– Developer releases downloadable resource for district administrators to check capabilities of learning management systems –

Ontario, Canada (Oct. 7, 2015) – K-12 administrators are facing important questions about the role of learning management systems (LMS) in their school districts. Edsby, a purpose-built K-12 LMS that connects students, teachers and parents using modern technologies, has developed a checklist to support administrators weighing the benefits of implementing a modern LMS district-wide, or in the evaluation of current systems.

No longer a complementary system that hums along in the background as schools conduct their day-to-day activities, the LMS is now the centerpiece of teaching and learning in schools. As the pace of modernization in education quickens, some districts risk being held back because their LMSs are slow to evolve with today’s technologies – assuming they even have an official district LMS to begin with.

Here’s a summary of the five signs administrators need to update their LMS, according to Edsby:

• It’s not social: Systems that create safe and secure spaces mimicking the look of popular social media channels are attractive to students, teachers and parents.
• It doesn’t play well with other systems: Seamless integration with other systems, such as a district’s student information system (SIS), makes integration of a modern LMS easy and powerful.
• It’s one-size-fits all: No two districts are the same, so why adopt a rigid system that may have been built for higher education when administrators can implement a next-generation, customizable LMS that meets their specific needs as a K-12 institution?
• It makes more work for teachers: If teachers are constantly wrestling with the LMS, or having to manage their own personal LMSs, it becomes more of a distraction than a timesaving tool.
• It’s outdated: Modern technology has come a long way since the turn of the century when most legacy systems were designed. Today’s systems are more intuitive and offer a friendlier user experience, which is particularly important for young students.

Download the full checklist here.

“An LMS is the foundation of teaching and learning,” said Scott Welch, vice president of special projects at Edsby. “An LMS should be as dynamic as the district it serves. As schools continue to modernize, administrators need to ensure their systems can address schools’ needs today and are also capable of adopting to tomorrow’s challenges.”

About Edsby
Edsby is a modern, purpose-built learning management system (LMS) for K-12 that enables school districts and private schools to connect their teachers, students and parents using the technologies that have become pervasive in people’s lives. Edsby is developed by CoreFour, a team that has been building scalable, reliable software systems for education organizations around the world for almost 30 years using the latest technology and standards. Edsby is a registered trademark of CoreFour Inc. Learn more at edsby.com.

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