IQity Learning Suite
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Students using the IQity study guides will receive not only test preparation tips, they also will gain the opportunity to improve their reading and writing. This outstanding resource is likely to go a long way toward meeting the needs of student who must pass the OGT.

Carol Dodson

Language Arts Specialist

Ohio Resource Center

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Software For Web-Based Learning

Deciding to create an online school or include an online component in your regular classrooms is a big step. The next big decision you'll need to make is choosing software for web-based learning. Getting a program that will help you set up and administer online classes is only one consideration. Controlling costs will be essential, since some software for web-based learning can be extremely expensive. You'll want to get the most for the money you do spend, and you'll want software that supports your educational goals. It's a lot to think about. School districts that sign up to use the IQity Learning Management Suite find it meets their needs and simplifies their decision process.

Web-Based Learning Software that Meets Your Needs

First, consider the reason you decided to offer web-based classes. Maybe you want to provide specialized courses throughout the district without having to hire multiple teachers in those specialties. Maybe you have a diverse student population and not all students respond well to the traditional classroom environment. Perhaps you need a way to challenge gifted students. Whatever your reason, make certain that the web-based learning software you select will help you reach the goals you set for your online education program.

IQity's Learning Management Suite is a comprehensive platform for K-12 web-based learning. It provides the administrative tools you need to enroll students, lets teachers make and grade assignments, and gives students access to class materials. These are functions that most web-based learning software will provide. As an all-in-one solution, however, IQity offers much more. For example, an integrated webcasting tool supplies a much more interactive experience for online teachers and students because the teacher can speak to the class in real time. With the electronic whiteboard feature, LiveBoard, she can call on students to participate in class discussion and even assign group projects.

Content is Key

For every course you offer online, you will need content students can access online. That's where IQity really enhances your web-based learning program. Part of the comprehensive platform is Reactor, a learning object repository containing content for all K-12 grades and subjects. Teachers can use Reactor to find content in many formats, such as videos, audio files, virtual labs, and more traditional formats like charts, assessments, maps, and exercises.

Reactor supports your educational goals because it enables teachers to quickly and easily customize lessons for individual students or small groups of students. With its simple drag-and-drop feature, Reactor's content can be transferred into the virtual classroom effortlessly and quickly assigned just to those students who need it. Whether it's a more advanced lesson for a gifted student or an alternative choice for a student with a different learning style, teachers can find and use what they need without time-consuming and complicated work.

Another way Reactor supports your objectives is with alignment. Administrators should know that all content in Reactor has been reviewed by education experts to make certain it is aligned with state standards. You can rely on the material in Reactor to help your students do well on state achievement tests.

The Cost of Web-Based Learning Software

Purchasing web-based learning software is not as simple as picking a box off a shelf, though that is one option. You can buy stand-alone software that you install on your school's servers. Though you pay a one-time price for the software itself, this option carries with it extensive hidden costs.

First, you will have to maintain the servers themselves. Since data centers need to be kept cool at all times, they are notorious energy hogs. Even with today's more energy-efficient servers, a data center can cost up to $5000 a year per square foot to power and cool. An even higher cost, though, is providing the technical support for your web-based learning software. When the server crashes, when a student can't do his social studies assignment that's due tomorrow, when a parent can't check her child's score on his math quiz, who are they going to call? You, or at least your IT staff. And since a virtual school is "in session" at all hours, you need to be prepared to offer technical support on a 24-hour basis.

If that scares you off the purchase of your own web-based learning software, another choice is to use a licensed program. Vendors of licensed programs host the software and provide the technical support but charge a license fee for each teacher and student who uses the software. Unfortunately, that also can be very expensive. One city school district pays a quarter million dollars every year for web-based learning software license fees.

IQity offers you a better choice. The comprehensive IQity Learning Management Suite is free to K-12 schools and school districts. There are no user fees or technical support costs. IQity hosts and maintains the software. How is this possible? IQity's goal is to eliminate the disparities in K-12 education that result from geography, socio-economic circumstances and other historical barriers to equality in education. To see how IQity can help your school, ask for a demonstration led by one of our elearning experts.