge arises, the Classroom Manager can handle it.

Digital Chalk is perfect for organizations who are looking for an easy to use Learning Management System and don't need all the bells, whistles, and bulk of the LMS giants, like Cornerstone or SuccessFactors. Digital Chalk doesn't require an administrative specialist to learn a whole new language and environment with endless options and settings. It's very easy to use for both learners and administrators, and yet at the same time provides the exact functions you need.

Incentivized

I teach 5th/6th grade math and science, but I love finding fun books to explain science and math concepts using books that keep the students engaged. I can make sure to give them several options on their reading level to choose from and know I am meeting a majority of my students needs because they can listen to other book be read if they so choose. My students have learned so much from science graphic novels!

Incentivized

• The automatic generation of certificates after an employee has successfully completed their mandatory training.
• The software supports a variety of learning media (we work a lot with PDF and video).
• A great analytic & insight tool that helps us to understand more about the learning behavior of our employees

• While I used the platform, it improved its integrations with PowerPoint, making it easy to convert slides to the DigitalChalk format.
• The editing layers for audio underneath the slides is very user-friendly and easy to use.
• While we didn't use the quiz randomization, I liked how there was a structure built to it so that those who had more robust usage situations than ours would be able to improve engagement and assess learning at a higher level.

Incentivized

• Helps students gain comprehension by suggesting reading materials at their level.
• Because the program has the capacity to read to the students, they get a to hear a good role model which helps develop fluency and accuracy in their reading.
• It is easy to access and helps keep students on track with their reading goals.

Incentivized

• The tool has a ton of functions, which makes the navigation in the backend sometimes a [little] tricky.
• Nothing to add :-)

• The administration of Digital Chalk is very easy. The function I think may be missing is an easy way to add revisions and assign them to the students who need them. For example, when you update a piece of a course it would have an indication that it is version xxx and would ask who would like to assign it to - everyone who has taken it before or just new students.
• It would nice to have the system recognize when a student has already completed an element of a course that may be used in another course. For example, if video A is part of courses 1 and 2, and the student already watched it in course 1, it would ask the administrator if they should get automated credit for it in course 2, as well.

Incentivized

• I could never figure it out.
• Students levels from their STAR test did not translate into the books suggested on myON.
• The platform is cumbersome and inaccessible for students and teachers.
• I am fairly tech-savvy, but I could never navigate through and understand how myON worked. Eventually, I gave up and switched to Epic.
• The book selection was poor. Only the non-fiction books were interesting to my students. None of the popular titles and authors were available.
• It was a big disappointment and frustration for me and my students.

Incentivized

As I mentioned previously, Digital Chalk's customer support is excellent. I also got a reply back within an hour, and it was usually the same person. So, they were familiar with our needs and how we were using the system. Honestly, most of the time we had to contact their support, it was an issue on the user's side, not in the software. Yet, they still helped identify the issue and consulted on how to fix it.

Incentivized

I believe this product provides students with faster and easier access to books. This increases their time spent on task reading. myON reader is a product that is great for students and teachers.

If there are any issues and concerns while using myON, there are many help resources available to offer assistance.

myON Reader works so well with the rest of the Renaissance Platform. This consistency is great for everyone!

Incentivized

The process of choosing an LMS took several months and involved many different people and wide rating criteria. What convinced us and made us choose Classroom Manager was the feeling we got every time we used the software or interacted with the company. They know exactly what they are doing, they were always there to support us and as already mentioned: when using the software and browsing through the functions, you just feel that this was created by experts that know their stuff.

DigitalChalk gave the organization the hands-on ownership of content creation and delivery while meeting our usage case of hands-off course management on a daily basis and extending the reach of the course content and certificate to as many people as possible. It's easy to use, very cost-effective to implement, and the overall experience means that the course participants get what they need out of the course without a lot of effort on their part.

Incentivized

Renaissance myON is hands down the best as compared to Epic. I am allowed to consistently monitor my students. I am able to print reports to help evaluate student progress. I can also use these reports during parent/teacher conferences so parents and guardians can see where their student is throughout the year. They are able to see how their interests change along with how the reading level improves.

• It saves a significant amount of time and money to have everything in one central place.
• In our industry having skilled people with the right knowledge is a MUST to stay ahead of the competition. With the analytic & insight tool, we can track the learning process of our employees at a glance.
• One of the, if not THE most important point: Employee satisfaction. We have a dedicated area where we provide a wide range of free courses, covering a variety of topics. It started as a test to see if anyone is even interested but quickly became a fundamental part of our company branding strategy.

• DigtialChalk's ROI is positive - the cost model of low up-front costs to get started, then paying a small amount per course participant means that organizations implementing DigitalChalk as their platform get more than their money's worth from it. It returns profit quickly and on a consistent basis.
• The asynchronous nature of the platform, combined with the targeted usage situation of hands-off course delivery and management, means that resources to create, deliver, and maintain courses can be held with either one person (like an instructional designer) or even an outside contractor. This means that there's little impact to the fixed operating costs involved with hiring someone else to manage it.

Incentivized

• Students continued to read on their level and were motivated by all of the books being an AR book with a quiz and points to earn.

Incentivized