Harford County Public Schools Selects itslearning to Deliver Digital Content and Personalized Learning
Boston, MA (PRWEB) August 12, 2014 -- As part of its initiative to move toward digital delivery of instructional content, the Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) district in Maryland has partnered with itslearning (http://www.itslearning.net) to provide a next generation learning platform that rapidly optimizes, supports and expands personalized learning for more than 37,800 students in the district.
“Teaching is different in a digital world,” said HCPS Coordinator of Instructional Technology Martha Barwick. “With itslearning, we have an ‘all-in-one’ learning and teaching management solution. Using a single sign-on, we can manage our digital curriculum with differentiated learning that engages students. Plus, it supports assessment for learning, giving teachers an option to use real-time evidence of student learning to adapt and personalize instruction according to each student’s needs.”
Designed specifically for the K-12 sector, itslearning is a leading, cloud-based learning management system (LMS) that enables teachers to more effectively engage today’s “digitally wired” students anytime, anywhere and on any device. The platform enables student voice and choice, facilitating collaboration and self-reflection through blogs, individualized learning plans, communities and ePortfolios. itslearning also fosters student content creation and peer analysis, extending the role of the student far beyond that of a traditional “consumer.”
In addition to seeking a platform that would enable the use of a digital classroom, HCPS selected itslearning to reduce the total cost of ownership and provide a single access point for teaching resources, collaboration, communication, and professional development. The district also wished to help parents gain a deeper understanding of their children’s educational experience by providing access to information on behavior and academic progress, as well as details about upcoming assignments and tests. And the benefits of the LMS are not limited to the present; HCPS educators are contemplating using it as the basis for a future 1:1 initiative or Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program.
“From my perspective, itslearning gives our district the opportunity to combine disparate systems under one umbrella,” said HCPS Director of Technology Andrew (Drew) Moore. “That’s a big plus financially, plus it gives us simpler access and ease of use.”
HCPS joins more than 2.5 million educators, students, and parents worldwide that are currently using itslearning. The media-rich learning platform’s seamless integration with existing school and district systems creates a user-friendly interface that gives teachers a way to share instructional resources, assignments and activities, and assessments with students and parents via personalized dashboards. At the same time, students have the power to decide how they learn as the solution automatically adapts to support learning styles that offer the best opportunities for success. A proprietary ‘standards mastery and recommendation engine’ facilitates remediation, acceleration and review by automating the recommendation of resources and activities based upon standards mastery assessments. The recommendations are also tailored specifically to the individual learning styles of each student – regardless of age, ability level, interests or special requirements.
“School districts are increasingly moving from a curriculum housed on a shelf and opting for the efficiency, speed and flexibility of digital platforms like itslearning,” said Bailey Mitchell, chief academic officer for itslearning. “We extend the learning support beyond that of our competitors by giving students the power to decide how they learn best. And we bring similar distinctive support to districts by not only focusing on today’s learning and instructional needs but also collaborating with district staff and leaders to anticipate upcoming demands they may face. HCPS has a history of positive academic support, and with this move, the district is set for the future.”
About itslearning, Inc.
Established in 1999, itslearning is a cloud-based K-12 learning management system designed to make teaching easier, learning more engaging, and parent involvement more effective and efficient. Headquartered in Bergen, Norway, itslearning has offices in Boston, London, Birmingham, Berlin, Paris, Mulhouse, Malmo, and Enscheda. For more information, visit http://www.itslearning.net.
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Charlotte Andrist, Nickel Communications, 770-310-5244, [email protected]
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