Online Whiteboard

Remember the old saying "a picture is worth a thousand words?" All teachers know that sometimes you just have to be able to show students in addition to telling them. That's where a whiteboard comes in handy. In the classroom, the teacher can grab a marker and illustrate her point. But what options are there for the teacher in a virtual classroom?

Choosing on Online Whiteboard

Fortunately, various online whiteboards are available. But they are not all equally suited to classroom use. All allow the teacher to write or draw material that students can see. Only some allow students to participate in the class via the whiteboard.

See our article on the features you should look for in an online whiteboard. And keep in mind that IQity's whiteboard is bundled with an online web-casting tool that lets the teacher talk to the class in real time while using the whiteboard, closely simulating the functionality of a traditional bricks-and-mortar classroom.

Virtual School a Hit

The first completely virtual K-12 school in Ohio enrolled its first students eight years ago. Today, ECOT (Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow) has over 9,000 students and is advertising for more. In radio spots and newspaper ads, ECOT promotes the fact that it is tuition-free, fully accredited, and staffed 100% by certified teachers.

IQity Shares ECOT Success

ECOT was the first school to use the IQity Learning Management Suite, and both have proven popular with parents and students. In a recent blog posting, a middle school student talks about being teased and bullied at his bricks-and-mortar school, to the point that he became socially withdrawn even outside the school environment. Now enrolled at ECOT, he reports that he's much more outgoing and self-confident. He's also engaged in his classes again, which he was failing before he became an on online student.

Online Education Works for Many

ECOT testimonials offer many other reasons that online education is the right choice for certain students and their families. Here are just a few:

"The curriculum keeps us going to ECOT. It is well-rounded. He will have the opportunity to take college courses while he is in high school."

"She has a more personal relationship with her teacher, even if it is over the phone. She gets the teacher’s attention all to herself."

"It fits our lifestyle. We didn’t have to get up at the crack of dawn."

"I had a bunch of great teachers and staff working with me, and so many times I wanted to go through the computer and give them all a big hug because they never gave up on me."

To see how IQity can help your school enroll online students, request an online demonstration guided by one of our elearning experts.

School E-Mail Poses Risks

Anyone who's lived through adolescence knows it's a tough time. Unfortunately, technology can make it tougher still for today's kids. Cyberbullying is a growing problem. A study by professors at the University of Wisconsin and Florida Atlantic University quantified the problem to some extent. Nearly one in five kids admitted to being bullied or bullying others.

IQity Protects Against Vicious Emails

Teachers of online classes might legimately wonder whether the same technology that enables students to participate in a virtual classroom also enables them to bully their classmates remotely. The IQity Learning Management Suite comes with a messaging system that prevents that from happening. See our recently posted article about cyberbullying and how IQity guards against it.