There are dozens of online learning management systems available, allowing teachers to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time facilitating an excellent learning environment. These systems are tracking student outcomes in progressive ways and offering streamlined solutions for online courses and online education.
As remote learning and asynchronous learning become the new norm, K-12 education learning management systems become an integral part of the learning process. Here is a look at the new digital options that are replacing traditional learning management systems and revolutionizing everything from assessments to content creation and communication.
1. Blackboard Classroom
This powerful platform goes beyond traditional learning systems and connects students, teachers, and parents through a comprehensive system. Here, students and teachers can connect in the secure online classroom where they can share videos, audio, and screens to increase productivity and understanding. Students can also access content in customized ways that fit their learning style. Teachers are able to communicate effortlessly with parents while schools have full oversight of communications. Blackboard's district mobile app also puts all communication into one easy-to-use platform.
Learn more: Blackboard
2. Alma
Alma is a progressive platform that takes the best of a traditional classroom environment and fluently translates it to a virtual learning environment. The platform provides a multitude of statistics that help teachers adapt their classrooms to best suit their students by making data-driven decisions. It seamlessly integrates with Google Classroom and allows the use of custom rubrics and personal learning schedules. The easy-to-use system is a great time saver for educators and significantly promotes parent and student engagement. Along with curriculum mapping, teachers can also build report cards and create calendars in one fully integrated online space.
Learn more: Alma
3. Twine
Small to medium Schools can reap benefits from Twine's integrated student information systems and learning management systems. Twine connects everyone from students to school administrators as a school management system that can save time and money. By making day-to-day tasks easier for teachers, they can fully focus on what matters most, teaching. It can also facilitate enrollments, improve student learning, and create open communication networks with parents.
Learn more: Twine
4. Otus
Otus goes beyond the parameters of a traditional management system with its state-of-the-art assessment capabilities. Teachers and parents can track student growth through the comprehensive data analysis provided by the platform. It was specifically designed for K-12 schools, optimizing assessment and data storage. Its advanced features offer educators in-depth analysis into the needs of both students and parents to create an optimal learning environment.
Learn more: Otus
5. itslearning
itslearning is a leader in the global market for educational learning management systems. The system is constantly evolving and growing along with the needs of a school or district and offers optimal e-learning opportunities. It also comes with a massive library of curriculums, resources, and assessments. It streamlines communication and mobile learning and facilitates collaboration through conferencing, group assignments, and shared libraries. It also has cloud integration capabilities and allows multimedia file uploads for an all-encompassing learning experience.
Learn more: itsLearning
6. PowerSchool Learning
PowerSchool Learning is a scalable learning management system for an optimal unified administrative experience. Teachers can also give real-time feedback to students as they submit assignments and collaborate on tasks. Educators can deliver highly engaging lessons and assignments and also build thorough and meaningful instructions for students. Teachers build a sharing community to develop resources and create open communication channels with parents and the school. It has robust enrollment capabilities and various classroom management tools for an effortless online environment.
Learn more: PowerSchool
7. D2L Brightspace
For a highly customizable K-12 educational learning management system, take a plunge into D2L Brightspace. The Brightspace Cloud offers an excellent resource space for assessments and data collection. The feedback possibilities include annotations, video and audio assessments, grade books, rubrics, and more. Facilitate personal connection with video exchanges, a valuable tool in an online learning space. Student progress can be thoroughly monitored with their individual portfolios and parents are granted a window into the classroom. Routine tasks are also managed by the platform's personal assistant and teachers can create content like quizzes and assignments and even upload from google drive. This highly personalized learning space can be accessed on laptops, phones, and tablets for equal opportunity learning.
Learn more: D2L Brightspace
8. Canvas
Canvas is one of the most popular learning management systems in the world that is helping low-tech schools fast-track into the 21st century online learning environment. The platform boosts productivity with its instant content delivery and personalized learning. As an online learning platform, it allows teachers to give students quizzes and assessments, fill out rubrics, create syllabi, and keep calendars. Canvas also has a designated app for parents that breaks down any communication barriers that were previously an issue. Student collaboration tools include audio and video features that encourage participation across the board.
Learn more: Canvas
9. Schoology
Schoology's aim is to prepare both learners and educators for their digital future through its integrated systems. Students can access assessments anywhere and move along at their own pace as teachers set up personalized goals. Students can also choose their own learning experiences that are best suited for their style of learning. Student progress is tracked through various grading systems and teachers can create personalized instructions to keep them on track. The platform lets students thrive with its collaborative structure and it builds a community through effective communication channels.
Learn more: Schoology
10. Moodle
Moodle is an easy-to-use learning management system to guarantee student success and improve their learning experience. The personalized dashboard creates streamlined access to past, present, and future coursework, and the all-in-one calendar makes administrative teaching tasks a breeze. The core features are simple and intuitive with excellent organizational capabilities. Students can collaborate and learn together on forums, share resources, and create wikis about class modules. It has multi-lingual features, progress tracking, and notifications to keep students on track with their curriculum and assignments.
Learn more: Moodle
Concluding Thoughts
There is no shortage of online tools available, each helping teachers focus on student outcomes instead of unnecessary administration. With the help of communication channels, statistics, and teaching tools the classroom has undergone a major facelift, and students and teachers are more connected than ever.
Frequently Asked Questions
What LMS do most schools use?
Blackboard continues to be the most popular LMS with nearly 30% of institutions in North America using its system. Canvas comes in a close second with just over 20% of institutions using their platform. Both D2L and Moodle are also popular platforms especially with schools that are integrating these systems for the first time.
Is Google Classroom an LMS?
Google Classroom on its own is not a learning management system and is mainly used for classroom organization. It can however be integrated with other LMS platforms to increase its capabilities. Google is constantly adding new functions to Google Classroom bringing the platform closer to what is known as an LMS but it is still lacking many key features like shared content from publishers, connection with a district school board, and facilitation of school administration.
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