Overview
This post may be updated.
Community Server
Pros
- Integration with Office 2007
- Blogs are core functionality
- Widely used as a public blogging platform.
- Scalable and extendable.
- Integrated AD authentication (Not currently enabled)
Cons
- No workflow – approval process.
- Learning Curve – while not significant, isn't amazing either. Posting is easy. Managing changes takes a bit of work. An hour or two of training.
- Posting pictures from Word not (intuitive/possible/???)
Sharepoint
Pros
- Integration with Office 2007
- No additional licenses to buy (unless we need the connector license).
- Users can create as many blogs as they'd like. (Also a con)
- Scalable and Extendable.
- Workflow – Approval process.
- Integrated AD Authentication
Cons
- Blogs are tied to the MySites feature of Sharepoint – basically a personnel directory. We cannot (that I know of) publish a public blog on a private site like this.
- Blogs are an afterthought. Not core functionality.
- UI – No HTML Editing in browsers other than IE.
- Users can create as many blogs as they'd like (Also a pro).
- Learning Curve – Moderate to Significant – Mostly SharePoint as a platform. I know it's "Powerful" but is it intuitive?
UI
- Community Server (WYSIWYG)
- Sharepoint (Plain Text)
Welcome Back Elmbrook!
This summer is drawing to a close, and I thought I'd update this blog with some of the progress I've been making.
Calendar @ Elementary.
As you know, the equalized schedule has implications at the Elementary level. I'm sure you're aware of the color scheme (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green and Blue days). Well, this meant that some changes needed to be made to the calendar, and I figured this is a good time to make a few other changes. When you go to any school, this is the calendar you are used to seeing.
We've received much feedback that this isn't helpful. What I've heard is that parents want a quick way to see what is coming in the next few days, and in the next month. So, I'll be changing the main "calendar" to a list of the next seven days, and all of the events for those days. It will also display the color for the day as a flag icon. The event details will be hidden, to maximize space on the page, but will be viewable when the user clicks on the plus icon next to the event. Instructions will be displayed on the page. Here's a sample of what the page will look like.
We will maintain a link to the old calendar, for posterity's sake. The colors will also be displayed on the month-at-a-glance calendars, and the printable calendars.
Additionally, the colors will be displayed prominently on the home page of each building's website.
The resource scheduler app has also been updated with these color labels.
More to come...
Twitter is another Web 2.0 tool that is starting to gain popularity. What exactly is Twitter? Essentially, it is micro blogging that is mobile capable. What does Micro blog mean? Well, micro blogging in Twitter's terms is simply answering the question "What are you doing" in 140 characters or less (the industry standard size of a text message on a cell phone). As I understand it, Twitter was developed based on a system that kept track of personnel in the field for a bicycle messenger service. Messengers could phone in and the system would, at a glance, know where everyone was, and what they were accomplishing.
The idea of Twitter is fundamentally the same, but more broadly applied. I can now, with either my cell phone, or computer, type in a quick update, and people who are "following" me (twitter speak for watching), can know in an instant what I am doing or where I am going. But, other organizations have found value beyond those basics. For example, Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana, uses Twitter to post important updates and "insider information." For example, yesterday (June 15, 2008), they posted "This is a particularly good day to visit: beautiful weather and light attendance." Holiday World Twitter Page Another Example: FoxNews.com posts regular updates and links to breaking news stories on their website. Just a few minutes ago, they posted a link to a story: Report: 60,000 Bees Removed From N.C. Man's Home. Fox News Twitter Page
So, here's my question. Is Twitter a viable tool for Education? Is there a way we could use Twitter for communication? I'll probably be posting more in the coming weeks about my thoughts.
Public Website
Elmbrook Schools is in the process of purchasing a product called Community Server. This product provides blog functionality as well as static page functionality. The public website for Elmbrook will essentially be a combination of blog aggregation through a custom built interface and navigation system that aggregates pages and blog categories. Each school building will have a public facing site with a theme built for that particular building. This theme will carry across through all pages within the site. Blogs can be accessed both through the site, as well as through the community.elmbrookschools.org site.
Portal Websites
If you're reading this post, chances are, you know what a blog is. But, what you may not know is what a blog is capable of accomplishing. Your only exposure to blogs may be through online communities, such as MySpace or Facebook (which of course you access from home). But, did you know that most news sites are essentially blogs? Yes, the possibilities are endless when it comes to blogs, and one of our initiatives for 2009 is what we're calling Web 3.0. It's a re-envisioning of the way we communicate with our stakeholders, that will make it easier than ever.
There is a Web 3.0 steering team that is meeting to discuss new tools and how they will impact the way we go about our business of education. Watch this blog for more details. We'll keep you posted.