How To Get Started In Web-Based Teaching

Today's public schools are increasingly turning to web-based teaching to meet the needs of their students and their school districts. Students need computer literacy to compete in the job market. Employers need computer-literate workers and expect public school districts to prepare students for the workplace. Students themselves are accustomed to a technology-rich environment, with cell phones, digital music players, video games and home computers easily accessible to many. Schools that are not offering at least some web-based teaching risk falling behind. But how to get started?

Fortunately, getting started in web-based teaching does not have to be difficult. Schools that sign up to use a comprehensive eLearning platform like the IQity Learning Management Suite that provides everything they need in a format that is very easy to use.

Content for Web-Based Teaching

The first thing schools need to consider is what classes they will offer online. Web-based teaching is a great way to offer specialized classes for which teachers are hard to find or that only a few advanced students want to take. But many courses lend themselves well to web-based teaching. Online courses can incorporate videos, dynamic graphics, and interactive components that illustrate a concept better than a textbook or lecture could. They can also be tailored to each student's skill set, allowing some to work more slowly and others to explore advanced concepts.

Classes taught through web-based teaching need to be aligned with state standards and students need to perform well on state achievement tests. The IQity Learning Management Suite comes with a learning object repository called Reactor that provides teachers a wide choice of lessons already aligned with state standards. Teachers themselves can submit content to Reactor and have it evaluated by a team of educational experts for alignment. In this way, the scope of available lessons is continually expanding.

Managing the Online Classroom

Web-based teaching also requires administrative software that facilitates the administrative aspects of running an online classroom. Schools can choose from many available learning management systems (LMS), as this software is commonly called. The key to choosing the right LMS is getting one that is easy for teachers and students to use, and economical for the school.

IQity's Learning Management System is part of a comprehensive platform that works seamlessly with its award-winning curriculum and teaching tools to make web-based teaching easy. The IQity LMS itself is easy for anyone with basic computer skills to use. Teachers who use email and surf the Internet at home have the skills they need to begin web-based teaching with the IQity Learning Management Suite. Finding content in Reactor and transferring it to the classroom takes only a few clicks of the mouse. An online tutorial is offered to teachers using IQity for the first time, and nearly all find it intuitive and friendly. Teachers who are comfortable in front of a classroom will soon find themselves using the web-casting tool in IQity to address their virtual class in real-time, illustrating lessons on the LiveBoard and using it to encourage class participation.

Costs of Web-Based Teaching

Concerns about cost can keep schools from exploring web-based teaching, but the IQity Learning Management Suite is free to schools and school districts. To see how IQity can help your school get started in web-based teaching, schedule an online demonstration led by an elearning expert.