Educational Technology Weblog » Web

netTrekker Safe Search Awards

Kim Cavanaugh — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:02:25 +0000

We should all be PROUD!!!

The School District of Palm Beach County has been recognized by netTrekker for our commitment to keeping our students safe online and providing educationally sound Internet resources for our students and teachers. Each year netTrekker recognizes the top 100 Districts based on the usage of their educational search tool, and this year WE RANKED # 7 OVERALL!!

To see where we ranked compared to some of the other districts in Florida and the nation click on the award.

As a reminder,

netTrekker is available to all students, teachers, and family members of the School District of Palm Beach County, and is available via a link on the Learning Tools website. This is a direct link from school, and inquire at your school to learn more about access from home!

To learn more about netTrekker… check out the netTrekker Support Page, and KEEP SAFELY SEARCHING!!!

SDPBC Web Redesign

Mark Howard — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 21:37:30 +0000

The SDPBC Web site is very often the first impression to prospective employees, parents and students and represents the priorities of the organization to stakeholders. Through the leadership of Deepak Agarwal (CIO), a presentation to the Superintendent’s Technology Committee demonstrated the need to provide consistent navigation and design, logical organization of content and use modern and efficient publishing methods to enrich the District brand through it’s Web presence and better serve all stakeholders.

Here is the PowerPoint presentation to STC with working links:

The SDPBC Web Redesign Project has been initiated through the Project Management Office (PMO) with the support of the Superintendent’s Technology Committee to:
Reorganize current District Web content by implementing a Web Publishing System that will provide standards, governance and support for departments to publish content in a consistent, organized and efficient manner in order to better serve all stakeholders and represent the District as an efficient and cohesive organization.

What does this mean for departments?
•   Ability to focus on content
•   Standardized templates and tools
•   Efficient utilization of staff resources
•   Reduced cost
•   Technical support
•   Part of a cohesive organization

Want to participate and learn more – attend a Stakeholder Workshop!!

A Great Free Communication Tool For Your Favorite Group

Kim Cavanaugh — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:19:14 +0000

If you are looking for an EASY and very cool way to promote community amongst your interest groups, I have found TabUp to be an outstanding resource. If your school district or community group does not provide you with your own web presence FREE TO YOU, and you would like to create a private, semiprivate, or open destination for communication, TabUp can provide just what you are looking for.

With features like a shared calendar, forums for discussion, links to various web resources, and the ability to make this modrated or invite only ALL FOR FREE, I can’t think of a school group, sports team, or common interest group that would not find some use for this service. Please take a look, and add your thoughts to this page. The page is not intended to be a primary source of new information, but rather a living example of another great FREE tool available to educators and community groups. I will be automatically notified of any changes or additions, and will be sure to act on valid suggestions.

Is this real to you?

Kim Cavanaugh — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:35:08 +0000

As information technologies have advanced rapidly, things like Google, blogs, Blackberry, i-Phones, and social networks have become ever more prevalent, and being “connected” has taken on a whole new meaning for many people. For more and more people the thought of being “offline” for even a few minutes is a real cause for concern. I read recently an entry form the creator of one of my favorite “social bookmarking” pages www.twine.com (which is currently in invite only beta to participate) His thoughts are that this prevalence and that the ubiquitous nature of technologies and sharing of information will only continue to grow.

This brief article is definitely worth a read.

Some unintended results have come from all of these advances. Some people find that keeping afloat in this massive wave of information is a challenge. Here’s a link to listen to some very tech savvy individuals mull this over at a session of the Churchill Club that took place earlier this year. (MAY NOT WORK FROM WITHIN OUR FIREWALL)

I will leave you with one more look at the same general trend towards a possibly “techno-centric” future. This is brought to you by the ever sharp Colbert Report

Review your experiences, and what you know of your students’ experiences, and let us know your thoughts…pro…con… or otherwise.