OGT News: How much should I use IQity's Learning Management Suite?

As a trainer and development specialist for IQity, I get a lot of questions about how and when to use a Learning Management Suite (LMS). How much is enough? How much is too much? The IQity LMS is intended to blend the brick-and-mortar tradition with those of the E-learning frontier. Being innovative in E-learning means predicting questions like these and creating fluid answers for every conceivable school at either extreme (and those in between, naturally).

IQity can be used as heavily or as sparingly as a school requires. Some schools we work with need only partial blending. The most classic example is when teaching at-risk or AP students in a brick-and-mortar setting. Sometimes, this involves providing a blended environment intended to motivate students. At times, the mere idea of content being online inherently intrigues learners. In at-risk scenarios, IQity can provide additional sources of accountability. Sometimes, IQity simply allows a school to provide an education to students physically unable to attend classes in a brick and mortar school.

Special Needs Students

Imagine it's seven years ago. A student suffers from a debilitating illness. Suddenly, the student is faced with three choices:

a. graduate late after recovering
b. drop out of school entirely, "just for now"
c. find another means of graduating outside of the traditional high school

None of these options are exciting for anyone. The student's future grows uncertain, the school loses money, and the word "fair" never once comes into play. This is but one example of how a school can "fail" students without solid measures in place. Of course, one can't forget about other pressing issues facing traditional schools, as well, including Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) success and the growing popularity of charter schools.

There is also another end of the school spectrum: Online Schools. These schools don't suffer when a student can't learn on-site, because they offer state-accredited, remote education to those for which a traditional education may not be appropriate. The catch is that online schools are only as good as their teachers, their content and certainly their means of delivery. These schools depend upon a reliable, 24/7 LMS for delivering both custom and professionally developed online curriculum to each and every student on the roster.

So, how is IQity able to meet the needs of both extremes? Simply put, IQity is built for integration and blending. Content within IQity can replace a text-book completely, or it can reinforce one.

Curriculum

The resident high school curriculum content within IQity is provided by #1-ranked Class.com. This content truly shines when an institution intends to provide a full-time or supplemental education to students. In other situations (perhaps a teacher already has his or her own digital content), IQity offers an array of content management tools, allowing educators to share and host documents and HTML pages they've personally created or have found elsewhere. Using all or a mix of both elements can meet the needs of any learning institution, despite specific goals.

Regardless of how much a school uses an LMS, what really matters is how the school uses it. As an administrative trainer for a front-runner LMS, educators ask me, "How exactly should I use IQity?" This is one question I really can't answer -- at least not accurately. Every school is going to use IQity in a way that benefits their faculty and students most. This varies -- at times drastically -- from district-to-district, and even from school-to-school within one school district. The best answer I can offer is, "Get into IQity and explore. You'll answer that question yourself!"


Jason Gary
IQity
Professional Development Specialist
877-474-8966


Your school can obtain a free online OGT Practice Guide - which is part of IQity's Learning Suite. Sign up now.