*This is a sponsored post which means I was compensated to share these ideas with you. Thanks to itslearning for this opportunity!*
The implementation of educational technology tools has made my life as a teacher SO MUCH easier. When I think back to the beginning of my teaching career … which was only 9 years ago … I remember with disgust the many nights of lugging piles of tests and worksheets home to grade, randomly spilling coffee on papers, making math mistakes on scores, and misplacing work before it was entered in my gradebook. These problems are remedied by using a Learning Management System, like itslearning, along with Google Classroom, to assign, collect, and grade student work!
Below are my top three reasons that teachers need to utilize a Learning Management System:
Access assignments anywhere
Students AND teachers alike can benefit from being able to access assignments and activities anywhere. How often did you forget your homework in your desk or locker and begin to panic when you couldn’t complete your homework? As a student, I did this more times than I care to remember or admit … this becomes a non-issue with the use of technology and learning management systems! When we introduced Chromebooks in my building, one of the biggest praises students had for our 1:1 program was that they loved having access to everything they needed for their assignments on their Chromebooks. Learning Management Systems allow teachers and students to quickly access everything they need from virtually anywhere!
Provide quick and effective feedback
Kiss grading by hand GOODBYE! Learning Management Systems allow teachers to provide quick and effective feedback on assignments and assessments. Learning Management Systems not only allow teachers to quickly grade objective questions, but also provide teachers with the opportunity to quickly view and comment on each written or constructed response question. Learning Management Systems allow students to view their scores much quicker than waiting for their teacher to grade by hand which, if you’re like me, might take a while!!!!
Encourage all students to contribute to discussions
One of my favorite features of Learning Management Systems is the discussion board/forum option. I love being able to assign a thought-provoking questions and hear the thoughts of ALL of my students in this online environment. We’ve all had those classes where one or a few strong voices seems to dominate the discussion on every single topic. Whether the contribution is relevant or off topic, the fact that it dominates other students in the class is typically not what teachers are looking for. We want to hear the perspective of all of our students. We want to encourage them and make sure they know their opinion is valued. Online discussion boards can help! Require students to submit a specific number of comments and/or replies to ensure that all students are participating!
Learning Management Systems are great additions to your classroom. Give them a try!
Thanks for reading!
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