iAssessment, a Mac compatible application service provider (APS) for the education marketplace, introduced the Gateway Presentation System (GPS) — a Web-based framework to organize and manage an institution’s online resources — at this week’s 22nd annual National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in San Antonio, TX.
The solution is part of iAssessment’s initiative to help the K-12 market meet new requirements established by recent education reform laws through more efficient use of existing technology, according to Dan Cookson, co-founder of iAssessment. GPS goes beyond traditional portal capabilities to bring all Internet resources together onto a “single, easily navigable Web interface, while enabling delivery of personalized, role-based information to select audiences,” he added. It includes a framework of integrated applications, personalization features, content aggregation and off-the-shelf integration to manage all online assets, from online tools to assessment data and course-related information.
iAssessment simplifies the professional development process for educational institutions by providing Web-based self-assessment tools aimed at identifying educator challenges in all areas of teaching. The purpose of the module is to provide an easy-to-use online tool to gather data on how teachers use technology for instruction, classroom management, the technical support they receive and on other areas determined by CTAP administrators, according to Cookson.
Plenty of iAssessment users are Mac users, Cookson told MacCentral. In fact, the Mac OS accounts for an estimated 50-55 percent of the users with Windows users making up most of the other half with a smattering of Unix systems mixed in, he explained. All iAssessment services are full compliant with Mac OS X.
“As an ASP, we make sure that we’re compatible with a variety of platforms,” Cookson said. “And since it’s almost 100 percent Web based, it’s accessible anytime from any Internet-enabled computer.”
While the Internet has created a wealth of online resources for education, it is increasingly difficult to find relevant information and tools among the masses of data available on the Web, he said. GPS unites an institution’s traditional and legacy resources with online resources into a single repository that delivers data, content and applications based on the role of each user, Cookson said.
GPS organizes Web-based info, online professional development programs, education applications and administrative tools into access categories or channels. This creates an institutional portal to help faculty easily find resources, Cookson said. Data is organized with search features to quickly locate relevant data and avoid online clutter, he added.
The channel approach actively leads educators, administrators, parents and students to useful information that can be personalized according to specific needs., Cookson said. For more info, go to the iAssessment Web site.