With the ever-evolving educational landscape, schools are always on the lookout for the best software products to enhance the learning experience for their students. As we look ahead to 2023, there is a plethora of EdTech available to schools that can improve efficiency and student engagement. There are many options, from learning management systems to video conferencing software. In this article, we’ll be exploring the top 5 software products for schools in 2023. We’ll discuss the features of each product, the cost, and what makes them stand out from the competition. By the end, you’ll better understand what software works best for your school and what it will cost to implement. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the top 5 software products for schools in 2023.

Canvas LMS

Canvas is a Learning Management System (LMS) that allows educators to create and manage their courses, develop digital content, deliver quizzes and assignments, and facilitate communication between students and faculty. The software also provides analytics tools to assess student progress and track the overall success of the school’s teaching programs. It features a drag-and-drop design for custom course layouts, intuitive dashboards to view data, grade book integration with grading scales, notifications to remind students of upcoming due dates, and more.

Its advantages include:

  • Flexibility to work on multiple devices such as desktops, laptops, and tablets;
  • Multiple powerful content creation tools;
  • Customizable grading scales;
  • Collaborative platform;
  • Great support resources and scalability.

Disadvantages include:

  • Lack of readymade materials in some topics or subjects;
  • No “gamified” content is available yet;
  • Difficult navigation across courses, which may require lots of manual processes;
  • Subscription fees can add up quickly;
  • Some unreliable external integrations with third-party software services.

Alternative school management systems to Canvas include Moodle, Shoology, D2L Brightspace, and Blackboard Learn. Most features provided by these systems are similar, with slight variations in interface designs or course authoring options available. Overall, schools should consider using Canvas LMS depending on their specific needs when it comes to learning management system platforms.

Perlego

Perlego is an online platform that allows students and teachers to access over 700,000 books, academic texts, and non-fictional titles from a vast library. The software is designed for easy use with an intuitive user interface and navigation. It provides great flexibility by allowing students to access books through multiple devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Furthermore, users can customize their reading preferences to ensure they read the best material possible. 

The main features of Perlego include: 

  • Offline mode, which lets students read without the need for an internet connection; 
  • Subscription plans with varying pricing options; 
  • Audio narrations for selected titles;
  • A wide variety of learning materials for specific topics or areas of study.

Although the platform is relatively affordable compared to others in its category, there are a few points to consider: 

  • There is no option to purchase single book titles instead of a monthly subscription plan; 
  • Its limited selection may not provide adequate material for some subject areas. 

Alternatives to Perlego include eCampus Library and TextbooksPlus. These platforms offer similar features and additional benefits, such as bulk purchasing discounts for schools and faculty members who want to buy multiple books at once for their classes or departments. Additionally, many of these alternatives provide physical copies or hardcopy textbooks which some students prefer over digital editions.

Based on its advantages and disadvantages outlined above, we recommend using Perlego for schools in 2023 if they require a reliable online platform with reasonable pricing options that offer quality learning materials suitable for all levels of education, including elementary school up to the university level.

Alma

Alma is an integrated Student Information System designed to meet the needs of K-12 schools in 2023. It’s designed to track students’ academic progress through all stages of the education system and provides administrators with tools to streamline operations and help teachers collaborate more effectively with students. Alma offers tools such as curriculum management, student information systems, attendance tracking, blended learning, personalized learning schedules, and Google classroom integration to give teachers real-time insights into their classes and progress. Administrators can also use it to monitor student grades, course performance, and overall success rates. Furthermore, its analytics platform enables staff members to easily assess school performance and make necessary changes to enhance student learning. Its advantages include:

  • A user-friendly interface that makes it easy for school staff members to use and manage efficiently.
  • A built-in calendar that helps organize assignments, due dates, and upcoming events so that everything runs smoothly.
  • Powerful analytics allows administrators to quickly identify issues or opportunities for improvement within the school system.

Its primary disadvantage is its cost, which may be prohibitive for some smaller schools as it requires significant setup time and fees depending on the features selected by the customer. Some of its alternatives include PowerSchool, Aspen Student Information System, Blackbaud K12 Enterprise, Engrade Pro, and Microsoft Dynamics SL.

While Alma can be costly initially compared to alternatives such as PowerSchool or Aspen SIS, its integration capabilities could save valuable time when transitioning from existing software solutions, making it worth considering for schools looking for comprehensive solutions for educational success in the future.

PlagiarismCheck.org

PlagiarismCheck is an online plagiarism software that effectively detects similarities in texts submitted in different formats. The tool also recognizes various cheating attempts using AI to help teachers and support Academic Integrity. PlagiarismCheck provides detailed reports on the sources of matching texts and the overall percentage of similarity, working as a plagiarism checker for teachers, helping to decide on whether one’s work can be considered plagiarized or not.  

Both teachers and students can use this tool to check plagiarism. With its help, learners can effectively self-edit their papers before submitting them to their instructors, who can make sure that they don’t waste their to check assignments that are mostly plagiarized.

PlagiarismCheck has made it to the list of the top three similarity detection systems according to the European Network for Academic Integrity. Here are the main advantages of using this software:

  • It scans texts almost instantly and produces accurate similarity reports;
  • Can be integrated as a plagiarism checker Canvas or any LMS you like, or use it as a stand-alone checker for plagiarism ;
  • The software recognizes quotes and references and prevents false alarms;
  • You can create a repository of texts and detect similarities with other works of your students or students from other institutions.

PlagiarismCheck has separate plans for organizations (schools, universities) and individual users (teachers, students) so that anyone can benefit from using the tool. You will also have a free trial to check out more benefits of using this software by yourself.

LanguageTool

LanguageTool is the perfect grammar and style checker tool for students and professors. It scans your writing for any errors, big or small, so you can be confident that your work is error-free. The software schools catch many common mistakes that a spell checker might miss, such as grammar errors, frequently confused terminology, and punctuation mistakes. It also offers style suggestions to help improve your writing, such as synonym replacements for overused terms, concise rephrasing of wordy sentences, and formal alternatives to commonly-used expressions. Furthermore, the software can help with translations. The tool allows teachers to paste text in one language and have it automatically translated into another. The best part about LanguageTool is that it’s free for teachers and students. The only downside is that it is designed for languages that use the Latin alphabet. So, if you’re looking for a translation tool for non-Latin languages, you’ll need to look elsewhere.

Finding your perfect software will help you succeed

There are many software products for schools on the market today. Whether you’re looking for a content management system, a plagiarism-checking tool, or even language translation software, there is something available for every school. These software products have many features that can help you and your students succeed. 

When shopping for new software, ensure you find the tool that meets your needs. When in doubt, contact us, and we’ll suggest a solution that will work bestЩ for your school. You can also discover more benefits of having PlagiarismCheck at hand with our free trial.